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AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Thursday in Mexico City and discussed means to enhance economic cooperation, in addition to developments in the Middle East.

The King and Nieto, who held a joint press conference after the talks, also attended the signing of several cooperation agreements between Jordan and Mexico, a Royal Court statement said.

Also on Thursday, King Abdullah met with several business leaders and members of the Arab Mexican Chamber of Industry and Commerce, emphasising different opportunities that Jordan and Mexico can tap to boost economic cooperation.

His Majesty said Jordan has taken a number of strides to strengthen its national economy. 

The Kingdom, he said, endorsed several pieces of legislation deemed vital to streamline and boost economic activities and ensure comprehensive development.

Despite the global economic crisis and current regional conditions, the Kingdom has been able to maintain its excellent reputation in terms of security and stability, going hand-in-hand with its implementation of development plans, he added.

The King cited several success stories where Jordan managed to transform challenges into opportunities, thus boosting its investment environment.

He also highlighted the role of the private sector in fostering the business climate in Jordan and providing job opportunities, especially for the younger generation.

Today’s meeting will strengthen relations, not only between Jordan and Mexico, but also between the Arab world and Latin America, the King told attendees, emphasising Jordan’s strategic location.

In light of the various bilateral and international agreements signed by the Kingdom, the Jordanian market represents a gateway for Mexico to reach more than one billion consumers, His Majesty said, pointing out that this is in the best interest of investors and businessmen who can benefit from these advantages.

Jordan is interested in attracting investments in the mining, tourism, transport, IT, energy and water sectors, the King said, adding that Jordan facilitates investments in various economic and commercial fields.

King Abdullah invited Mexican companies and businessmen to visit Jordan and become further acquainted with investment opportunities available in the country to boost partnership with their Jordanian counterparts.

The King voiced hope the meeting would maximise the partnership with Mexico, one of the world’s largest economies.

He pointed out that the opening of a Jordanian embassy in Mexico, which is scheduled at the end of this year, will help maintain cooperation between the business communities in both countries and facilitate commercial and investment cooperation. 

King Abdullah drew attention to the similarities between Jordan and Mexico, noting that the two countries are capable of achieving economic integration. 

As Jordan represents a gateway for Mexican products to Middle East markets, Mexico is seen as a gateway for Jordan to the other countries of Latin America.

Mexican businessmen and leading economic figures expressed their appreciation of the King’s support for investments from Latin America and Mexico in particular.

Commending the Jordanian model and the opportunities that it can provide due to its stability, they expressed their readiness through various economic institutions and private sector entities to cooperate with Jordan in the fields of research and development, and expertise exchange, especially in the industry, transport and IT sectors.

They noted that the two countries will mark 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations by strengthening economic and investment cooperation and increasing the joint trade volume.

In 2013, the bilateral trade volume reached $61 million, up from around $4 million in 2012.

Mexico’s Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo said the Mexican business community expects the King’s visit to be the start of solid economic ties, in accordance with a free trade agreement that is scheduled to be signed soon between Jordan and Mexico.

Asserting the importance of the King’s visit to Mexico, Minister of Industry and Trade Hatem Halawani said it paves the way for further economic cooperation with the second largest economy in Latin America.

Halawani said in remarks to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that since Mexico is a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement and in light of the free trade agreement that will be signed between the two countries soon, Jordanian exporters will have a greater opportunity to penetrate the Mexican market.

During the King’s visit to Mexico, the two countries are signing three agreements and a memorandum of understanding to pave the way for negotiations on the envisaged bilateral free trade agreement and to bolster educational, cultural and technical cooperation in the tourism, agriculture, environment, health and energy sectors.

“It is an important visit... and we hope it will reflect… on the Jordanian economy and increase the joint trade volume,” Halawani told Petra.

In the coming three months, the two countries will exchange business delegation visits to further explore investment opportunities and forge ahead with a new stage of economic cooperation, he added.

His Majesty, who arrived in the Latin American country on Wednesday night, seeks through this visit to establish bilateral ties with Mexico and other Latin American countries, positioning Jordan as an “investment and tourism destination, and gateway for Latin Americans into the region”, according to the Royal Court.

The objectives of the visit, which is in response to an invitation to the King from Nieto, also include promoting the Jordanian perspective on Middle East developments to Mexico and Latin American leaders, according to an infographic posted by the Royal Court on Twitter.

Mexico is the 14th largest economy in the world according to 2012 figures, with a gross domestic product of $1.178 trillion.

The Kingdom’s total exports to Mexico reached JD4 million (around $5.7 million) during the first 10 months of 2013, according to the Royal Court, while Jordan’s imports from the Latin American country over the same period reached JD35.4 million (around $50 million).

JERASH — Jerash Mayor Ali Gougazeh on Thursday said the influx of Syrian refugees has burdened the city’s municipality and weakened its ability to address environmental challenges.

Inaugurating an environmental campaign in Jerash’s Souf District, Gougazeh said the number of Syrian refugees in Jerash, some 30km north of Amman, has exceeded 60,000, constituting a tremendous burden on the environment, health, education and infrastructure sectors.

He also called on international organisations to enter joint ventures with the municipality to alleviate its burdens resulting from the Syrian refugee crisis.

