AMMAN — The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement on Thursday underlining its rejection of
comments made by the Dutch Ambassador to Jordan Harry Verweij regarding his
meeting, on October 18, with Minister of State for Media Affairs Faisal Shboul.
اضافة اعلان
Verweij tweeted on October 18 that his meeting with
Shboul was an opportunity to discuss the media scene in Jordan. He added that
he had raised concerns regarding the shrinking civic space and media freedoms
in Jordan, and expressed “our concerns on Jordan’s declining international
ranking on freedom of speech”.
The ministry’s statement, also posted on Twitter,
said that what was supposed to take place was a courtesy meeting between the
two sides, but that, surprisingly, the ambassador interfered in a radio
licensing application for a non-Jordanian and non-Dutch person, an issue that
should be dealt with according to laws and regulations, and with full
transparency, adding that it is incomprehensible that an ambassador
representing a friendly country should interfere in such a case.
The ministry expressed its rejection of what it
described as interference in Jordan’s internal affairs, but said that it is
open to “frank dialogue ... Through diplomatic channels and direct contacts”.
Reactions to the Dutch ambassador’s statements came
from outside Jordan as well. On October 20, the Emirati ministry of foreign
affairs issued a statement saying that it had summoned the Dutch ambassador in
Abu Dhabi and “informed him of the state’s strong protest and denunciation ...
Over the interference in Jordan’s internal affairs”.
The UAE’s foreign ministry described the statements
of the Dutch ambassador in Jordan as “irresponsible and outside diplomatic
norms,... which are a blatant interference in Jordan’s internal affairs.”
As local media outlets and social media platforms
covered reactions to this unprecedented diplomatic tiff, Community Media
Network (CMN) in Amman issued a statement on Thursday acknowledging that there
had been posts and statements, which it characterized as “not accurate”, that
indirectly involved CMN/Radio al Balad and AmmanNet.
The statement said that the organization had been
contacted more than a year ago by the Dutch CEO of Ref FM (refugees FM), an
organization that helps establish nonpolitical radio stations aimed at
refugees. The CEO asked CMN whether it would be willing to work together to set
up a station targeting
Syrian refugees in Zaatari camp, the network said.
CMN said it had contacted all relevant parties in
Mafraq, from humanitarian, and local leadership to security personnel. They all
welcomed the idea, according to the statement. It added that CMN Director
General Daoud Kuttab, and COO, Etaf Roudan, who also runs Radio al Balad,
approached the director of the Media Commission, Tariq Abu Raghib, to inquire
initially if he thought the idea would work. “He enthusiastically welcomed the
idea and encouraged us to apply. We also contacted Media Affairs Minister
Shboul who likewise encouraged us to apply,” according to the statement.
“We applied, prepared all needed documents, made the
necessary cash deposits, and waited. For months we received no answer to a
request to establish a small 200-watt humanitarian nonpolitical station solely
for refugees,” according to the statement.
“Finally in recent weeks we re-ceived a verbal
answer from the Media Commission that a committee had rejected our proposal. We
asked for a letter to this effect, but we were told no letter would be coming,”
the statement said.
“We naturally informed our partners who have contacted the
ambassador. We didn’t participate in the meeting of the (Dutch) ambassador with
the media minister — learned about it from social media,” the statement
concluded.
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