King Abdullah and Queen Rania Current Events 2: September 2004-March 2005

[Lyonnaise]

Here is a link to the News Thread, Part 3: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3069

 

[Lyonnaise]

DEAD SEA, JORDAN: Queen Rania of Jordan and King Abdullah II half attend the opening ceremony of the Information and Communication Technologies Forum at the Dead Sea resort, 35 Kilometers (21 Miles) west of Amman, 14 September 2004. Jordan has launched a broadband Internet network to link eight state universities in an initiative unveiled on the sidelines of the two-day ICT forum that got underway today. The 2.1 million dollar project is being implemented with the assistance of Cisco Systems Inc, the world's largest manufacturer of networking equipment, and in its initial phase, will allow students to interact with 3,000 European universities, Information and Technology Minister Fawaz Zohbi said.

 

[Humera]

more pictures from the event

 

[Safaa Batin]

ICT forum concludes

King Abdullah calls on government and private sector to `immediately initiate a fund that would nurture homegrown innovation, while building a culture of optimism and hope' By Rami Abdelrahman

DEAD SEA — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday reiterated his commitment to make Jordan the ICT hub of the Middle East — a strategy that would help attract investment to the Kingdom and meet the aspirations of citizens.

During the closing session of the Jordan ICT Forum 2004, King Abdullah called on the government and the private sector to “immediately initiate a fund that would nurture homegrown innovation, while building a culture of optimism and hope among Jordanians.”

The last session of the forum focused on the role of innovation and entrepreneurship, citing Jordanian students who succeeded in building their own innovative projects.

“In order to build systems that enable the Jordanian industry to stay on the edge of technological innovation, we must back our youth because their aspirations today will create the Jordan of tomorrow,” the King said.

“As we grow in the sophistication of our technological capacity, we must support it with growth in our management capacity. It is not technology that we want to export, but a culture of managerial know-how and the ability to deliver.”

Minister of ICT Fawaz Zu'bi told The Jordan Times that his ministry is currently working with consultants to prepare and implement a nationwide strategy on “capacity building in management.”

In his address, King Abdullah highlighted the role of strategic agreements with global technology leaders, including Cisco and Microsoft, in emphasising the development of a modern business culture into the government and the private sector. The King stressed that despite achieving significant results over the past few years, Jordan must remain consistent in its commitment. “I am confident that together, we will transform Jordan to fully harness its potential in information and communications technology,” the King said.

Meanwhile, the Monarch announced the launch of the Jordan Entrepreneurship Centre, established with the cooperation of the MIT Entrepreneurship Centre in the US, and pledged to follow up on its work closely.

Earlier, HRH Princess Sumaya, chairperson of the board of trustees of Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT), announced the establishment of a joint MIT-PSUT award for young entrepreneurs' business plans.

More than 600 international, regional and local ICT leaders met during the forum and exchanged views on building the future of ICT in Jordan and the region.

Held under the theme: “A Global Meeting of Minds in the Heart of Digital Arabia — Jordan Connects,” the forum witnessed the signing of several agreements related to new ICT strategies and privatisation plans.

Thursday, September 16, 2004
​

 

[Humera]

NPA for Children adopted

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Amman) The National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) adopted the National Plan of Action for Children (NPA) which the council has been working on in coordination with the Ministries of Planning, Social Development and UNICEF.

The plan which has six main components covers a period of ten years (2004-2014) and is based on the UN’s “World Fit for Children” document and the Arab Plan of Action for Children.

As President of the NCFA, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah underlined the need to focus on raising awareness on the issue in order to meet the goals of the NPA. NPA for Children adopted | Queen Rania

 

[matesha]

Will KA address the General Assembly?

I wonder if KA will address the UN general assembly in its 59 session
(9/21-10/1) or this is something beyond him (or Maybe the queen would like to do that as well)

on Tuesday Sept 21st (1st day of the session). His Majesty king M6 of Morocco (Phd. in Law) addressed the assembly. His speech was in Arabic (his native language). I respect that he chose to do so although he is fluent in other languages as well...

You can read the text of the speech in several languages and view him presenting the speech (original and English) through the UN link...Once you hit the link, just scroll down until you see Morocco

http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/59/archives.html

NB: King of Morocco has a Phd in Law and not a JD...

