Jordan requests exclusion from Syria sanctions regime; Japanese-French reactor bid clears international legal hurdle; Riots erupt in Qatraneh area of southern district
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  • According to reports, during Arab League’s meeting in Doha, Jordan has officially requested the Arab League’s technical committee to exclude it from implementing Arab League sanctions on Syria to avoid possible damage to the Kingdom’s interests. The committee also decided to decrease the number of flights to Syria by 50 per cent instead of halting them completely. Further, the committee was tasked to report to the Arab foreign ministers to discuss the recommendations of the committee. 1

    Separately, a Japanese-French bid to build Jordan’s first reactor cleared an international legal hurdle as nuclear officials agree on their selection of a nuclear technology vendor. The Japanese parliament approved a cooperation accord with the Kingdom, paving the way for the export of nuclear technology to Jordan, a major legal hurdle to a bid by a joint consortium comprising Japanese firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and French firm AREVA. In addition to the Japanese-French consortium, the atomic energy commission is currently weighing bids from Canada’s AECL and Russia’s AtomStory Export to construct a Generation III 1,100-megawatt reactor by the end of the decade. 2

    In other developments, according to reports, protesting against what they claim as their lands allegedly sold to investors by authorities, the Hajaya tribesmen blocked the Desert Highway, prompting the intervention of the security forces, which clashed with the demonstrators and reopened the vital road after hours of closure. According to Public Security Department Spokesman Lt. Colonel Mohammad Khatib, the demonstration by members of the Hajaya tribe living in the Qatraneh area, 90km south of Amman, demanded their lands allegedly sold to investors. 3

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