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AMMAN — Senate President Faisal Fayez called for setting clear strategies and mechanisms to instil a culture of coexistence and acceptance through partnerships that unify efforts towards serving the common interests of Eurasian Countries.

Delivering a speech during the Kazakh-held Fourth Meeting of Speakers of the Eurasian Countries' Parliaments titled "Greater Eurasia", which includes 90 speakers from parliaments and parliamentary organisations from Asia and Europe, Fayez highlighted that collective efforts based on trust and respect would help overcome global chaos caused by violation of international law.

He also called on the gathering to effectively collaborate to achieve the aims of the meeting, which covers building trust and bolstering partnerships and cooperation among Eurasian countries.

Talks also touched on the Kingdom's support for the Gulf Cooperation Council's efforts, mainly those initiated by Saudi Arabia to maintain regional security and stability, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He also touched upon the Kingdom’s humanitarian role in shouldering the burden of hosting some 1.3 million Syrian refugees on behalf of the international community, amid economic hardships caused by regional conflicts.

He asserted that doing so is “not a favour”, but a moral, humanitarian and legal duty.

Meanwhile, during his participation in the meetings, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh said that regional development and stability cannot be achieved while certain "states and entities" refuse to abide by the international legitimacy resolutions.

The prospects of Eurasian partnerships and cooperation has previously been hindered by proxy wars, Tarawneh said, as he called on the gathering to push for the two-state solution as a secured way of peace that would guarantee the establishment of the Palestinian state.

Tarawneh also lauded Kazakhstan's efforts towards nuclear disarmament, urging that capabilities are utilised to achieve sustainable development and economic integration, along with bettering investment environments, rather than fuelling tensions.

Highlighting the importance of the Silk Route, Tarawneh drew attention to the need for legislative ground rules in order to ease cooperation, Petra added.

Tarawneh met with his Kazakh counterpart Nurlan Nigmatulin, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar and Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Saparkhan Omarov over advancing joint cooperation in various fields.

Sklyar has pledged that a new cargo route between Jordan and Kazakhstan will be ready within 10 days.

AMMAN  — The Ministry of Labour has announced new regulations aimed at addressing the issue of illegal workers in the Kingdom.

Minister of Labour Nidal Bataineh recently said that the 2019 Work Permits for Non-Jordanians Regulations would come into effect on Sunday to rectify the status of illegal labourers in the Kingdom.

The minister stated that, according to the new regulations, no work permits shall be issued for guest workers in professions that only accept Jordanians.

Bataineh continued that the violating labourers will "only be given two months to rectify their situation", stressing that "no grace period will be given beyond that deadline".

The minister warned that if illegal labourers do not rectify their situation, they will be deported immediately and incur fines.

The minister added that any violating labourers who do not wish to rectify their situation "are welcome to leave the Kingdom during the two-month period without paying any fines or additional fees".

The minister said that Egyptian workers who possess an expired passport and wish to renew their work permit in Jordan are allowed to do so as long as they can provide official documents proving that they are in the process of passport renewal.

Bataineh added that the 2019 regulations also aim to regulate the fees that non-Jordanians pay, adding that the fee has been unified to JD500 for a number of sectors. 

The minister noted that the permit fee for domestic workers has been reduced from JD600 to JD500.

Officials have estimated that approximately 600,000 of the 900,000 labourers in the Kingdom do not have valid working permits.

On the agriculture sector, Bataineh noted that "due to the sector’s importance to the Jordanian economy, the ministry decided to waive all previous fines imposed on foreign workers".

Meanwhile, construction workers will only have to pay 80 per cent of the work permit fees, stated the minister.

As for the Aqaba Economic Zone, the minister said that the violating visiting labourers will be obliged to pay only 50 per cent of the work permit fees.

AMMAN — Foreign Ministry Secretary General Saja Majali on Tuesday accepted the credentials of the newly appointed ambassador of the Republic of San Marino Igor Bellichari as an accredited and non-resident ambassador to the Kingdom.

During a meeting after the ceremony, Majali expressed her wishes for success to the new ambassador, voicing keenness to further develop ties between Jordan and San Marino, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — Algerian Ambassador to Jordan Mohamed Bourouba on Tuesday refuted that his country had “at any point” offered to provide Jordan with natural gas at preferential prices. 

