All stories courtesy of the Jordan Times, unless otherwise specified.
King, Vedrine review recent Mideast
peace developments, bilateral relations
5 Iraqi nationals confess to
planning attack on Iraqi diplomat - minister
30 centimetres of snow cover
Amman, 2 metres in the south
Court acquits former editor
of all charges
U.N. programme grants $50,000
to local NGOs
U.N. organisation begins
5-year, $16m agricultural development programme
Jordan commemorates 50th
anniversary of human rights declaration this year
King, Vedrine
review recent Mideast peace developments, bilateral relations
By Tareq Ayyoub
AMMAN - His Majesty King Hussein met on Monday with visiting
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine and reviewed with him
recent developments in the Middle East peace process and the
situation in Iraq.
The King expressed Jordan's appreciation of the role that the
French and Europeans are playing to overcome the logjam in
peacemaking between the Palestinians and Israelis.
Mr. Vedrine, who was on his second leg of a regional tour that
took him to Lebanon, said that his visit was part of France's
efforts to push the peace process ahead and remove all problems
that impede resumption of peace talks.
Mr. Vedrine said that he was not proposing any new initiative but
his visit was only of consultative nature.
He added that his country was coordinating with the Europeans and
the United States in all efforts to bring the peace process back
on track.
The French minister, who met with His Royal Highness Crown Prince
Hassan, signed with planning minister Rima Khalaf an 80 million
French franc (FF) soft loan to Jordan.
Mr. Vedrine said that FF 40 million will be used to finance a
water treatment project in northern Jordan while the remaining
amount will be utilised for infrastructure projects in the
Kingdom.
The FF 80 million, with 1 per cent interest rate and a grace
period of seven years, is payable in 22 years.
Mr. Vedrine said in a press conference before he left for
Damascus that his country was keen to enhance joint private
sector ventures in Jordan.
The French minister urged Iraq to fully cooperate with the U.N.
Special Commission (UNSCOM) that monitors Baghdad's elimination
of mass destruction weapons as a step to removing the
seven-year-old sanctions imposed since the December 1990 Iraq's
invasion of Kuwait.
France's position "is based on Iraq's application of U.N.
Security Council resolutions which requires unconditional access
for UNSCOM," Mr. Vedrine said.
Mr. Vedrine was reacting to an announcement by Baghdad that a
16-man team headed by the U.S. national Scott Ritter would be
denied access beginning Tuesday because it was dominated by
Americans.
Mr. Vedrine declined to comment on Baghdad decision saying that
enough information was not available on the new development.
"I am not sure of the conditions in which the last rounds of
inspections have taken place nor the conditions in which Iraq has
reacted,' Mr. Vedrine added.
The French official stressed that Baghdad's "national
considerations, sovereignty and dignity " should be taken
into account by the UNSCOM.
"France hopes that the two sides reach a solution to this
sensitive issue to enable the commission to inspect freely and
without barriers," Mr. Vedrine said in a joint press
conference with foreign minister Fayez Tarawneh.
Dr. Tarawneh said that Amman supports Iraq's quest to safeguard
its national sovereignty adding that the Kingdom believes that
the only way to speed up the lifting of the sanctions was Iraq's
"full compliance" with UNSCOM.
The Jordanian minister said that the Kingdom hopes for "a
quick end to the embargo against the Iraqi people."
Mr. Vedrine ,who visited Israel and the Palestinian self-rule
areas in December, said that his country was ready to help in any
effort that would end the bloodshed in Algeria.
The minister stressed that any French effort in this regard will
only be upon a request and approval from the Algerian government.
5 Iraqi
nationals confess to planning attack on Iraqi diplomat - minister
By Tareq Ayyoub
AMMAN - The authorities on Monday said they are holding five
Iraqi nationals who confessed to masterminding an attack on
Iraq's commercial attachŽ in Amman, Rahim Taher, earlier
this month.
Acting Minister of Interior Tawfiq Kreishan said that the five
"confessed that they have planned the attack" in which
one bullet was fired at Mr. Taher while starting his car on the
morning of Jan. 3, in front of his house in Umm Utheina.
Mr. Kreishan said that attack was prompted by "family and
financial disputes."
