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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 February 2000 Issue No. 467 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 February 2000 Issue No. 467
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Special Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Freedom oases in Jordan
By Lola KeilaniIn what is described as a pioneering step in the country's media business, the Jordanian Free Media Zone draft law, which was approved by the government this month, has undergone its final changes and will be submitted to parliament this week.
Prime Minister Abdul-Ra'ouf Rawabdeh told journalists that the law granted interested investors "total freedom" of operation. "Investors will have absolute freedom of expression, and they will be free to hire whomever they desire without being committed to Jordan's laws and statutes," he said.
According to the draft text, those operating within the zone are to be granted unrestricted and total freedom of expression, and the zone itself is to be identified as a legal entity with financial and administrative independence. It will be run by a six-member board of directors and a chairperson, appointed by the prime minister and approved by the Cabinet. Board members can be non-Jordanian citizens.
Rawabdeh told reporters when the establishment of the zone was first announced that investors' operations would be governed by a code of ethics to be formulated by officials and media experts from both the public and private sectors. The code, based on the Arab Journalists Federation code of ethics, would be presented to investors after it had been passed to become part of their operational contracts.
Rawabdeh said that it was time "that immigrant Arab media in London and Paris [return to] live on Arab soil, and by God's will [Jordan] will provide that suitable avenue."
The draft law aims to attract foreign and local investment to the kingdom in a bid to encourage a modern media industry law that meets international standards.
Last October, King Abdullah instructed the government to set up the zone to help attract international, regional and local investors. The move was said to be aimed at reviving Jordan's economy and at promoting the local media, which is having to compete with advanced technology and information services. Since last October, the government has been working on preparing a law to cover operational issues, including tax incentives, the import and export of equipment, support services, residence permits, as well as a code of ethics governing the zone's operations.
A"Media City" encompassing investments from mostly European-based Arab satellite broadcasters, production houses and newspapers that have sought refuge from censorship at home, might lift up the debt-ridden kingdom by bringing in hard currency and creating jobs for around 10,000 Jordanians.
Discussion of the draft law was postponed by the Cabinet until January, because interested investors had demanded a more moderate and comprehensive draft than the original, informed sources said.
Several investors had shown genuine interest in the city but were waiting to see what sort of law would govern it before committing themselves financially. The investors had demanded government guarantees of "total freedom" of operation.
Rawabdeh said that several Arab satellite stations had inquired about the zone, but these had said that they would not be ready to invest until after the law had been passed. "Investors must be assured that their projects will enjoy all investment and promotion means and the freedom they are accustomed to," the prime minister said.
Initial estimates have indicated that the cost of setting up the city will range from between JD 400-500 million, with the former Jordanian Minister of Information Ayman Majali saying that the government had earmarked 400 dunums of land in the Um Al-Hiran area for the zone, near the premises of the Jordan Television Corporation near Amman. This area could be expanded by 200 dunums in the future if necessary, officials said.
At his press conference, Rawabdeh also stressed that Jordan was not competing with other Arab countries by setting up such a zone. "The market is large and can accommodate all," he said.
Though the premier's statement came before Egypt had announced that it was establishing its own media zone, a senior official at the Ministry of Information said that the Egyptian zone, which is similar to Jordan's, would not affect Jordanian-Egyptian relations. The official said that the two zones would complement rather than compete with each other.
Recent reports have also hinted that other Arab countries, including Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, are considering setting up media free zones of their own.
Jordanian journalists say that their work could benefit inestimably from the guarantees on freedom of expression promised in the proposed zone. And media observers say that such a development will, even if inadvertently, accelerate the development of democracy in the country.