The Ministry of Energy had asked Algeria, in 2016, to sign an agreement of understanding in the field of energy, Bourouba noted, adding that the two countries’ energy ministers signed the accord on the sidelines of an international conference held in Jordan in the aforementioned year, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

Bourouba said that as an ambassador his duties are to work on the enhancement of bilateral relations  adding that he is neither “an expert nor a decision maker” when it comes to making such an offer or discussing it. 

AMMAN — The Turkish embassy in Amman will host the Turkish Culture Days in Amman between September 29 and October 5 in cooperation with the Turkish Cultural Centre.

The event will screen broadcasting Turkish films in cooperation with the Royal Film Commission and hold a symposium on the archaeological city of Göbekli Tepe in cooperation with the National Library of Jordan, according to an embassy statement. 

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has overturned a May Criminal Court verdict sentencing a man to death after convicting him of murdering a man over financial feuds in October 2015.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of shooting and killing the victim on October 20 and handed him the capital punishment.

However, the higher court ruled that the Criminal Court “failed to hear several defence witnesses in the case”.

"The witnesses' addresses are known to the authorities and they should be summoned to court to testify to ensure justice in this case," the higher court ruled.

The defendant's lawyer also argued that the DNA evidence found at the crime scene did not belong to his client, according to court papers.

The lawyer also contended that there were "irregularities in the investigation and arrest procedures", according to the higher court.

“We decided to overturn the verdict and return the case to the Criminal Court to investigate the violations in the investigation procedures and issue a new ruling,” the higher court stated.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the ruling arguing that the defendant deserved the verdict he received.

Court papers said that the defendant owed the victim and his family JD130,000.

"The defendant and the victim’s family were involved in several heated arguments as a result of the high financial debt," court papers said.

On the day of the murder, the court maintained “the defendant decided to take revenge and headed to the victim's house and fired several rounds at him and other family members who were present".

“The victim was struck once in the head and died instantly while two of his brothers survived the shooting incident by hiding under the table,” the court added.

The Cassation Court comprised of judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Bassim Mubeidin, Naji Zu'bi, Majid Azab  and Nayef Samarat.

AMMAN — Social Security Investment Fund’s (SSIF) CEO Kholoud Saqqaf has had a firsthand look at various projects and future plans of the Irbid District Electricity Company (IDECO), during a follow-up visit to the company. 

Saqqaf highlighted the importance of investment in the sector to achieve energy security and realise their sustainable development goals through maintaining uninterrupted power supply to subscribers, according to an SSIF statement.

IDECO Deputy Chairman Abdulkarim Malahmeh said that the company plans to implement projects and programmes that aim to develop the level and efficiency of services, while also swiftly responding to subscribers’ complaints during power outages.

The IDECO director general reviewed the company’s future plans, which includes completing the automation of IDECO works, the billing system and the use of e-gauges, and adopting the SCADA monitoring and control system, according to the statement. 

It also added that in partnership with local and foreign investors, the SSIF owns direct and indirect investments in the fields of electricity generation and distribution, and renewable energy schemes with a total investment volume exceeding JD100 million. 

SSIF’s assets grew by 5 per cent by the end of June to reach JD10.72 billion, as compared to JD10.19 billion at the beginning of 2019, according to figures released in July.

SSIF’s revenues reached JD321.6 million by the end of June, as compared to JD260 million during the same period of 2018, constituting a 24 per cent growth, the statement said. 

As part of its strategy to expand its long-term investments, the fund has increased its shares in a number of public equity companies in vital sectors since the beginning of the year. 

In addition, the SSIF expanded its real estate investments to constitute 6 per cent of its total assets, the statement said.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday urged vigilance in countering the global threat of terrorism and extremism in all their forms, noting the “tremendous complexity of the challenge”.

“There is no single enemy, no single target, and no single technology fix,” King Abdullah said in remarks at the opening session of the Leaders Dialogue: Strategic Responses to Terrorist and Violent Extremist Narratives, organised by Jordan in cooperation with the UN, France, and New Zealand, according to a Royal Court statement.

“Our solutions must protect core values, like freedom of innovation and expression,” His Majesty added at the meeting, attended by Their Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein and Prince Ghazi, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy, in New York.

Participants included the presidents of France, Senegal, Chile, Costa Rica, Kenya, Slovenia and the Maldives; the German chancellor; the vice president of Indonesia; the prime ministers of New Zealand, the UK, Australia, India, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Malta, and Romania; and the foreign ministers of Argentina, Bulgaria, and Colombia; as well as the chef de Cabinet of the Executive Office of the UN Secretary General, the secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the UNESCO director general.

