[Excerpt: Badran, a biologist who holds a doctorate from Michigan State University, had two brief stints as a minister in the 1980s....He has had a long academic career that included heading several Jordanian universities and was deputy director of the Paris-based UN education and culture organisation UNESCO from 1994 to 1998....Officials said the widely expected return of former Planning Minister Bassem Awadallah as finance minister signalled a desire to push Western style reforms.]
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/RegionNF.asp?ArticleID=159656 Published: 6/4/2005, 08:10 (UAE) Jordan gets new PM in reform push Reuters Amman: Jordan's King Abdullah asked academic Adnan Badran yesterday to form a new cabinet to push forward reforms after the government quit amid criticism of its performance, officials said. They said the monarch accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Faisal Al Fayez - a former palace aide and tribal leader - and asked Badran, 69, a member of a prominent family with a track record as an able administrator to take his place. Palace officials said the king, a US ally, told Badran in a letter he wanted to "accelerate the pace of reform". He added that "reforms are coming despite the doubters and those who procrastinate". Fayez was dismissed after mounting criticism by parliamentarians and senior officials over government mismanagement since it took office in October 2003. Jordan's Islamist opposition, strident opponents of Israel and the US-led occupation of Iraq, had also called on the government to quit, saying it had failed to deliver greater political liberalisation. They said the arrests of leading critics in recent months was the latest phase in a suppression of civil liberties since a peace accord with Israel in 1994. Confusion over Jordanian diplomatic steps to revive a peace plan at an Arab summit in Algiers last month that appeared to undermine a longstanding Saudi initiative also weakened the cabinet's position, senior officials said. Officials said Badran was expected to form a cabinet within the next 24 hours which would be dominated by Western-leaning pro-reformists as opposed to the conservative politicians who have held sway in previous governments. They said the new government was expected to accelerate IMF-guided free market reforms and to maintain Jordan's traditional support for US policies in the region. Jordan is Washington's closest Arab ally in its campaign in Iraq. Badran, a biologist who holds a doctorate from Michigan State University, had two brief stints as a minister in the 1980s. He has had a long academic career that included heading several Jordanian universities and was deputy director of the Paris-based UN education and culture organisation UNESCO from 1994 to 1998. Officials said the widely expected return of former Planning Minister Bassem Awadallah as finance minister signalled a desire to push Western style reforms. Awadallah has played a major role behind the scenes in shaping reforms and has challenged the country's conservative establishment. He resigned last February amid differences with Al Fayez over the speed and handling of reforms. Most powers rest with the king who appoints governments, approves legislation and can dissolve parliament. enditem ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. Fund a student project in NYC/NC today! http://us.click.yahoo.com/EHLuJD/.WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
