Date: Nov 8, 2019 Source: The Daily Star In major reshuffle, Jordan PM moves to push IMF-led economic reforms Reuters AMMAN: Jordan's Prime Minister Omar al Razzaz reshuffled a large part of his cabinet Thursday, appointing a former palace advisor as finance minister to push forward with a mandate for economic reforms intended to spur growth in the debt-ridden country. The reshuffle was Razzaz's fourth since taking office almost a year and a half ago. It affected 11 ministries in all but left other key incumbents, notably the foreign affairs and interior ministers, unchanged. As finance minister he brought in Mohammad Al Ississ, a Harvard-educated economist and former palace advisor, in place of Ezzedin Kanakriyah. Al Ississ, who had been serving as planning minister, will lead a team overseeing the three-year economic programme agreed with the International Monetary Fund. It covers long-delayed structural reforms and will seek to cut public debt to 77 percent of GDP by 2021 from 94 percent now. Ayman Safadi, a long-time adviser to the royal family, who has been leading Jordan's talks with Washington over its Middle East policy, remains as foreign minister.