 

[Safaa Batin]

Amman, Sept. 23 (Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II
received on Thursday International President of the Association of
Lions Clubs Clement Kusiak and the accompanying delegation who are
currently on a visit to Jordan.
During the meeting which was attended by Minister of the Royal
Court Sameer Al Refai and King's Advisor Aqil Beltaji, the Monarch
expressed appreciation for the services and programs curried out by
the Lions Clubs which are beneficial to certain groups of the
society particularly children and youth.
King Abdullah II pointed at the importance of such voluntary
and humanitarian services.
For his part, Kusiak briefed the King on the projects that the
Clubs are currying out in 193 countries worldwide stressing that his
association is targeting to foster the voluntary work and
interaction between the private sector and the youth mainly in
connection with of exploiting their abilities and developing their
local communities.

 

[Safaa Batin]

KA in Oman

KA in Oman

 

[Safaa Batin]

King Receives President Of Romanian Senate

Amman, Sept. 26 (Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II
on Sunday received President of Romanian Senate Nicolae Vacaroiu who
delivered to His Majesty a letter from the Romanian President about
the bilateral relations and means of enhancing them in addition to
the recent developments in the region.
During the meeting, which was attended by President of the
Senate Zeid Al Refai and Romanian Ambassador to Amman Rado Onofrei,
his Majesty the King reviewed the current efforts and steps to put
the peace process in its track affirming the importance role of the
International community in finding a just and comprehensive solution
for the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The Monarch stressed on the necessity of supporting the efforts
exerted to rebuild Iraq and to enable the Iraqi people to run their
own affairs by themselves.
King Abdullah II also highlighted the importance of
consolidating the economic relations and activating the role of the
private sector in the field of investments between the two countries.
For his part, Nicolae Vacaroiu hailed His Majesty's keenness to
restore peace in the region praising His support to the programs
which are targeting the development process in Jordan.
The visit of the President of the Romanian Senate, who heads a
delegation of a number of Senate members and businessmen, aims at
strengthening the bilateral relations especially in the fields of
policy and economy and means of catalyzing economic investments in
Jordan.

//Petra// Burhan Al Ashkar//

 

[Safaa Batin]

King Receives Chief of International Golden Rudder Society

King Receives Chief of International Golden Rudder Society
Amman, Sept. 26 (Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II received
on Sunday Burnaby John, Chief of International Golden Rudder
Society, and her accompanying delegation.
During the meeting, which was attended King's Advisor Aqel
Beltaji and Minister of Environment, Minister of Tourism and
Antiquities Dr. Alia Bouran, The Monarch affirmed his support to the
Society's efforts in adopting the created methods which reflect the
merits of tourism in the countries that are members in the
Society pointing at the importance of the tourism sector's role in
the sustainable development process.
For her part, Burnaby extolled His Majesty's exerted efforts in
deepening peace concepts among peoples worldwide affirming that the
King's endevours in this field are internationally appreciated.
She reviewed the Society's programs which focus on enhancing the
cooperation between the countries in the field of tourism and
supporting the public and private sectors in adopting the ideas to
achieve the objectives in this regard.
The Society will hold its annual meeting in Amman
simultaneously with launching the national strategy of the tourism
sector in Jordan and celebrating the tourism National Day on
September, 27th.
The Society branch in Jordan will award the Golden Rudder to the
Jordanian tourism sectors, public and private.
The International Golden Rudder Society has many Arab and
European countries in its membership and is currently arranging for
a tourism tour for about 35 experts to the antiquity sites in Jordan
in the purpose of supporting tourism in Jordan.

//Petra// Burhan Al Ashkar//

 

[Safaa Batin]

King attends military exercise
Amman/ Sept.27/ (Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II,
the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, attended a military
exercise performed by army personnel in the northern military region.
The exercise, which was also attended by Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff General Khaled Jamil Sarayreh, a number of his
aides and senior army officers, included field applications and
shooting with various arms backed up by Royal Air force choppers and
jet fighter.
King Abdullah met participants in the exercise and thanked
them for their excellent performance.
Injadat/ Petra

 

[Safaa Batin]

Amman/ Sept. 27/ (Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II on
Monday left Amman starting a two-day visit that will take him to
France and Italy.
The King will hold talks with French President Jacques
Chirac and Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and his Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi on the situation in the Middle East and
developments in the Iraqi and Palestinian scenes in addition to
international terrorism.
The talks will also cover ways to develop Jordan's relations
with the two countries in various fields.
The King is accompanied by a delegation grouping Prime
Minister Faisal Al-Fayez, Royal Court Minister Samir Rifai and
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Basem Awadallah.
HRH Prince Ali bin Al Hussein was sworn in as Regent.