"The interrogation is over and the case will be sent to the
Criminal Court," Mr. Kreishan told the Jordan Times.
He denied that the incident had a political dimension adding that
it was "purely criminal."
The minister declined to reveal the names of the five implicated
in the case but said that "all belong to one family."
The minister said that all suspects arrived from Iraq before the
attack.
Mr. Kreishan denied a report by an Amman-based news agency that
one of those implicated in the attack enjoys diplomatic immunity.
Quoting a judicial source, the agency had reported that one of
the Iraqis invloved in the assassination attempt was covered by
diplomatic immunity.
Iraqi Ambassador in Amman Nouri Al Weiss also denied the agency's
report describing it as "inaccurate."
"There is no Iraqi diplomat involved in the attack, this is
a baseless piece of information," said Mr. Weiss.
The ambassador told the Jordan Times that he had not received any
information from the Jordanian authorities on the outcome of the
investigation.
One of the Iraqis arrested shot at the diplomat and the weapon
used was found in his possession. A second Iraqi drove the car
while the other two did the logistics in preparation for the
attacks, the news agency quoted its sources as saying.
Emad Keilani, a prosecutor at the Criminal Court, said that the
case has not reached the court yet.
30 centimetres of snow cover Amman, 2 metres in the south
AMMAN (J.T.) - The snowstorms which hit most regions of Jordan
Sunday tapered off Monday afternoon, but the Department of
Meteorology forecast more rain showers and warned of frost
formation on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A MET spokesperson told the Jordan Times Monday that the weather
is expected to be cloudy with occasional rainfall and
temperatures dropping to below zero degrees Celsius at night and
rising to a maximum of six degrees during the day.
On Wednesday, it is expected to remain cold with a little chance
for showers with temperatures rising to a maximum of l0 during
the day and dropping to zero at night.
According to the spokesperson, the snowstorms dumped about 30
centimetres of snow on Amman between Sunday and Monday morning
while as much as two metres of snow blanketed the southern
regions of the Kingdom.
The Civil Defence Department (CDD) said that dozens of people
were stranded on highways including the Queen Alia International
Airport Highway while fog covered the road and hilly regions of
the capital.
A CDD spokesperson said that civil defence men dealt with 264
accidents as well some calling for first aid and rescue
operations in aid of sick people, pregnant women or citizens with
heart conditions who needed transportation to hospitals.
The CDD also dealt with scores of car accidents on the slippery
roads adding that CDD rescued a number of people who were
besieged by snow in their cars and homes.
Meanwhile, a police spokesman was quoted as saying that at least
50 road accidents were reported but that there were no deaths or
serious injuries.
Civil Aviation Authority officials reported that some flights
were unable to land in Amman and were diverted to the southern
Red Sea resort of Aqaba.
But a Royal Jordanian (RJ) official told the Jordan Times that
the Queen Alia Airport was not closed and most of the flights
took off on schedule but noted that there were some delays due to
passengers facing difficulties in reaching the airport.
He said that the majority of passengers gathered at RJ offices
located at the Seventh Circle and were transported to the airport
by RJ buses.
The CDD had reported earlier that roads in different regions
including the Amman governorate were either completely or
partially blocked by snow but work was underway to open them.
The snow prompted Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament Sa'ad
Hayel Srour to postpone House sessions for Tuesday. He said in a
statement to the Jordan News Agency that Parliament will convene
on Wednesday to pursue debate on the draft l998 fiscal budget.
The snowstorms also forced schools, universities and community
colleges to close Monday.
Most government departments opened but only few employees were
able to make it to their places of work and the U.N. offices
reported similar employee turnout.
Free for the day, children played in the snow, skated on icy
roads and pavements and threw snowballs from rooftops at
pedestrians.
The Department of Meteorology reported on the cumulative amounts
of rainwater which fell in the different regions so far during
the current winter season . It said that the highest amounts of
rain, 362.9 millimetres, fell in the Ajloun region in northern
Jordan, accounting for 66 per cent of the total annual average
amounts of rain that normally fall in that region.
The blizzard on Sunday and Monday was also reported to have swept
across much of the Middle East stranding motorists, cutting power
lines and bringing life to a standstill in some countries.
In Lebanon one woman was killed late Sunday when the car in which
she was riding slid off a mountain road and fell into a ravine.