The King said extremist groups “derive their oxygen from hate-filled narratives, that distort our faiths and betray the national principles of our countries”.

“Almost as fast as the Internet and other technologies evolve, these forces of hatred find ways to abuse them: Recruiting the vulnerable; trafficking weapons and illegal goods; planning and directing terrorist actions; and publicising atrocities that have shocked the human conscience, worldwide,” His Majesty said.

 “It serves no one's interest to stand by, as terrorists twist the tremendously positive power of technology and innovation to serve the forces of hate. We need to act. And that demands partnership — the combined capabilities and strategic insights of technology companies, civil society and governments worldwide,” His Majesty underscored.

“It was to strengthen these global bonds that Jordan launched the Aqaba Process in 2015. Our initiatives have aimed at building a strong global platform, enabling multiple stakeholders to share expertise and focus resources in the fight against terror,” the King said.

The holistic approach is a major feature of the Aqaba Process and the partnerships that it led to, His Majesty added.

“It goes beyond security cooperation, to recognise the wide range of relevant efforts: law enforcement; education; inclusive, sustainable development, that gives people — especially young people — opportunity and hope; and conflict resolution, to achieve peaceful political solutions to the crises that terrorists exploit,” the King said.

His Majesty called for countering the extremist narrative, on-line and off-line. “This means fighting the ideological battle on behalf of core values humanity depends on: Mutual respect, understanding, and coexistence,” the King added.

His Majesty urged more leaders to engage in this process.

“You have all stepped forward to take responsibility and work in cooperation. Let us keep up the momentum. Let us get more leaders and experts into the process. And let's get results,” the King urged the attendees.

“A wedding in Amman, a youth camp in Norway, an arena in Manchester, a girls' school in Nigeria, a concert in Paris, mosques in New Zealand, churches in Sri Lanka, synagogues in the United States — all these, and far, far too many other targets, have been seared into the global memory of terror,” His Majesty said.

The King commended multilateral, multisector efforts like the Christchurch Call and the Aqaba Process, as well as technology company initiatives like the Nine-Point Plan and the Global Internet Forum for Counter-Terrorism to fight extremism, the statement said.

Speakers at the high-level meeting commended Jordan’s efforts in launching the Aqaba Process to bring stakeholders together with the goal of countering terrorism within a holistic approach.

Monday’s meeting is part of ongoing global efforts to counter terrorism, coming in follow-up to the Christchurch Call held in Paris to counter extremism and hate speech online, the Aqaba Process, and tech company initiatives in the same vein, the statement added.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Adviser to His Majesty for Communication and Coordination Bisher Al Khasawneh, and Jordan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Sima Bahous attended the meeting.

AMMAN — US cable TV news network MSNBC, which is owned by NBCUniversal, conducted an interview with His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday.

In the interview, conducted by NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell, King Abdullah stressed that the two-state solution is the only means of ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

The King warned that a one-state solution means an apartheid future for Israel, which would be catastrophic, a Royal Court statement said.

His Majesty touched on a number of regional issues, stressing Jordan’s support for Saudi Arabia following the recent attacks on Aramco’s oil facilities.

The King reaffirmed the distinguished Jordanian-Saudi relations, highlighting that the security of Saudi Arabia is of the utmost importance to Jordan.

Details of the interview are scheduled to be released on Tuesday.

AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Monday postponing the start of Parliament’s ordinary session to November 10, 2019, according to a Royal Court statement.

Parliament was slated to be summoned to convene for its last ordinary session of its term at the beginning of October, in accordance with the Constitution, but under Article 78 the King has the power to postpone the session by no more than two months.

Article 78 of the Constitution reads: "The King shall summon the National Assembly to an ordinary session on the first day of October of each year or, if that day is an official holiday, on the first day following the official holiday, provided that the King may, by Royal Decree published in the Official Gazette, postpone for a period not exceeding two months the meeting of the Assembly to a date to be fixed by the Royal Decree."

Another Royal Decree was issued summoning Parliament to convene as of November 10, according to the statement.

The two Houses of Parliament convened for an extraordinary session on July 21, while another Royal Decree was issued proroguing the extraordinary session as of September 7.

A joint assembly for the two chambers of Parliament was held to endorse the Social Security Law, as amended by the Senate.