Local

AMMAN –– The international community on Wednesday pledged over $2.5 billion in aid to Syrian refugees to ease the growing burden the humanitarian crisis is placing on host countries such as Jordan.

At the closing of the second annual Syrian refugee donors’ conference late Wednesday, the UN announced it had secured pledges for $2.5 billion in funds to provide urgent humanitarian aid to a forecast four million Syrians driven from their homes and over six million internally displaced this year.

Despite surpassing the $1.5 billion raised by donor countries and international charitable organisations last year, the sum represents less than half the record $6.5 billion sought by the UN for the aggravating humanitarian crisis, which has driven over 2.4 million Syrians into neighbouring countries since March 2011.

As of January, the UN has secured 70 per cent of the $1.5 billion pledged in the 2013 conference, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Meanwhile, Jordanian officials hailed the international response, urging the global community to step up support to host countries which are feeling an increasing strain on their education, health, water and energy sectors due to the growing influx of thousands of refugees per day.

According to Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation officials present at the conference, some $1 billion of the pledged funds are expected to be earmarked for Jordan to help offset the $3.2 billion the presence of over 600,000 Syrian refugees is expected to cost the government this year.

In a press statement issued late Tuesday, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Ibrahim Saif expected Amman to have secured $1.5 billion in international aid should the UN have reached its target goal.

The secured funds are expected to go towards direct and indirect support to help the country sustain its water, health and education sectors in order to cope with a refugee influx that stands at some 500 persons per day.

The pledges come as violence continues to intensify across Syria, with the UN reporting over 9.3 million civilians in need of “urgent humanitarian aid” — over half of whom are children.

The conference was attended by 70 countries and 24 international organisations.

In the opening of the one-day summit, Kuwait pledged $500 million for the Syrian refugee crisis, with the US and Saudi Arabia following with a pledges of $380 million and $250 million respectively.

EU countries promised a total of $753 million.

Jordan has opened its borders to over one million Syrians since the onset of the conflict, including over 600,000 classified as refugees.

Jordanian and UN officials have urged the international community to step up its support to host countries, warning that Syria’s neighbours may revisit their open-border policies in light of dwindling resources and the growing stresses placed by the burgeoning refugee populations.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday underlined the “deep” strategic ties between Jordan and Russia and the need to develop them at all levels, especially in the field of energy. 

At a meeting with head of the Russian Federal Agency for Atomic Energy (Rosatom), Sergei Kiriyenko, the King highlighted the Kingdom’s strategy to diversify energy resources, including the generation of electricity from nuclear energy.

For his part, Kiriyenko stressed his country’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with Jordan to best serve the interest of the two countries, according to a Royal Court statement. 

The Cabinet has selected Russian state-owned firm Rosatom as the preferred vendor to construct a nuclear plant that includes two reactors, each with 1,000-megawatt capacity by 2021.

Jordan and the company are working to conduct detailed studies on the plant and its economic and environment feasibility, in addition to construction and operational costs. 

Also on Monday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour met with Kiriyenko and an accompanying delegation and discussed bilateral ties and the government’s energy plans, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.     

AMMAN — Jordan is scheduled to take part in the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference in Kuwait.

Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh will be heading the Kingdom’s delegation.

In his address at the January 18-20 conference, Tarawneh will emphasise Jordan’s support for the Palestinian people and their right to establish an independent state on Palestinian land with Jerusalem as its capital, in addition to the refugees’ right of return.

He will also highlight Jordan’s efforts to support the Middle East peace talks, and the Kingdom’s role as the custodian of holy sites in Jerusalem.

The conference will be dedicated to studying the issue of Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine and the “continued aggression” against its people and holy sites.

AMMAN — Interior Minister Hussein Majali on Wednesday commended Jordanian-Bahraini ties.

In remarks he made before leaving for Bahrain, he added that bilateral relations have advanced over the years to the status of a strategic partnership.

Majali said he will meet with his Bahraini counterpart Sheikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, adding that the visit aims to exchange views on issues of mutual concern, especially security cooperation.

AMMAN — A total of 4,411 violations have been recorded since the start of the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) winter session on December 28, Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat said on Wednesday.

During a tour to check on schools in several areas in Amman, he noted that the ministry is noticing more discipline in examination halls due to the strict measures.

AMMAN — A committee formed on Wednesday is looking into the reasons behind a two-hour blackout that affected the Kingdom’s northern region and parts of the capital on Tuesday.

The panel, formed by Energy Minister Mohammad Hamed, will present a report by Sunday detailing the causes of the power outage and providing recommendations to avoid the recurrence of the incident.

Hamed decided to form the committee at a meeting with representatives of the National Electric Power Company (NEPCO), the Electricity Regulator Commission and the Samra Electric Power Generating Company.

The duration of Tuesday’s power cuts ranged between 15 minutes and two hours, depending on the area.

Hamed urged NEPCO to enhance the national power grid in the central region, and to increase its coordination with the control centre to better manage emergencies.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Raad, president of the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disability, on Wednesday commended the Public Security Department’s initiation of an emergency line for deaf people within the next few months.

He said the step is in line with the council’s efforts to integrate people with disabilities into the community and ensure their right to communicate directly with authorities in case of emergencies.

AMMAN — The government on Wednesday renewed its condemnation of violations committed by Jewish extremists against Al Aqsa Mosque and other places of worship in the occupied West Bank.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani condemned the Jewish settlers’ forceful entry into Al Aqsa Mosque complex under the protection of Israeli security forces.

He also denounced the arson attack committed by Jewish settlers targeting Ali Bin Aby Taleb Mosque in Salfit governorate.

Describing the attacks as violations of international laws and all monotheistic religions, Momani urged Israel — as the occupying force of Palestinian territories — to safeguard the freedom of worship at holy sites and ensure that they are not desecrated.

Jordan, he added, will continue exerting all efforts to protect Muslim and Christian sites and lobby the international community to end all Israeli violations.

AMMAN — The Gendarmerie Department on Wednesday launched the second Jordanian-European twinning project, which is aimed at building the capacity of its personnel.

During the ceremony, Gendarmerie Department Director General Maj. Gen. Ahmad Sweilmin said the project will support the department’s centre for specialised regional training and improve human resources management.

AMMAN — Interior Minister Hussein Majali on Wednesday met with Deputy Director General of the French Gendarmerie Lt. Gen. Richard Lizurey and discussed prospects for further cooperation.

Talks also covered ways to develop security cooperation, particularly in light of the changes witnessed in the region, which require more efforts to maintain stability.