 

[Safaa Batin]

Paris, Sep. 28 (Petra)--His Majesty King Abdullah II and French
President Jacque Chirac held talks in Paris on Tuesday that fouced
on means of supporting Jordanian-French relations, the situation in
the Palestinian lands and Iraq as well as the issue of terrorism.
The two leaders affirmed supports to efforts that aim at
reviving the peace process and ending the cycle of violence in the
Palestinian lands through resuming dialogue between the
Palestinian and Israelis by implementing the roadmap.
The King and Chirac also underlined the importance of the role
of the international quartet in this regard.
His Majesty and the French president affirmed that any
withdrawal form Gaza should be part of the roadmap, and warned
against the dangers of continuing the construction of the
settlements and the separation wall that threaten the future of the
peace process.
During the meeting, which was also attended by Prime Minister
Faisal Fayez, Royal Hashemite Court Minister Sameer Rifai, Planning
and International Cooperation Minister Dr. Basim Awadallah, Jordan's
ambassador to France Dina Qawar as well as a number of French
officials, King Abdullah affirmed the importance of the French and
the European role in suporting the peace process and putting it back
on its proper track.
On Iraq, His Majesty affirmed Jordan's commitment to the future
of Iraq and its keenness to assist Iraq to enable it to assume its
role in the region. His Majesty affirmed that Jordan will put all
its capabilities at the service of Iraqis to enable them to assume
power and construct their country.
King Abdullah called on the international community to assume its
responsibilities in this regard, expressing hope that chaos and
violence in Iraq would end and that security and
stability would prevail so that Iraqis would be able to hold
elections at the time set for that.
His Majesty renewed Jordan's strong condemnation of terrorism in
all its forms as well as the kidnapping and killing of hostages,
indicating that these practices are not related to Islam and its
values.

 

[Safaa Batin]

King arrives in italy

Rome/Sep.28(Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II held
talks with Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi on Tuesdady in
Rome focused on the latest developments in the region and the
bilateral relations.
"The peace process in the Middle East should be pushed
forward and the Palestinians and Israelis should be urged to
implement their commitment to achieve a just and comprehensive
peace and to put an end to cycle of violence in the region", the
King noted, affirming the important role of the EU in this regard.
The talks also touched upon restoring security and
stability in Iraq, and enable the Iraqi people to build Iraq and
rejoin the international community effectively.
The Italian President expressed appreciation for the
efforts exerted by Jordan with Iraqi groups to secure the release of
the two Italian hostages, stressing that the King's visit is
enhancing the bilateral relations in various scopes.
Ciampi expressed his country's keenness to promote and
develop cooperation relations with Jordan, particularly Jordan
forges ahead with confidence to boost its national economic process
which achieved qualitative accomplishments.
Ciampi praised His Majesty's calls for renouncing violence
and terrorism which are internationally appreciated, commending His
Majesty efforts to bring development and prosperity to Jordan

 

[micas]

New artical from Hello and pic!


http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2004/09/29/queenrania/

 

[Humera]

AMMAN, JORDAN - SEPTEMBER 29: Jordan's Queen Rania (2nd L), who is pregnant with her fourth child smiles as she sits with Jordanian children with special needs, on September 29, 2004 in Amman, Jordan. Her Majesty Queen Rania al-Abdullah delivered the donation of 280 wheelchairs to Jordanians with special needs.The 280 wheelchairs constitute the initial donation of a total of 1,680 wheelchairs to be distributed by the United States non-governmental organization, 'The Wheelchair Foundation', in a partnership with the U.S. State Department of Defence to al-Hussein Society for the Habilitation/Rehabilitation of the Physically Challenged over the next year.

 

[micas]

I post an artical from Hello Magazine in Rania topic.
She stay lovely pregnant.
Thnaks for the pics!

 

[cut1me]

she is looking very radiant...

i think she is having a boy

 

[abir]

Maybe !. At this stage of pregnancy she already knows.

 

[rollin_keef]

Hi, there is an interesting article on Queen Rania in the october issue of the Australian Womens Weekly

 

[Safaa Batin]

King Receives Participants in the medical assistance and Emergency Seminar

Amman, Sep. 30(Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II
received on Thursday at the Royal Court participants in the
emergency and medical assistance seminar, which was organized by the
national committee for medical assistance and emergency.

