Thursday, January 27, 2011

AMMAN: King Abdullah II said  Wednesday that Jordan needs to tackle popular grievances with a program of political and economic reforms.

“Abdullah II insisted on the need to move forward with clear and transparent programs of political and economic reform, which will allow the kingdom to overcome the economic challenges, and assure Jordan and Jordanians the decent future they deserve,” the royal palace cited the king as saying in a meeting.

“The king underlined the need for senators and all officials to be in constant contact with the people in all provinces of the kingdom to hear their grievances and open a completely frank dialogue with them on their ambitions, their interests and the issues of the day,” it added.

The meeting with Senate President Taher Masri and other high officials was the latest in a flurry of consultations the king has held in recent days in a bid to “come closer to the demands of the people.”

The Islamist opposition called Wednesday for fresh protests after the main weekly Muslim prayers Friday to press demands for reform. “Such activities will continue until our demands are met,” Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Jamil Abu Baker told AFP.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the king said he was “confident that Jordan was stronger than the challenges it faced and was capable, with everyone’s cooperation, of working seriously to correct the mistakes and create the necessary mechanisms to put them right.”

Despite the introduction of new social measures, protests have been staged in the capital Amman and other cities in the past two weeks against high prices and economic policy. – AFP