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AMMAN –– With the cost of educating Syrian students in the Kingdom’s schools set to reach JD400 million by the end of this year, the EU on Monday granted Jordan 40 million euros (around JD38.6 million) to reduce the burden of hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrians.

Under two grant agreements, 30 million euros will go to the education sector, while 10 million euros will cover the cost of revamping sewage networks in the northern region, where Syrian refugees live among host communities, officials from both sides said.

Planning Minister Ibrahim Saif and EU Ambassador to Jordan Joanna Wronecka signed the agreements at a ceremony attended by Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat.

Saif explained that the 30 million euros to support the education sector –– to be added to another 33 million euros previously granted by the EU –– seeks to enable the government to cover the costs of hiring extra teachers, printing additional textbooks and distributing them to Syrian students, who are also exempted from tuition fees.

The 40 million euros are part of the additional EU aid pledges worth 60 million euros to help Jordan deal with the Syrian crisis, the minister noted.

Around 115,000 Syrian students are currently enrolled in public schools, and the number is expected to rise to 140,000 by the end of the year, according to Thneibat.

“Education expenses for Syrian students are going up every month,” he said, indicating that the cost of educating Syrians is set to reach JD400 million this year.

Official figures estimate the cost of teaching each Syrian student at JD3,000. “We at the EU appreciate the policies of the Jordanian government towards Syrians and we have a moral duty to support Jordan in such difficult times,” Wronecka said.

“At the beginning we focused our efforts on providing education to students in the Zaatari Refugee Camp, but then we realised that host communities need our support too,” she added.

The second 10 million-euro grant will be used for a project to improve sewage networks in the Beit Ras area in Irbid Governorate, some 80km north of Amman, to be implemented by the Water Authority of Jordan in cooperation with the German Development Bank.

On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Saif indicated that Jordan and the EU are in talks to provide the Kingdom with a 180 million-euro soft loan, which is expected to be signed this year.

AMMAN — The State Security Court on Monday sentenced six men to prison terms ranging from one to 15 years for attempting to infiltrate Syria to fight alongside jihadist forces last year.

The six men, who hail from Amman and the southern city of Maan, are reportedly veteran members of the hard-line Jihadi Salafist movement and allegedly intended to fight alongside Al Qaeda-linked Jabhat Al Nusra jihadist coalition against Syrian regime forces, according to a judicial source.

The men opened fire on border guards during their arrest, seriously injuring two members of the Jordan Armed Forces, the source said.

Further investigation revealed that the group had several semi-automatic weapons and ammunition in their possession.

Leaders of the Jihadi Salafists confirmed the sentencing, claiming it was part of an ongoing “crackdown” on the Islamist movement.

“These men did not open fire on security personnel and posed no threat to Jordan or the Jordanian people,” said Saad Hneiti, veteran leader of the Jordanian jihadist movement.

“This is part of ongoing pressure on the Jihadi Salafist movement and Islamist movements across the world, in order to force us to abandon the project of building an Islamic state in Syria.”

According to hardline Islamists, some 2,200 Jordanians are currently fighting alongside Islamist militants in Syria — comprising the largest contingent of foreign fighters opposing the regime.

In November last year, the State Security Court sentenced two Jordanians to prison for attempting to join Syrian jihadist groups, and in September imprisoned 11 men for alleged Syrian jihadist ties.

Local authorities continue to monitor the country’s 370-kilometre border with Syria to curb a rising flow of foreign fighters, with security sources reporting the arrest of 15 foreign jihadists since the beginning of the year. 

AMMAN — Jordan on Monday hosted a consultative regional meeting on the media coverage of migrant workers organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in cooperation with Institut Panos Paris.

The meeting, held on the shores of the Dead Sea, gathered media executives, academic experts and representatives of civil society organisations from labour-exporting countries, according to a Labour Ministry statement.

Participants discussed the quality of information and media reports published on migrant workers in the Middle East.

Labour Ministry Secretary General Hamadah Abu Nijmeh said at the meeting that the region is currently going through unprecedented complications, especially with the large influx of Syrian refugees who have found their way into the host countries’ — including Jordan’s — labour sector, depriving the natives of job opportunities.

Thanking the ILO for its continuous cooperation with the ministry and for the attention it gives to Jordan, Abu Nijmeh said the Kingdom has maintained the presence of migrant workers in its labour market within a clear legal framework that safeguards their rights and the rights of their employers despite the current regional crisis.

The authorities, he added, seek to respect the rights of these guest workers without encroaching on the employment opportunities of Jordanians to ensure that the rate of unemployment in the Kingdom does not increase further.

The secretary general called for developing media content that develops a labour culture based on justice, equal opportunities and the rule of law.

Monday’s meeting was the first of a series within a project aimed at enhancing media coverage of migrant workers, according to the organisers.

AMMAN –– Authorities will soon launch a promotion campaign to encourage more Jordanians across the country to apply for small business loans, which, according to officials, has become easier.

