Jordanian Cabinet Resigns

In a surprise move, Jordan's prime minister and his entire Cabinet resigned on Monday, the second such shuffle since late October, government officials said.

Ali Abul-Ragheb tendered his resignation to King Abdullah II, and a new Cabinet was expected to be formed later in the day, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Palace officials said only three or four Cabinet positions would change.

The reshuffle comes one day before the king is scheduled to leave on a state visit to China.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the reshuffle, the third since Abul-Ragheb formed his Cabinet on June 19, 2000. But it was unexpected since the 26-member Cabinet endorsed a $3.4 billion budget on Sunday.

The last Cabinet reshuffle — on Oct. 27 — followed Abdullah's instruction to the government to pursue economic and political reforms with more vigor.

The reforms were introduced by Abdullah's late father, King Hussein, in 1989 to rid Jordan of $7 billion worth of foreign debt.

When Abul-Ragheb reshuffled his Cabinet in October, he then said that more changes in the Cabinet were expected to bring in technocrats capable of carrying out the needed reforms.

The king then said the reforms were necessary to improve living conditions in Jordan, where per capita income is $1,170 a year, unemployment is 15 percent and poverty affects 30 percent of the population.

On Sunday, the chief editor of a Jordanian weekly was arrested for publishing articles in which he criticized the government and suggested it may soon resign.

Fahd Rimawi of the al-Majd newspaper was detained by Jordan's military prosecutor for 15 days pending interrogation. A security official confirmed that Rimawi was arrested for publishing "false information and rumors which affect the standing of the government."

By Jamal Halaby
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