By Eyad Jaghbeer

AMMONNEWS - Secretary General of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, on Monday welcomed Islamist participation in the new government, yet conditioning it with specific determinants.

In statements to Ammon News, Shiekh Hamzeh Mansour said that Islamist participation in the new government would be governed by three determinants, they include "the person of the Prime Minister, the ministerial team, and a clear timeline to implement reforms."

The Islamist leader noted that the Islamic Action Front (IAF) differentiates between the "personal and professional aspects of government officials," stressing "we respect the person of the new prime minister."

Mansour's statements came after newly designated Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh on Monday stated that he welcomes the participation of Islamists in his government and that he wishes to keep channels open to all opposition movements in the Kingdom.

"We wager our participation with the extend of the new government's ability to undertake its responsibilities amidst the pressures practiced by known parties," Mansour told Ammon News.

King Abdullah on Monday appointed Awn Khasawneh as Prime Minister, delegating him with forming a new cabinet after former Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit's government submitted its resignation Monday morning.

The Islamist movement had previously announced boycotting the Municipal Elections slated to be held on December 27, 2011, noting their unwillingness to take part in elections that would be administered by Bakhit's government and citing their previous experience in the municipal and parliamentary elections in 2007 during Bakhit's first term, which were widely described as rigged.


* By Banan Malkawi for Ammon News English