Ammon News - By Amal Ghabayen

AMMONNEWS - Secretary General of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) Hamzeh Mansour renewed his party's rejection of participating in Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit's government.

PM designate Bakhit, who succeeded former PM Samir Rifai last week, had met again on Sunday with leaders of the Islamic movement in Jordan and offered them six important ministerial portfolios.

Mansour told Ammon News that despite their refusal to participate in the new government formation, yet they are optimistic that it will implement the King's directives stated in the letter of designation.

"Islamists will participate in the reform process away from ministerial positions.. we serve our country in any position we are in," he added.

Mansour noted that the newly designated Prime Minister was ordered by the king to launch the reform process and to include all political currents in the national dialogue.

He noted that King Abdullah had directed Bakhit to attempt to convince the Islamists to participate, and that he is keen on giving Islamists a role in the national political process through a government that represents all political currents.

Ammon News had learned from sources in the movement that Bakhit had offered IAF five or six ministerial portfolios, including the position of Interior Minister.

The Islamist delegation, headed by Mansour, handed Bakhit a memorandum consisting of 14 reform demands.

The memorandum stressed that IAF will only take part in an elected representational government, and renewed demands for a new electoral law based on party-list proportional system, amending the public assembly law, allowing for establishment of a professional association for teachers, releasing public freedoms, and holding fair and transparent parliamentary elections that would prepare for a parliamentary government.

PM Bakhit had asked for a 90-day time frame to implement his reform program, stressing that he will launch some steps including annulling the legal Article requiring approval of governors to hold public events and launching a dialogue to draft a democratic electoral law.

Sunday's meeting at Bakhit's residence was attended by Hamzeh Mansour, ,Zaki Bani Irsheid, Nimr Assaf, Faraj Awadallah, and Murad Adayleh.


* By Banan Malkawi from Ammon News Arabic