Lower House endorses reply to King’s Speech from the Throne

AMMAN — The Lower House on Sunday endorsed the reply to the Speech from the Throne, with which His Majesty King Abdullah inaugurated Parliament’s fourth ordinary session on November 10. 

Both chambers of Parliament must give their replies to the speech within 14 days of His Majesty delivering it.

In the speech, King Abdullah said that the fourth ordinary session is “an ordinary session taking place in extraordinary times, which require transparency and courage, and hard work and achievement in equal measure”.

The King said that Jordan has paid a heavy price because of its historical positions, stressing that the Kingdom has undertaken bold reforms, even in the most difficult of circumstances, demonstrating to the world “that Jordan, whatever the challenges, does not know the impossible”.

Noting that Jordan is moving steadily forward, the King said: “The most difficult reforms are behind us, and the promising future lies ahead. We are marching confidently towards that future to realise the aspirations of the people of this nation.”

During the session, the Lower Chamber insisted on its position on amendments of the Agriculture Law that the Senate had referred back to the House, refusing the exchange of barren forest lands with privately owned forest lands.

Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Shahahdeh said that the 2017 amendments allow the exchange of forest lands owned by citizens with barren forest lands located inside forest land, noting that there are some 400,000 dunums of citizen-owned forest lands and 400,000 dunums of barren forest lands, including 127,000 dunums that cannot be cultivated.  

Shahahdeh noted that some 80 per cent of quarries are built on lands that are registered as forest lands.

Meanwhile, the House referred the anti-human trafficking law to its Legal Committee and another ratifying law pertaining to a partnership agreement to establish a free-trade-zone between Jordan and Turkey to its Economy and Investment Committee.