Coronavirus Crisis May Lead to Resignation of Jordanian Ministers

The streets of the Jordanian capital are seen empty after the start of a nationwide curfew, amid concerns over the coronavirus spread, in Amman, Jordan, March 21, 2020. (Reuters)
The streets of the Jordanian capital are seen empty after the start of a nationwide curfew, amid concerns over the coronavirus spread, in Amman, Jordan, March 21, 2020. (Reuters)
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Coronavirus Crisis May Lead to Resignation of Jordanian Ministers

The streets of the Jordanian capital are seen empty after the start of a nationwide curfew, amid concerns over the coronavirus spread, in Amman, Jordan, March 21, 2020. (Reuters)
The streets of the Jordanian capital are seen empty after the start of a nationwide curfew, amid concerns over the coronavirus spread, in Amman, Jordan, March 21, 2020. (Reuters)

Reports have circulated in Jordan in the past two days that the coronavirus crisis may prompt the resignation of some ministers, who were widely criticized for their mismanagement of the outbreak in the country.

Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Shehadeh was the first to resign days ago over “administrative mistakes committed in some agricultural directorates.”

Official sources did not reveal to Asharq Al-Awsat the reasons behind the expected resignations and whether they will be accompanied by a cabinet reshuffle.

It is still yet unclear whether Prime Minister Omar Razzaz will assign ministers from his government to carry out the duties of the three ministers observers said will most likely resign.

In other news, after about a month since the closure of schools as a precaution over the coronavirus outbreak, parents have been demanding to know the fate of the academic year.

Education Ministry spokesman Walid al-Jallad said remote teaching is still active on local television and private channels that were launched for this purpose.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that official exams will be held for high school students in early July as scheduled, noting that distance learning is enough to complete the school curriculum in June.

Jallad, however, warned that the aggravation of the health crisis could still affect these plans.

Jordan has reported 345 virus cases and five deaths.



Lebanon to Cooperate with Interpol on Arrest of Syrian Official Accused of War Crimes

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, 18 December 2024. (EPA)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, 18 December 2024. (EPA)
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Lebanon to Cooperate with Interpol on Arrest of Syrian Official Accused of War Crimes

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, 18 December 2024. (EPA)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, 18 December 2024. (EPA)

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday Lebanon will cooperate with an Interpol request to arrest former Syrian intelligence officer Jamil Hassan, accused by US authorities of war crimes under the toppled Assad government.

Last week, Lebanon received an official notice from Interpol urging judicial and security authorities to detain Hassan, whose whereabouts remain unclear, if he is found on Lebanese soil, three Lebanese judicial sources told Reuters.

"We are committed to cooperating with the Interpol letter regarding the arrest of the Director of Syrian Air Force Intelligence, as we continue to cooperate on all matters related to the international system," Mikati told Reuters.

The directive also called for Hassan's arrest if he enters Lebanon, with the ultimate aim of extraditing him to the United States, the sources said.

On Dec. 9, a US indictment unsealed charges against Hassan, 72, with war crimes, including the torture of detainees, some of them US citizens, during the Syrian civil war.

Hassan is also one of three senior Syrian officials who were found guilty by a French court in May of war crimes over their involvement in the disappearance and subsequent death of a French-Syrian father and his son.

According to Lebanese judicial sources, the Interpol arrest warrant accuses Hassan of involvement in "crimes of murder, torture, and genocide."

Hassan is also allegedly responsible for overseeing the deployment of thousands of barrel bombs against the Syrian population, leading to the deaths of countless civilians, the sources said.

The Interpol request was circulated among Lebanon’s General Security and border control authorities.

Up to 30 lower-ranking former intelligence and Fourth Division army officers under the Assad administration are now in police custody in Lebanon following their arrest by Lebanese authorities, two security sources told Reuters.