Jordan Times
Friday, July 6, 2007
King urges strategy to attract investments
AMMAN (Petra) — King Abdullah on Thursday
instructed the government to draw up a comprehensive strategy to enhance the
investment climate in line with a specific time frame and clear mechanisms.
During a Royal Court meeting with Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit and senior
government officials, the King called for accelerating plans to attract Arab and
foreign investments and facilitate procedures related to the development of the
investment climate.
The Monarch asked the government to address the problems behind a drop in
foreign investments during the first quarter of this year, which lowered
Jordan’s international ranking in investment climate.
“Realising a success in economic development and creating a suitable atmosphere
for attracting investments is key to help the country face economic challenges,
and enhance development and improve living conditions,” he told the meeting.
King Abdullah said it is important to speed up the pace of work on
mega-investment projects like the economic zones in Mafraq and Irbid, as well as
plans to develop the east shore of the Dead Sea.
Such projects should be implemented “as soon as possible to improve the
socio-economic conditions of Jordanians”.
The King also called for more efforts to attract investments in order to help
alleviate poverty and unemployment.
For his part, Bakhit stressed that the government is going ahead with
implementing the King’s socio-economic vision and determined to remove obstacles
facing investments.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ziad Fariz and other ministers
reviewed their plans to attract investments and obstacles facing the process.