King of Jordan Appoints Palace Advisor Bisher Khasawneh PM

Jordan's Foreign Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh poses as he arrives for the Mideast peace conference in Paris, France, January 15, 2017. REUTERS/Bertrand Guay/POOL
Jordan's Foreign Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh poses as he arrives for the Mideast peace conference in Paris, France, January 15, 2017. REUTERS/Bertrand Guay/POOL
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King of Jordan Appoints Palace Advisor Bisher Khasawneh PM

Jordan's Foreign Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh poses as he arrives for the Mideast peace conference in Paris, France, January 15, 2017. REUTERS/Bertrand Guay/POOL
Jordan's Foreign Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh poses as he arrives for the Mideast peace conference in Paris, France, January 15, 2017. REUTERS/Bertrand Guay/POOL

Jordan’s King Abdullah on Wednesday appointed veteran diplomat and palace aide Bisher al Khasawneh as the country’s new prime minister, days after accepting the resignation of Omar al-Razzaz, the royal palace said.

Khasawneh was a former ambassador to Egypt and France and has been a palace advisor since 2019 after a career mostly spent as a diplomat. He was a Minister for Legal Affairs between 2017 and 2018 and a Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2016 and 2017.

“The formation of this government comes at an exceptional time,” the monarch said, referring to the fast spread of the coronavirus pandemic. He said the new government should continue to handle the pandemic in a way that balances between health considerations and the economic sectors.

Appointing Khasawneh ends the caretaker period of the government, which was formed in June 2018. However, Razzaz’s popularity waned due to the confusion ensuing from decisions taken during the pandemic.

The King had dissolved the parliament a week earlier at the end of its four-year term, in preparation for the upcoming elections in November.

There are 35 days ahead of the new government before the parliament votes on confidence, in case the elections took place at the scheduled time.

However, some local observers fear a possible postponing of the polls due to the spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom.

The Independent Election Commission of Jordan may delay elections to January 25, the latest.



Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said his administration would announce the new structure of the defense ministry and military within days.

In a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, al-Sharaa said that his administration would not allow for arms outside the control of the state.

An official source told Reuters on Saturday that Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency that toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, had been named as defense minister in the interim government.
Sharaa did not mention the appointment of a new defense minister on Sunday.
Sharaa discussed the form military institutions would take during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA said.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said last week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former opposition factions and officers who defected from Assad's army.

Earlier Sunday, Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt held talks with al-Sharaa in Damascus.

Jumblatt expressed hope that Lebanese-Syrian relations “will return to normal.”

“Syria was a source of concern and disturbance, and its interference in Lebanese affairs was negative,” al-Sharaa said, referring to the Assad government. “Syria will no longer be a case of negative interference in Lebanon," he added.