US congressional aides briefed on Jordan’s reform

HRH Princess Basma on Tuesday discussed Jordan's reform efforts with US congressional aides who are currently on a visit to the Kingdom. During the meeting, the Princess highlighted the outcome of the National Dialogue Committee and briefed the delegates on the economic challenges facing the country, particularly in the water and energy sectors. The delegation also listened to a briefing on the programmes of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development, the Jordanian National Commission for Women and Queen Zain Al Sharaf Institute for Development. Also yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh discussed bilateral ties and the latest developments in the Middle East with the US congressional aides. He said the peace process is currently going through a "critical" stage, stressing the need to relaunch direct negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis to resolve final status issues in accordance with the two-state solution. Judeh underscored the important role of the United States in placing pressure on Israel to halt unilateral measures in the occupied territories. The minister commended US support for efforts geared towards bringing peace and establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. The delegates expressed their support for the Kingdom's efforts to arrive at comprehensive peace in the region, in addition to His Majesty King Abdullah's vision for reform. In a meeting with the congressional aides yesterday, Minister of Labour Mahmoud Al Kafawin briefed them on the government’s strategies to eliminate poverty and unemployment. He stressed that the ministry deals objectively and impartially with labour disputes, voicing his appreciation for US support to the Kingdom through the implementation of development projects.