Jordan Times
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Gov’t to allocate
funds for implementation of Agenda
By Khaled Nuaimat
AMMAN — The government will allocate significant
funds in June to implement the National Agenda recommendations, Government
Spokesperson Nasser Judeh said on Wednesday.
Judeh said the government has held discussions on the agenda with political
parties, women associations and other institutions to implement the
recommendations.
“The government will implement the workable parts of the National Agenda
immediately,” the spokesperson said during his weekly press briefing, stressing
that the government also is committed to political reform.
During a meeting of the Higher Ministerial Committee and the Executive Committee
yesterday, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation Secretary General
Maher Madadha explained the steps taken to translate the agenda recommendations
into an executive action plan for 2006-2009.
Madadha heads the National Agenda executive committee, which was established to
study and implement the National Agenda recommendations
Bakhit stressed the importance of preparing an executive programme to implement
the policies and recommendations of the agenda, the Jordan News Agency, Petra,
reported.
Meanwhile, also on Wednesday, Judeh said the government is “committed to
protecting freedom of press.”
Commenting on the results of an annual report issued yesterday by the Centre for
Defending the Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ), Judeh said the new Press and
Publication Law would end any misunderstanding in this regard.
The CDFJ report claimed that 74 per cent of journalists believe legislation
restricts press freedom in the country.
“This law will state in a clear-cut clause that journalists in violation of the
legislation will not be arrested or jailed,” Judeh told reporters.
Earlier this year, the government drew criticism from the Jordan Press
Association (JPA) and press freedom activists when it withdrew from Parliament a
version of an amended Press and Publications Law, which was studied and endorsed
by the Lower House National Guidance Committee.
The panel insisted on removing a clause prohibiting the imprisonment of
journalists in violation of the law.