Her husband and sister were hospitalised with injuries, according
to local police.
In Iran, civil defence workers rescued l50 passengers stranded in
buses, trucks and cars near the city of Marivan close to the
Iraqi border.
The Iranian news agency said 50 centimetres of snow had fallen in
the Ilam province and that some l00 centimetres of snow were
reported in nearby mountains.
Snow covered Syria leaving many families without heat in sub zero
weather conditions and most schools and government offices were
ordered closed.
Court acquits
former editor of all charges
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN - In a landmark ruling, the Amman Court of First Instance
has acquitted a former editor of a weekly newspaper of charges
ranging from inaccuracy in reporting to fuelling bigotry in the
Kingdom.
Tawfiq Kiwan, 62, former editor of Akhbar Al Asboua (Weekly
News), was charged in July 1996 with overlooking objectivity and
honesty in reporting on news, publishing inaccurate news,
fuelling bigotry, inciting people to criminal acts, and
threatening the country's security in three articles that were
published in the newspaper on Nov. 30, 1995.
In his ruling, Presiding Judge Tawfiq Queisi stated that
"the media is like any other means of expressing opinion in
our Jordanian society and our democratic system."
"The press is one of the most essential tools created by
humans to defend and protect their freedoms and rights,"
Judge Queisi said.
Judge Queisi, who hears only press-related cases, added:
"Freedom of the press is the means to connect and unite
individuals in our community.
"When this freedom is granted, the media provides our
community with needed information on issues that concern them and
the value of workers in society. This allows people to learn what
is good and what is bad - all for the benefit of our
society," the judge said.
Judge Queisi pointed out that freedom of press is also important
on the political level, "because the press is the true
expression of the democratic process, and with it people can
participate in making decisions."
Mr. Kiwan was arrested on July 24 for four days following a
complaint filed by the former director of the Press and
Publications Department, Mohammad Amin, concerning three news
items that were published in the Nov. 30, 1995 issue.
One of the articles was entitled "A secret dialogue between
the American administration and the Jordanian opposition
parties."
Another news item was about an armed gang that allegedly attacked
and robbed a bank.
A third brief news item charged that some secret agents from
neighbouring countries entered the Kingdom to obtain Jordanian
passports.
"The prosecution was wrong in its charges that the newspaper
[Akhbar Al Asboua], with its reporting on thoughts, political
events, and internal criticism, was inciting people to criminal
acts and undermining national unity," Judge Queisi said.
"It is incorrect to conclude wrongdoing solely from
publishing critical material and commenting on events,"
Judge Queisi said, adding "therefore, it is our belief that
our democratic basis calls for respecting human rights and
guaranteeing freedom of thought and expression to meet the
changes in the modern world."
In July 1996, a number of journalists were arrested and
interrogated following a statement issued by the previous
Parliament urging the authorities and the media to take measures
to stop writing that they said harmed national unity and Arab and
Islamic values.
Some deputies, mostly Islamists, at that time criticised some
articles published in the weekly tabloids, which they described
as "indecent" and "unethical" in their
approach.
In January 1997, the Jordan Press Association (JPA) also issued a
statement expressing its dismay over the content of some weekly
newspapers, which, the association said, were tarnishing culture,
values, and tradition.
The association maintained that these newspapers were abusing
press freedoms and further warned that journalists not abiding by
press ethics would be punished and possibly expelled from the
association.
In May 1997, the government amended the Press and Publications
Law, forcing dozens of weekly newspapers to close, an event
critics described as suffocating the freedom of the press.
The government defended its move by describing the amendments as
lifting the ceiling of press freedoms.
U.N. programme grants $50,000 to local NGOs
By Hind-Lara Mango
AMMAN - Five local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have
been granted a total of $50,000 through the Partnership for
Development Programme (PDP), a United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
Several of the approved projects concentrate on combating
illiteracy and providing training for women. The projects that
received funding include a proposal submitted by the Jordanian
Women's Union for the creation of a sewing centre to enable women
to acquire income-generating skills. Combating illiteracy in
support of vocational training centres for women was another
proposal that will receive funding by the PDP.
A medical plant project, as well as bee hive and poultry
production projects in the northern part of the Kingdom, was also
approved for PDP funding to serve low-income families there.
