Khasawneh: public protests not means to an end

Jordan’s King Abdullah King Abdullah II on Sunday ordered the quick release of dozens of detainees who were arrested on the back of recent riots in the southern town of Tafileh and Amman's Fourth Circle .
"I will give direct orders to the government in this regard," the King told tribal chiefs from Tafileh at a Royal Court meeting. The monarch also added that the order is a gesture to them after his relief in hearing their words of support for the Kingdom's security and stability, as well as the drive for reform.
He also stressed a united internal front as the basis to press for a reformed enterprise that meets the aspirations of all Jordanians, adding that he is with an "objective" protest movement that "upholds the law and seeks change for a better future".
"We have accomplished constitutional amendments and implemented a new set of laws regulating political life," King Abdullah told the tribal elders. He added that the independent elections commission would name its members in the next few days.
He urged all citizens to work as one team, emphasising: "We are open to each and every citizen and those who want to build the country, have a strong sense of belonging, must sit down at the table with us so that we build our country and defend it from all the threats that we see around us in our region." The King said he was on the side of political reform, fighting corruption as well as with the activist movements, but added: "We need to use our minds and adopt the language of dialogue and reason to move forward."
The king said political reform was not a big worry, but "what really preoccupies us is economic reform", adding that governorates' development fund needed government support to achieve its full potential for all citizens. King Abdullah told the Tafileh tribal leaders that poverty and unemployment were top priorities, adding:"I want you to know that I think day and night of how to ease the burdens on our citizens." Another focus of the king's remarks was the building of trust between citizens and state institutions, calling on the citizens of Tafileh to come up with clear programmes to launch development projects in their underdeveloped region.
In another development, prime minister Awn Khasawneh on Sunday told Arab judges holding a meeting in Amman that the Arab world had no alternative to real reform, where the rule of the law was held supreme. Welcoming the secretary general of the union of Arab judges, Shabib Malik, the head stated that the Arab Spring was a blessing as it came to prove that the Arabs are a vibrant people. However he also added that it also brought chaos and instability at the same time.
Khasawneh, himself an international judge for the International Court of Justice, emphasised that rule of law should be by the people, for the people and governed by laws and constitutions. He added that Arab people's grievances should be tackled with wisdom and their political rights restored. He said Jordan took pride and credit in the fact that there had been no bloodshed or excessive use of force during more than a year of popular protests. However he added: "I'm not against popular movements but I hope it would not become an end purpose in itself." Khasawneh wished success to the UAJ, holding its 34th session under the title 'transitional justice and the rule of law in the Arab world'. He briefed the jurists on a set of laws Jordan had accomplished on the road to comprehensive reform, telling them that his government had sent to parliament a reform legislation package and laws regulating political life, "which are now in their constitutional channels".
"The government will, in the next phase, set up the independent elections commission after a royal decree gave it the seal of approval and that its establishment would ensure fair polls," he added.
The prime minister also told Arab judges that his government had finalised the choice of political parties and constitutional court legislation, acknowledging that the electoral law, which is now in the hands of parliament, would touch off a fierce debate among many parties across the political spectrum.
"Government responsibilities and obligations are to defend the law and support it with facts, proof and as well as to evoke previous legal precedents in the law's favour," the premier concluded.