Day: January 4, 2022

The Jordanian Trade and Services Exhibition (JTSE), organized by the Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) and the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce (FSCC), will kick off on Tuesday in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The three-day exhibition, which will be held at Damascus Fairground, will bring together 50 Jordanian companies, along with 127 businessmen, according to a JCC statement.

“Companies participating in the event work in trade, agencies, information and communication technology, energy, renewable energy, transportation, logistics, tourism, medical tourism, agriculture, machinery, universities and hospitals,” the statement added.

JCC head Nael Kabariti said the exhibition constitutes an important economic dimension to further deepen Jordanian-Syrian commercial relations, and a way for the two countries to launch a different phase of commercial partnership based on joint coordination to meet the two people’s interests.

Value of Jordanian exports to Syria during 10 months of 2021 amounted to JD45 million, compared to JD40 million in imports, foreign trade figures issued by the Department of Statistics showed.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) on Tuesday signed an agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to launch a project to reduce water loss and enhance the efficiency of surface water usage in the Jordan Valley.

The project will be funded by the US agency at a cost of $15,340 million.

Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar said during the signing ceremony that his ministry seeks to develop and enhance water resources, reduce water loss and provide drinking and irrigation water for citizens and farmers, particularly in the Jordan Valley.

He said the ministry is committed to supporting farmers and providing them with all capabilities to maximize the national agriculture output, which positively reflects on both farmers and local communities in line with the national water strategy.

Water loss reduction projects, he pointed out, can also boost water reserves, upgrade water facilities in the Jordan Valley and maintain water and irrigation infrastructure.

JVA Secretary General Manar Mahasneh cited the Fixed Amount Reimbursement Agreement (FARA6) projects pack that involves implementing a number of projects in the Jordan Valley at a cost of $14 million donated by the USAID with a JVA contribution of $1.4 million.

The total value of the FARA projects conducted by the water sector is $152 million, she noted, adding that the new projects seek to increase the amount of water by about 8 million cubic meters.

She said the projects would lessen water loss in water networks, help set up a number of irrigation projects and increase water resources capacity in some areas.

Mahasneh noted that the USAID donation also includes revising and preparing designs and tender documents, as well as refurbishing the Karama warehouse for equipment and appliances.

She pointed out the importance of the project for being one of the integrated cooperation programs signed between the Ministry of Water and Irrigation/ JVA and the USAID for five years at a cost of $34 million.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Senate President Faisal Fayez Tuesday received the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission’s annual report for the year 2020 on its achievements and proposals to enhance its role and develop its work to protect public money and address financial and administrative corruption.

During a meeting with commission President Mohannad Hejazi and members, Fayez said that the Senate is keen on cooperation with the anti-graft watchdog and will back proposals related to legislation to enhance its role.

He praised the commission’s role to promote the values of integrity and justice and address the various forms of corruption, pledging to remove legislative barriers that hinder its work.

For his part, the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission head briefed the Senate President on his institution’s tasks and role to protect public money and combat financial and administrative corruption, stressing the importance of cooperation with the Senate.

He outlined the key achievements contained in the annual report and the complaints it had dealt with.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Lower House Tuesday debated draft amendments to the Jordanian constitution during a session chaired by Speaker Abdul Karim Dughmi, in the attendance of Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh and cabinet members.

Lawmakers approved the amendment of Item (C) of Paragraph 1 of Article 61 of the Constitution, giving the decision-maker the power to select Constitutional Court members from specialists (not a single specialist) who meet the conditions for membership in the Senate, while increasing the length of service in the legal profession required for appointment in the Constitutional Court from 15 to 20 years, in addition to changing the name of the Higher Court of Justice to the Higher Administrative Court.

The House also amended Article 64 on the conditions for membership of the Senate to include: prime ministers, former ministers, those who occupied leadership positions, Lower House speakers, presidents and judges of the Court of Cassation, Supreme Administrative Court, Sharia Supreme Court and Constitutional Court, in addition to retired officers from the rank of major general onwards, former MPs who were elected at least twice to parliament, and those who are similar to those who have obtained the people’s trust and accreditation with their deeds and services to the nation.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Some 110 MPs voted for amended Article 70, which reduces the age of candidacy for the Lower House from 30 to 25, along with the membership conditions stipulated in the election law, to promote the participation of young people.

The House also voted by a majority of 99 votes for the amendment of Article 71, which assigns the power to decide on the validity of the representation of members of the Lower House to the Court of Cassation, instead of the three courts of appeal.

According to paragraph 1 of amended Article 71, the Court of Cassation has the right to rule on the validity of the representation of members of the House in accordance with the provisions of the law, provided that the appeal is submitted within 15 days from the date of publication of the election results in the Official Gazette, and the court must decide on the appeal within a period not exceeding 30 days from the date of filing the appeal.

The legislature resumes its deliberations of the remaining 30 articles of the draft amendments to the national constitution after approving 17 in 6 sessions held over the past three days.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The lawmakers agreed to add new competencies to the Independent Election Commission, including dealing with applications to set up political parties, instead of the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, after paragraph 2 of Article 67 of the Constitution was amended, and its text became: “An independent commission shall be established by law entrusting it with the administration of parliamentary, municipal and any general elections in accordance with the provisions of the law, and that the Council of Ministers may assign the Independent Election Commission to administer or supervise any other elections at the request of the legally authorized party to conduct those elections, and to consider requests to establish political parties and follow up on their affairs according to the provisions of the law.”

The legislature also approved amended Article 69, which sets the Lower House speakership’s term at one solar year, instead of two, and grants MPs the right to depose their Speaker upon a decision by two thirds of members, address cases when the position of Speaker of the House falls vacant, whether by resignation, death, dismissal or any other reason. In such case, the Deputy Speaker will take over the speakership until a new speaker is elected within a period of two weeks from the date of the vacancy. If the House is not in session, it will be summoned into extraordinary session to elect a speaker to complete the term of the speakership, and the Speaker’s resignation is considered valid from the date of its submission to the General Secretariat of the House.

Dughmi came in favour of the amendment to Article 69, calling it “important and progressive,” and urging deputies to vote for it as it gives the House members the right to vote by a two-thirds majority to unseat the Speaker.

Source: Jordan News Agency