According to the UNDP resident representative in Jordan, Jorgen
Lissner, projects eligible for PDP funding have to be
environmentally friendly, gender sensitive, and sustainable. He
told the Jordan Times that the aim is to enable small, local NGOs
to establish income-generating projects in a sustainable manner.
"Too many international projects are focused on the capital
and do not really affect the daily lives of low-income
groups," Mr. Lissner pointed out.
The UNDP has also been actively funding NGOs in environmental
protection in Jordan through its small grant programme for
environmental NGOs. Half a million dollars was approved in 1996
to be awarded over a period of three years.
"It is these NGOs that play an important part in resolving
what seem to be minor problems, [but] which ultimately affect the
lives of Jordanians throughout the country," said Mr.
Lissner.
For the past ten years, the PDP has been active in over 40
countries to support small NGOs that find it difficult to attract
international funding. The PDP complements the Social
Productivity Programme (SPP), a package providing for
compensatory mechanisms for the poor and those who may stand to
lose from economic reforms and the structural adjustment
programme. The SPP was initiated last April by the Jordanian
government and is supported by the UNDP and other U.N. agencies.
U.N. organisation begins 5-year, $16m agricultural development programme
AMMAN (Petra) - The World Food Programme (WFP), an arm of the
Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO),
announced Monday that it has embarked on a five-year, $16 million
programme to help Jordan carry out agricultural and rural
development projects.
A report detailing the plans said that between 1997 and 2002, the
WFP will spend the funds to provide expertise, equipment,
agricultural inputs, and foodstuffs to needy farmers. The
programme also entails training farmers and providing them with
agricultural extension and guidance services in matters connected
with planting trees and increasing food production.
Under the programme, the report said, the WFP will help Jordan
plant fruit trees on more than 120,000 dunums of land, develop
highlands for the benefit of at least 4,800 poor families, and
create 25 cooperative societies. According to the report, these
can develop another 130,000 dunums of highlands and pasture
lands, where at least 156,000 heads of sheep can graze.
The WFP, which began giving aid to Jordan in 1963, is satisfied
with its cooperation with the Kingdom in agricultural and rural
development and in improving the country's general environment,
said the report.
Since 1963, the WFP has financed the implementation of 25
development projects and 14 emergency schemes, together worth
$171 million, according to the report.
In the period 1990-1997, the WFP helped Jordan carry out projects
for the settlement of the bedouins, develop water and
agricultural resources, plant fruit and olive trees, create
grazing lands for livestock, provide food aid to small farmers
and needy communities, and other relevant activities, the report
said.
Jordan commemorates 50th anniversary of
human
rights declaration
this year
By Hind-Lara Mango
AMMAN - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Jordan
will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights this year by conducting awareness
campaigns and focusing on women's issues, said Jorgen Lissner,
UNDP resident representative in Jordan.
"This year has been declared as the anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights," said Mr. Lissner,
explaining that United Nations offices all over the world will
celebrate this event in different ways.
In Jordan, the focus will be on women's rights, part of the human
rights slogan. According to Mr. Lissner, the UNDP is keen on
discussing ways of celebrating this event with the Jordanian
National Committee for Women.
The declaration's 30 provisions predominantly stress freedom of
speech, religion, and assembly. In Jordan, a series of events
relating to the importance of the declaration will be lined up.
Schools, universities, and the armed forces will be approached to
further promote interest in human rights, Mr. Lissner said.
On Dec. 10, 1948, the U.N. General Assembly adopted this
declaration, setting forth a mechanism that was emulated by
post-colonial countries. Such countries have incorporated parts
or all of the declaration in their constitutions and legislation.
"To do justice to the many facets of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, you need time," he said, adding
that this will not be difficult to plan in a country such as
Jordan, which shows a "clear commitment to human
rights."
Despite the worldwide adoption of this declaration, human rights
violations continue to take place all over the world. The U.N.
Commission on Human Rights in Geneva reviews the human rights
records of countries annually.
"The human rights record for Jordan is positive in many
respects," stated Mr. Lissner, explaining that the UNDP will
be looking at means of enhancing this record through constructive
solutions pertaining to issues such as freedom of speech and
freedom of the press.