Jordan’s ex-PM uncuts visit

AMMAN, Jordan

The former Jordanian prime minister continued to hold his scheduled meetings in Turkey on April 27 despite the approval of his resignation by the king of Jordan on April 26, in the middle of his Turkey visit.

Former Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh has continued to be hosted as a prime minister in Turkey with one subtle difference: His title has changed in the programs. Khasawneh met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul on April 27 in a meeting closed to the press, The Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, Khasawneh told Anatolia news agency in Ankara that he resigned because of a disagreement on the powers provided by the constitution. When reports of his resignation appeared in the media, he said he was not sure whether his resignation had been approved by the king, because the king had not contacted him at that time.

In the meantime, King Abdullah II blamed Khasawneh on April 26 for failing to push hard enough for reforms. In a letter to Khasawneh, Abdullah complained that “achievements so far are far less than what is required and way below what we expected.” Khasawneh was quickly replaced by veteran politician Fayez Tarawneh.