AMMAN — Security situation and growing terrorism activities in the region are major concerns, senior government officials and MPs agreed on Tuesday.
Accordingly, some lawmakers called for increasing appropriations for the military and the security agencies to carry out their duties efficiently.
During a meeting between the government and the Watan (Homeland) bloc in the Lower House on Tuesday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said the deteriorating security situation in Iraq’s Anbar province across the Kingdom’s eastern border is a major concern for the government.
“Jordan’s security is part of the regional stability,” he said.
His remarks came in response to fears expressed by several MPs during the meeting.
The MPs called on the government to support the army and security agencies to ensure that they are well equipped to face such challenges.
Among the suggestions, the legislators called for opening recruitment for more people in these agencies to ease the pressure on them, which has been mounting over the past few years with the escalating regional turmoil.
The lawmakers said the country needs more soldiers and security personnel to “close any gap in the ongoing efforts to prevent infiltration of terrorists to the Kingdom from Syria and Iraq”.
At the internal level, the premier stressed that the government will pursue its “soft, but firm, power” in dealing with citizens.
Minister of Interior Hussein Majali said that the level of coordination between all concerned agencies in the security situation has increased and will continue the same trend in the future.
The authorities have drawn up a “joint plan” to ensure security and stability in the country, he said, noting that previously, each security agency used to have its own plan, but, “now, we all work under one blueprint”.
