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Ammon News - AMMAN (Petra) The "golden or magic box" were buzzwords Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour emphasised as he urged women's full engagement in upcoming parliamentary elections during a meeting on Sunday with the Jordanian National Commission for Women JNCW and its affiliate organisations across the Kingdom.

Women leaders taking part in the meeting said the prime minister made an open appeal for them to turn out in full force on election day "in the interest of the country and both woman and man as a necessity for a true democracy." They added that Ensour made it clear that reform would only come from under the dome.

JNCW Secretary General Asma Khader complained about the absence of such "candid meetings and open dialogue" with government officials, calling today's meeting "a gate to a new phase in the life of Jordanian women" as it underlined that there is no democracy or reform without real participation of women in politics and legislation.

She said that during the two-hour meeting, the prime minister reiterated his support for women's demands which he deemed "fair and necessary" for the national reform agenda, prodding women's advocacy groups to push their demands through, saying "rights are taken not given." Khader said Ensour had clearly referred to women's support by the National Coalition and civil society institutions in the Jan. 23 parliamentary elections and had also stressed the need for the amendment and passage of fairer legislation to ensure women's participation, including the civil retirement law.

She said the JNCW had won the prime minister's pledge to expedite endorsement of the five-year national strategy for women as approved by local women groups.