The King hailed the vital role of the Royal Medical
Services, calling on the medical services to set up plans to train
their cadres with a view to enable them treat the various cases.

During the meeting, which was attended by King's special
advisor, Yousef Dalabeeh, Minister of the Royal Court Samir Rifai,
and Health Minister Saeed Darwazeh, the King stressed the importance
of cooperation and coordination between the Royal Medical Services,
the Civil Defense Department, private sector, universities,
and the public sector to develop the emergency and medical assistance
fields.

 

[Safaa Batin]

King Meets Notables from Zarqa

Amman, Sep. 30(Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah
II stressed that a new hospital will be established in Zarqa in the
site of the military camps.

Upon his meeting with notables from Zarqa on Thursday at
the Royal Court, the King said that the project of developing and
rehabilitating the site of Zarqa camps receives special attention
and priority, particularly that such a project would contribute to
declining population density and developing the governorate.

King Abdullah noted that he instructed the government to
increase allocations for the upcoming two years concerning the
implementation of projects and programs with a view to fight poverty
and unemployment.

On the other hand, the King pointed to the necessity of
working on finding solutions for the environmental problems. King
Abdullah also affirmed the importance of investing youth
capabilities in the developmental process, stressing that involving
youth in the vocational training programs could contribute to
qualifying them and developing their skills.

During the meeting, which was attended by Prime Minister,
Faisal Fayez, King's special advisor Yousef Dalabeeh, Minister
of the Royal Court Samir Rifai, King's advisor for tribal affairs
Sharif Fawwaz Bin Abdullah, Minister of Planning and International
Cooperation Basem Awadallah ,and Interior Minister Samir Habashneh,
Zarqa's notables highly valued King Abdullah's efforts that aim at
achieving development in the Kingdom.

 

[Safaa Batin]

King to Open Faces of the Orient Exhibition in Berlin next Week
Amman, Sep. 30(Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II and
German President Horst Kohler will open Faces of the Orient
Exhibition in Berlin on Oct. 7th.

The exhibition, which will show 700 artifacts, will last until
the beginning of next year to move to the city of Bonn in the spring
2005.

German ambassador to Amman Klaus Berkhart held a press
conference on Thursday in which he said that this occasion is an
opportunity for the Europeans to look into the ancient
cultures through the Jordanian heritage. '' Jordan and the Middle
East are amongst the ancient civilizations in the World,'' the
ambassador added.

A number of specialized lectures and seminars will be held on the
sidelines of the exhibition with a view to familiarize German tourists
with the Jordanian culture.

 

[mousbah]

from eveningtelegraph:





The King of Jordan gave children’s entertainers The Singing Kettle a blank cheque after their guitar and props went missing on the way to a special show for the royal family in the Middle East, writes Michael Alexander. The Fife-based quartet had been personally invited by King Abdullah Bin al-Hussein and Queen Rania al-Abdullah to sing at their daughter’s fourth birthday party when their luggage went missing between London Heathrow and Amman.

The luggage arrived next day — too late for their show — but not before a member of the royal household had taken them to a local toy store and told them to buy whatever they needed.

In an exclusive interview today, just hours after their return from the Middle East, Artie Trezise, a member of the Kingskettle group, told the Telegraph, “We’d just come off an international flight with only four hours sleep when we discovered our luggage was missing.

“It wasn’t ideal, but we were whisked off to this toyshop by a member of the royal household and given an open account.

“We had only one kettle in our hand luggage, but because we knew what we were looking for, we used our creative abilities to put together what we needed and changed the script around our new props.”

Artie said that generally the trip went “very well”. The group were treated like royalty themselves, with people “dropping everything” to help.

Several weeks ago the group were astonished to get a phone call from the King of Jordan’s officials, asking them to the royal palace in Amman.

Artie’s wife, Cilla Fisher, folk singer turned children’s entertainer, took the call on her mobile. It turned out to be a royal command from King Abdullah.

The award-winning group flew out last Sunday, courtesy of the King, to the hilltop Raghadan Palace, the official residence of the Jordanian royal family.

There, they started their famous “Spout, handle, lid of metal” routine for birthday girl Princess Salma.

The entertainers played an hour-long set of some of their best-loved songs for the Princess and 20 of her friends and close family.

Artie said, “It went down really well. Salma’s fourth birthday was on Sunday and her older sister Iman had her birthday on Monday, which is when we did the show in the palace garden. They had friends and relatives there including their brother Prince Hussein and the King and Queen. They were all very approachable and very nice. We had long chats with them.”

