Jordan Times
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Comprehensive plan needed for national security — Bakhit
AMMAN (JT) — Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit said on Tuesday that his government focuses on security as a comprehensive term that entails several elements, which lead as a whole to a well-developed and secure Jordan.
According to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Bakhit told students and teaching staff at the University of Jordan (UJ) that although the government has highlighted security as a priority on its agenda, the concept remains a loose term that includes all aspects that would make Jordanians feel more secure.
The premier cited political freedoms, democratic life and efforts to combat poverty and unemployment as some of the ingredients for security.
“Our vision for security is that it is based on the trinity of the state, the law and the society,” he said at the opening of a programme at UJ titled “Success Stories of UJ Graduates.”
Bakhit emphasised the priority given to youth, noting in particular the reforms introduced into the educational system to match with the demands of the local, regional and international labour market.
The premier also reviewed the policies adopted by the government regarding other sectors, emphasising the need for harmony in development efforts to make sure that no sector receives extra attention at the expense of others.
Also last evening, Bakhit reiterated the Kingdom's position on Palestine, Syria and Iraq.
He renewed the Kingdom's support for the Palestinian Authority as a “strategic interest for Jordan.”
Bakhit also called for national unity in Iraq.
Regarding the recent statements by former Syrian vice president Abdul Halim Khaddam, in which he accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of threatening former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri before his assassination, Bakhit reaffirmed Government Spokesperson Nasser Judeh's remarks that the Kingdom will not interfere in Syria's internal affairs.