At a press conference on Monday, Planning Minister Ibrahim Saif said the campaign will mainly target residents of poverty pockets and remote areas, in addition to Jordanians outside the capital who have business ideas.

The lending scheme will be implemented by the Planning Ministry’s Enhanced Productivity Centres project (IRADA), the Development and Employment Fund (DEF) and the Jordan Loan Guarantee Corporation (JLGC).

Loans with low interest rates will be extended by the DEF, while IRADA will act as a helping arm for entrepreneurs by conducting feasibility studies on their business ideas and offering technical and marketing services throughout the project.

The JLGC will cover nearly 70 per cent of the guarantees needed by the lending institution to make loans easier and more accessible, Saif explained.

In a bid to encourage more people to apply for credit facilities, the minister said the DEF has cut down its interest rates from 5 per cent to 4 per cent for potential beneficiaries in poverty pockets, adding that interest rates can go down to 3 per cent for entrepreneurs in Maan.

The maturity period was also extended from six years to seven years for projects in poverty areas, while it will be eight years for entrepreneurial projects.

The grace period will be 12 months instead of six months, Saif noted, adding that loans worth JD18 million have been extended to beneficiaries.

Over the past, more than 4,500 projects received financing from the lending scheme, creating over 7,500 permanent employment opportunities, the minister said.

JLGC Director Mohammad Jafari said interest rates for projects outside Amman are always lower than for those implemented in the capital, but demand on loans for small- and medium-sized enterprises is still higher in Amman.

“There are many people across the country who have good business ideas, but are in need of soft loans,” Saif said, adding that the promotion programme seeks to increase the awareness of governorates’ residents about the credit facilities extended by the initiative. 

AMMAN — Four people were injured during a brawl in the town of Barha in Irbid Governorate on Monday, according to a police official.

“The brawl was between individuals from the same family who differed on where to bury a dead woman,” Public Security Department (PSD) Spokesperson Major Amer Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

The argument became heated and weapons were used resulting in four injuries, Sartawi said, adding that several houses were also set ablaze.

Gendarmerie forces were dispatched to the area and brought the situation under control, according to the PSD spokesperson.

Police are questioning dozens of people to find out more about the incident and who was involved, he said.

AMMAN — A wanted man, who reportedly sought treatment at a hospital after being shot at by police following a car chase in Maan late Sunday night, died as a result of his wounds on Monday, according to an official source.

Three policemen who were involved in the chase were also injured and treated, Public Security Department Spokesperson Major Amer Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

The suspect was in a pickup truck with another man and refused to pull over when a traffic patrol tried to stop them because they were wanted on several charges, according to Sartawi.

“The two suspects fired at the patrol car and several police vehicles started chasing the pickup truck,” the police official said.

Police had to respond to the shooting and it “seems they managed to injure the two men in the pickup truck,” he added.

The pickup slammed into other police vehicles and the suspects drove to Maan Public Hospital after both of them were injured, Sartawi noted.

The main suspect, who underwent surgery, died early Monday morning, while the second is listed in stable condition, he said.

AMMAN — Jordan is still receiving huge numbers of Syrian refugees on a daily basis, Interior Minister Hussein Majali said on Monday, underlining the pressure this places on vital sectors, such as education, health, water and energy.

During a meeting with Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, Majali cited Jordan’s dire need for more international assistance to enable it to continue providing humanitarian services to the refugees.

The interior minister highlighted the Kingdom’s stance in supporting efforts to come up with a comprehensive solution for the crisis that would end the bloodshed, and preserve the cohesion and unity of the Syrian people.

For his part, Asselborn called on the international community to provide more support to Jordan, voicing hope that the Syrian crisis would be resolved soon.

Discussions also covered means to develop bilateral ties, by expanding cooperation in security, economy and political spheres.

During a separate meeting with Assistant US Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Anne C. Richard on Monday, talks also focused on the security, economic, political and humanitarian consequences of the Syrian crisis on Jordan.

Richard voiced her country’s appreciation for Jordan’s humanitarian role towards the Syrian refugees despite its economic woes.

Moreover, Majali delivered a lecture on Monday that focused on the negative impact of the Syrian crisis on the Kingdom,

Speaking at the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy, he noted that Jordan is the only country in the region that has received huge numbers of refugees to a degree that exceeds its capacity.

Also on Monday, Majali met with British Ambassador to Jordan Peter Millett and underlined the importance of the UK-Jordanian partnership, calling for exchanging expertise and information in the security field to combat crime and restore stability in light of the turbulence the region is going through.

AMMAN — Thousands of saplings will be planted across the country on Wednesday to compensate for the trees destroyed in December’s snowstorm, which was a “strong blow” to Jordan’s forestry sector, an official said on Monday.

More than 10,000 saplings will be planted in celebration of Arbour Day and also to replace thousands of trees that were damaged late last year, Agriculture Ministry Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said.