Treated like VIPs throughout, Artie said the King also laid on chauffeur-driven trips for them to the Dead Sea and the Roman city of Jaresh.

They also made friends with one of the royal nannies, who comes from South Queensferry.

King Abdullah — who trained at the elite Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, in Camberley, Surrey — still has contacts with the area and heard about the Scots performers when they had a show in the town.

The King, who is a frogman, pilot and freefall parachutist, has three children to Queen Rania, and they are all big fans of The Singing Kettle.

Artie said, “The Queen’s pregnant, so we might get a whole new generation of Singing Kettle fans out there, but we’d love to go back as tourists. “It was a beautiful country and while there was a fairly high police presence on the streets, there were no obvious security problems. It seems the Muslim and Christian population lives together quite well. The people were superbly friendly, whether in upmarket hotels or in the local street markets.” The Singing Kettle return to earth with a bump tomorrow and Sunday when they play shows at 12 noon and 3pm in the Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline. The next few weeks will see shows in Falkirk, Inverness and England before the Christmas season starts in mid-November.

 

[Safaa Batin]

King Tours Checks Some Projects in Aqaba

Aqaba/ Oct.2(Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II toured
some tourists projects in Aqaba Special Economic Zone(ASEZ) on
Saturday.
The King expressed his support to these projects which
create more job opportunities to Jordanians and spur tourism in ASEZ.
His Majesty gave his directives to increase the
implementation such projects which they go in hand with sustainable
economic development that Jordan works hard to achieve it and more
over they enhance the partnership between private and local sectors.
ASEZ is a hub for Arab and international tourism and investments.
The tourists projects the King has visited embodied the
Arab and Islamic pattern.
Wardat/ Petra

 

[Lyonnaise]

ROME, ITALY: King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) is greeted by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in the courtyard of Chigi Palace prior their meeting in Rome 28 September 2004. King Abdullah II left his country for two-day working visits to France and Italy for talks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. France and Italy have both appealed to Jordan to help win the release of two French journalists and two Italian aid workers abducted by separate militant groups in Iraq.

 

[Lyonnaise]

Paris, FRANCE: French president Jacques Chirac (L) welcomes Jordanian King Abdullah II at the Elysee Palace in Paris 28 September 2004. King Abdullah is due to visit Italy after completing his visit to France today. Holding elections in Iraq whose outcome could not be disputed is "impossible" in the current chaos, according to King Abdullah II of Jordan in an interview in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro published today.

 

[Safaa Batin]

King: The Continuation of the Israeli Arrogance Does Not Serve
Peace
Amman, Oct. 3 (Petra)--His Majesty King Abdullah II affirmed
that Israel's continuation of its arrogance, its assassination and
mass killing of Palestinians, as well as the destruction of
properties and infrastructure in the Palestinian lands, do not serve
peace.
During a meeting at the Hashemite Royal Court with a delegation
from the British Royal Defence Studies Academy, the King said that
such acts will increase the cycle of violence, instability as well
as the phenomenon of extremism in the region.
"The Palestinian cause is the first central issue in the Middle
East region and solving it in a just and comprehensive way forms a
priority for us in Jordan, His Majesty said during the meeting,
which was also attended by the King's Special Advisor, Yousef
Dalabeeh, Royal Court Minister Sameer Rifai and Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Khaled Jamil Sarayreh.
King Abdullah called on the Palestinian authority to solve its
internal disputes and unify its efforts to achieve aspirations of
the Palestinian people, and be an active partner in the peace
process.
His Majesty also called on the international community to
provide every possible support to urge the Palestinians and
Israelis to return to the negotiating table and pledge to implement
the roadmap. "Jordan supports efforts being exerted by the current
Iraqi government to end violence and chaos in all Iraqi cities," he
said, stressing the importance of standing by the Iraqi people and
enabling it to reconstruct a unified Iraq that enjoys security,
stability and democracy.



//Petra//

 

[Balqis]

Queen receives UAE envoy

Her Majesty Queen Rania on Sunday receives the envoy of HRH Sheikh Zayed Ben Sultan Al Nahayan, president of the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency Ali Ben Salem Al Kabi, who delivered a letter to Queen Rania from Sheikha Fatmeh Bint Mubarak, wife of Sheikh Zayed and head of the Women's General Federation of the UAE (Photo by Nasser Ayoub)

 

[Humera]

more pictures from Sep 29