AMMAN — The Education Ministry’s Social Security Fund board on Thursday endorsed a decision to distribute a new batch of compensations worth around JD2.170 million to 285 teachers for January.

The ministry called on the beneficiaries to head to its departments to receive the cheques.

MAFRAQ — A 36-year-old man and his two-year-old child died, while his wife was injured, when their car hit an electricity pole in Mafraq on Thursday.

Civil Defence Department (CDD) staff took the injured woman to Mafraq Public Hospital, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit with multiple fractures and bruises.

Also on Thursday, two workers at the Rehab Thermal Power Plant suffered smoke inhalation in a fire that broke out at the station.

CDD firefighters managed to contain the fire and took the workers to Mafraq Public Hospital, where they were listed in fair condition.

AMMAN — The Lower House’s foreign affairs committee met with Egyptian Ambassador to Jordan Khaled Tharwat on Thursday.

During the meeting, chaired by Deputy Hazem Qashou, discussions covered a number of regional and local issues of concern to both countries, particularly in the energy and labour sectors, in addition to Jordanian students at Egyptian universities.

Qashou commended Egypt’s role in the region, voicing hope that stability is reached in the country soon, allowing it to resume its role as a leading Arab and Muslim country.

For his part, the ambassador commended Jordan’s support for Egypt at all levels, stressing his country’s readiness to assist the Kingdom in issues such as energy and natural gas, and follow up on the situation of Jordanian students in Egypt, in addition to organising the situation of Egyptian workers in Jordan.

AMMAN — Health Minister Ali Hiasat said the ministry is tightening measures to implement the Public Health Law, which bans smoking in public places.

In a circular issued on Thursday to the directors of public hospitals and health departments, Hiasat stressed the need to take the necessary measures to ensure that smoking is banned in all buildings affiliated with the ministry.

The circular said officials in charge of public buildings should place “No smoking” signs visible to all.

AMMAN — Jordan on Thursday condemned the “terrorist” attacks that targeted the Iraqi foreign ministry and other areas in Baghdad on Wednesday.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani reaffirmed Jordan’s rejection of all acts of violence and terrorism that target innocent civilians and spread chaos, regardless of the motives behind them.

Momani said the best way to fight terrorism is for the Iraqi people to unite and work together to restore stability and security, adding that the government supports Baghdad’s efforts to combat violence.

He offered condolences to Iraq’s government and people and to the families of the victims.

AMMAN — Police and Department of Antiquities (DoA) officials on Thursday announced the arrest of a man in Amman who reportedly attempted to sell a statue and other ancient artefacts believed to belong to the Roman and Byzantine periods.

The suspect was allegedly in possession of an ancient statue and other ancient relics that he planned to sell to others, according to a statement issued by the Public Security Department (PSD).

“The police received a tip that the suspect was looking for a buyer and arrested him while he was in his car where they found the statue,” the statement said.

Upon searching his house, they found more ancient artefacts, the PSD said, adding that they are investigating the source of the artefacts.

DoA Director General Monther Jamhawi said an expert was dispatched to examine the items.

“We sent an expert to examine the statue and the other pieces to determine if they are authentic,” Jamhawi told The Jordan Times.

The DoA official added that the department is waiting for the conclusion of the investigation to obtain the items and register them.

AMMAN — The Higher Education Council (HEC) on Thursday authorised the Kingdom’s universities to handle the admission of Jordanians who were enrolled in Syrian universities and could not finish their studies due to the current turmoil in the country.

Mustafa Odwan, secretary general of the Higher Education Ministry, said 600 of the students who returned from Syria have submitted applications to the ministry to continue their studies at public universities.

“Most of these students could not bring their documents from Syria; thus, we authorised universities here to evaluate their status and deal with them at their own discretion,” Odwan told The Jordan Times over the phone.

He explained that the students will study the same subjects they were studying in Syria and if they manage to “pass”, they can continue in the same specialty.

The higher education official also noted that the condition related to the minimum General Secondary Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) score that qualifies students to be accepted in a certain subject was waived for the returnees.

More than 900 Jordanians were studying in Syrian universities; some 600 decided to continue their education here, while the rest returned to Syria, Odwan said.

Also on Thursday, the HEC decided to accept 13,902 of the students who pass the Tawjihi winter session in the Kingdom’s public universities.

The council also decided to exempt students with severe disabilities from sitting for an English language proficiency exam as a precondition to be accepted in postgraduate studies, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The council also approved adding a second summer semester to the academic year, and students can choose which semester to join.

AMMAN — A 28-year-old truck driver was charged on Thursday with the premeditated murder of a man whose body was found in a dumpster in Naour a day earlier.

The suspect reportedly confessed to stabbing the 33-year-old victim with a switchblade on Wednesday evening following an argument at the dumpster, which belonged to the victim, a senior official source said.

The suspect told investigators that he had an argument with the victim over dumping waste on his land, the source told The Jordan Times.

As the argument became heated, the suspect reportedly “grabbed a switchblade from his truck and stabbed the victim in the abdomen and fled”, according to the source.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival because of the stab wound that penetrated his heart, a second source told The Jordan Times.

The police apprehended the suspect on Thursday, the source said, without elaborating on how they located him.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Omar Hiari charged the suspect with premeditated murder and issued orders for him to be detained at a correctional and rehabilitation centre pending further investigation into the case.