New Jordanian official urged to wage war against militants
AMMAN, Jordan -- King Abdullah II appointed a new prime minister yesterday and urged him to launch an all-out war against Islamic militancy in the aftermath of the deadly hotel bombings earlier this month.
Abdullah also called for a new antiterrorism law to replace the general one that does not specify punishment for different terrorist acts and their perpetrators.
In a designation letter to Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit, who was named hours after his predecessor resigned, Abdullah said the Nov. 9 attacks ''increase our determination to stick to our reform and democratization process, which is irreversible."
''At the same time, it reaffirms our need to adopt a comprehensive strategy to confront the Takfiri culture," Abdullah said, referring to the ideology adopted by Al Qaeda and other Islamic militants who condone the killing of those they consider infidels.
The king called for a ''relentless war on all the Takfiri schools, which embrace extremism, backwardness, isolation, and darkness and are fed on the ignorance and naivete of simple people."
He said fatwas, or religious edicts, issued by such groups constitute a ''threat on the society and its interests."
The appointment of Bakhit was made after Prime Minister Adnan Badran, 69, resigned earlier yesterday.
A new Cabinet probably will be named Sunday and be sworn in the same day, a government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The change of government is part of general shake-up following the suicide bombings of three Amman hotels that killed 63 people, including the bombers, and wounded hundreds. The blasts harmed Jordan's reputation as one of the most stable countries in the Middle East.
In his letter, Abdullah also instructed Bakhit to press ahead with democratic reforms initiated under his late father, King Hussein.
Abdullah -- who has allowed a relatively more liberal media to emerge and advocated wider freedoms for women -- said such reforms are ''not only a matter of choice, but a necessity for the new Jordan we aspire for."
He suggested Bakhit map out plans with timetables in line with a ''national agenda," a newly drafted set of guidelines for political and socioeconomic reforms for the next 10 years.
He urged ambitious programs to fight rampant poverty and unemployment and improve living conditions in his cash-strapped nation. He said the government must also press ahead with eradicating official bureaucracy, corruption, and nepotism.
Bakhit, 58, was Jordan's ambassador to Israel until six days after the bombings, when he was appointed to head the national security council.
Government officials said the king may have chosen Bakhit because of his reputation as a tough former general. 