Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, chairman of the Al Habtoor Group today welcomed former Jordanian Prime Minister Dr Abdel-Salam Al-Majali at the group’s head office on Al Wasl Road.

Al-Majali, who is a friend of Al Habtoor, was twice the prime minister of the Kingdom of Jordan from May 1993 to January 1995 and from March 1997 to August 1998.

The former prime minister told Al Habtoor about his involvement in the ‘Islamic World Academy of Sciences’ (IAS) in Jordan, where there is a proposal for its headquarters to be built in Amman, a statement from the group said.

IAS is a science advisory body which promotes the values of modern science, honours high achievement and disseminates scientific breakthroughs through meetings and publications. Amongst other things, it also acts as a forum where science and scientific issues are debated.  

The two men also discussed political issues impacting the region – particularly the deepening crisis in Syria, the statement said. Jordan has witnessed a massive influx of Syrian refugees and warned the United Nations Security Council that the mass exodus of Syrian refuges is a threat to its stability.

The Kingdom has set up refugee camps to deal with the growing number of refugees entering the country. The number currentlyy stands at more than 500,000. It is estimated that 2,000 Syrians are crossing the border each day. The UN has predicted that there could be 1.2 million refugees in Jordan by the end of the year – equivalent to a fifth of the Kingdom’s population.

They also talked about the revival in the Gulf economies – particularly the UAE and Al Habtoor briefed Al-Majali on the group’s projects currently underway, including the Al Habtoor Island project on Sheikh Zayed Road. – TradeArabia News Service