Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

  His Majesty King Abdullah directed the government on Sunday to take immediate action to streamline measures for citizens who are not covered by any health insurance and who seek assistance from the Health Ministry’s Department of Patients Affairs. 

The King’s directives followed an incognito visit he made on Wednesday to the department, which helps cover medical fees, mainly for operations, of citizens not covered by any health insurance scheme, to check on the quality of services offered to beneficiaries and would-be beneficiaries. 

Directing the government to improve the quality of services offered to citizens and streamline related measures, King Abdullah also gave instructions that the exempted period of medical services granted for non-insured patients with cancer be extended to one year in lieu of three months. 

Patients who suffer from chronic diseases, such as heart diseases, arterial hypertension and diabetes, will also benefit from the one-year exemption period, while the extension will reach six months instead of three for other patients, upon the King’s directives. 

The King also ordered concerned authorities to build a fully integrated facility to handle petitions from this category of patients in the vicinity of the

. 

The new premises are meant to ensure the availability of all facilities and streamlined procedures for patients. 

The Monarch also passed directives to the government, the

and the Jordan Armed Forces to draw up a full-fledged strategy on medical exemptions to ensure simplified and streamlined procedures that would alleviate people’s suffering when applying for assistance. 

During his undercover visit last week, the King listened first hand to citizens’ remarks on the current procedures as he mingled and talked to some of them while they were filling in their application forms. 

  His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday reiterated the importance of launching serious negotiations to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in accordance with the two-state solution and relevant terms of reference, especially the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. 

Such a solution is the sole means to bring the conflict to an end, ensure stability and security and bring about a lasting peace in the region, the King said during a meeting with a delegation from the US House of Representatives headed by Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY), chairman of the Mideast Subcommittee. 

His Majesty also underscored the significance of the US role in launching these negotiations, which he said should lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on Palestinian national soil. 

Discussions also covered means to develop bilateral ties. The delegation included Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson (D-TX). 

Also Thursday, King Abdullah met with Bahraini Interior Minister Lieutenant General Sheikh Rashed Ben Abdullah Al Khalifa, who conveyed to the Monarch greetings from King Hamad Ben Isa Al Khalifa and renewed willingness to strengthen ties with Jordan. 

Jordan and Egypt will soon start implementing a customs union, Prime Minister Nader Dahabi said Thursday, during a meeting with a delegation representing several Egyptian media outlets. The premier briefed the delegates on several strategic plans the Kingdom will implement, including the Red-Dead Water Conveyance Project, which seeks to meet the country’s increasing demand for water and address the ecological deterioration of the Dead Sea area. He indicated that there is a continuous coordination between Jordan and Egypt in this regard. The premier also stressed the importance of cementing bilateral cooperation in different fields. 

AMMAN (JT) - Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania attended a celebration Monday marking the country’s 63rd anniversary of Independence Day.

Hosted by Prime Minister Nader Dahabi, the celebration was also attended by several Royal family members, senior officials, officers and diplomats among other key figures.

In a speech at the celebration, the premier highlighted the Kingdom’s achievements since independence in 1946 in various sectors, noting that this year’s Independence Day coincides with the 10th anniversary of the King’s accession to the Throne.

Dahabi also highlighted the King’s support for the Palestinian issue, which, he said, is the core of conflicts in the region, stressing that there will be no stability and security in the region if the issue is not resolved on a just basis.

At the celebration, Senate President Zeid Rifai highlighted achievements and initiatives seeking to enhance the living conditions of Jordanians, stressing that the Kingdom has made strides in all sectors.

Rifai also highlighted King Abdullah’s role and support in women’s empowerment, enhancing the role of the youth and initiatives in the political, socio-economic, educational and development fields.

AMMAN (JT) - The Kingdom will celebrate today the 63rd anniversary of the Independence Day.

The country won its full independence on May 25, 1946 following the end of the British mandate.

His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday sent a cable of condolences to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak expressing his deepest sympathies over the death of Mubarak’s grandson, Mohammad Alaa Mubarak. Also on Wednesday, the King sent a cable to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, offering his condolences over the loss of life in Wednesday’s plane crash. Prime Minister Nader Dahabi sent a similar cable to Indonesian Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla. An Indonesian military transport plane carrying 110 passengers and crew crashed and burst into flames in East Java yesterday, killing at least 98 people on board and on the ground, Reuters reported

Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Wednesday appointed Ambassador Mohammad Siraj as secretary general of the Foreign Ministry as of the beginning of June. 

His Majesty King Abdullah meets with Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair on Tuesday. Discussions focused on efforts to launch serious negotiations to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution and within a regional context to achieve comprehensive peace in the region. During the meeting, the Monarch stressed the importance of extensive international efforts to launch negotiations, reiterating that the two-state solution is the key to achieving peace and stability in the region 

His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday inaugurated the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Centre (KASOTC) in Amman, a facility planned to serve as a regional centre for counter-terrorism training. 

During the ceremony, Jordanian and US special forces performed a mock aeroplane hijack and infiltration into a multi-storey building to free hostages. 

They also staged a counter-terrorism drill in which a military convoy was targeted by a roadside bomb. 

Military representatives from countries around the world were present including Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Gulf states along with the US. 

The centre, partially funded by the US government, is expected to receive trainees from Arab, African and American forces in the near future, according to officials from the centre. 

The US, Kuwaiti and Bahraini armies will be among the first to make use of the facility, said officials from the centre. 

Located in the hills of Yajouz on the eastern outskirts of the capital, the facility includes a live-fire urban training centre, a driver training range, close-quarter battle houses, sniper training ranges, vehicle mockups, and housing and mess hall facilities that can accommodate up to 650 people at a time. 

His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday honoured winners of the King Abdullah II Award for Youth Innovation and Achievement (KAAYIA) at the conclusion of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East.
The award, which was launched at the WEF in 2006, aims to celebrate and support young men and women throughout the Arab region who have pioneered innovative solutions to urgent social, economic and environmental challenges.
Out of 10 finalists, four winners were announced yesterday receiving $50,000 each to enable them to proceed with their projects. His Majesty also announced that he will cover the project expenses of all 10 finalists of the award.  Designed to promote creative problem-solving and cross-border dialogue and cooperation among Arab youth, the KAAYIA is managed by the King Abdullah II Fund for Development.
Also Yesterday, His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday attended a ceremony to launch the Dead Sea Development Zone, which stretches over an area of 40 square kilometres from the Jordan River to Mujib in the south.
Meanwhile, WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab announced that next year’s meeting will take place in Morocco, to be hosted by Jordan again in the following year.
The special zone, the fourth in a series of projects aimed at stimulating the economy of targeted areas, was one of several plans announced at the conclusion of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East.
Also yesterday, the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau signed a $30 million deal with RiverHawk MENA to establish a multipurpose vessel manufacturing facility in Aqaba.
The government also announced a project to manufacture military aircraft in Mafraq to the northeast of Amman. The two-seater aircraft will be established in the Mafraq Development Zone.
Another deal signed was a $100 million loan agreement with the French Development Agency and another $100 million loan agreement with the European Investment Bank for financing the Disi Water Conveyance Project.
To help save the Dead Sea and generate water as of 2014, the government also announced that it will implement the $10 billion Jordan National Red Sea Water Development Project. Officials said the project is separate from the Red-Dead Canal and is supported by the government.