“During this time every year, the ministry’s forestry department plants saplings on hundreds of dunums to expand the green cover. This year, however, will be different, as the new saplings will replace thousands of uprooted trees,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times over the phone.

A nationwide campaign to plant trees across the country will be launched from a forest in Deir Alla in the central Jordan Valley, where over 10,000 saplings will be planted on 200 dunums, he added.

“The ministry started planting trees in the 70,000-dunum Deir Alla forest in 2009. The step seeks to create more green spaces in the country, especially in areas that lack forests,” Haddadin noted.

The spokesperson said the forestry department’s 13 nurseries across the country will provide the saplings, noting that they produce 3 million saplings of 80 different kinds every year.

“The department annually distributes 1.5 million saplings to the public free of charge, in addition to 500,000 saplings to public and private institutions. Another one million saplings are left at the nurseries to produce more,” Haddadin highlighted.

The tradition of Arbour Day in the Kingdom began in 1939 with a ceremony held in the Jabal Al Qalaa neighbourhood.

Since then, it has been an annual celebration, with the Agriculture Ministry choosing a different location each year to plant various saplings.

Illegal logging during winter, wild fires in summer and insufficient rain due to climate change are the main threats to Jordan's shrinking green cover, which stands at less than 1 per cent of the country's total landscape, according to experts.

Several projects were launched over the past years to increase forest terrain in Jordan and create more green spaces, including the national forestry project, the forests protection project and the Green Belt project, under which trees are planted along the desert road, which links the country’s central and southern regions.

AMMAN — The Lower House on Monday started deliberations over the draft 2014 state budget amid expectations that voting on the bill will take place by end of this week.

The House will need more than 25 hours to conclude its debate over the bill, as each deputy has 10 minutes to address the Chamber.

On the first day of the debate, most of the speakers who took the podium expressed their opposition to the bill, with the majority blaming the government for the “bad” economic situation and the increasing budget deficit.

They called for looking into alternatives to finance the budget rather than relying on citizens’ pockets through more taxes and higher prices of basic commodities.

The first day also witnessed calls to divert the subsidies to target Jordanians who need them rather than maintaining the same blanket subsidy system that the rich and poor benefit from.

In their speeches, many deputies focused on demands for their own constituencies, urging the government to allocate funds to provide more services for local communities across the Kingdom.

Last week, the Lower House Financial Committee concluded its review of the bill and sent it to the Permanent Office.

Immediately, after receiving the committee’s recommendations on the draft, the Lower House dedicated this week’s meetings to discussing the bill to endorse it before a delegation of MPs leaves the country to participate in a regional activity in Kuwait next week.

After holding 60 meetings with various government entities over the past few weeks, the House panel submitted 25 recommendations to the government for examination during the discussions under the Dome.

The committee recommended that the government draft a deficit law to cover the next five years, starting in 2015 to reach self-sufficiency by 2020.

The panel urged the government to speed up its efforts to collect Treasury funds — estimated at JD2 billion — and conclude all lawsuits against tax evaders and others who owe money to the state, expected to generate JD1 billion, calling on the authorities to aggressively combat tax evasion.

The government should also accelerate the implementation of alternative energy projects, according to the panel’s recommendations, which were made available to The Jordan Times.

The government submitted the draft budget to the Lower House in November 2013, with a 12.8 per cent expansion in spending and a deficit of around JD1.1 billion.

AMMAN — Four people were killed and four others were injured, one critically, in a road accident near Madaba Bridge on Monday morning, official sources said.

The accident involved a trailer truck and five vehicles on a four-lane road that connects Amman with Madaba, Maj. Ziad Abdul Aziz, director of the Traffic Investigation Department, said.

Abdul Aziz told The Jordan Times that a white vehicle with five passengers heading to Amman from Madaba was speeding.

“Wrongful overtaking by the driver resulted in the vehicle slamming into the street divider, crossing to the other side and crashing head on with the trailer truck that was coming from the other direction,” the traffic official said.

The vehicle was pinned under the truck and was dragged for 30 metres, and the two entangled vehicles collided with four others on the same road, Abdul Aziz explained.

“The strong impact resulted in the immediate death of four of the five occupants of the white vehicle and the injury of three passengers in the trailer truck,” he added.

The driver of the white vehicle was the sole survivor and is listed in critical condition, according to Abdul Aziz.

The victims were aged 37, 24, 21 and 24.

The injured were rushed to Hamaideh and Bashir hospitals, a Civil Defence Department official told The Jordan Times.

The four other vehicles were heavily damaged as a result of the collision, he added.

According to Central Traffic Department figures, around 11,004 accidents associated with human injury were registered in 2012, with 816 road-related deaths.

In late 2012, the Public Security Department said road accidents over a decade had killed 7,869 people and injured 171,143 in the Kingdom.

In 2011, more than 142,000 accidents took place in Jordan, resulting in 694 fatalities and 18,122 injuries, while financial losses amounted to about $440 million.