Ammon News - AMMAN –– Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Saturday chaired a meeting to discuss the progress of projects bankrolled with a $5 billion Gulf Arab grant.

Ensour said the meeting, the third in six months, of the representatives from 17 ministries and eight independent entities benefiting from the grant, was to ensure that all projects covered by the grant were progressing well as per the planned pace.

He thanked the monarchs and heads of state of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries for standing by Jordan "through these tough years in the region" by earmarking $5 billion for Jordan to be spent over a period of five years on developmental projects agreed to by both the sides.

"We are keen to spend the designated amount on the projects financed by the Gulf grant as per the set dates and with the required efficacy and integrity criteria," Ensour said, warning that failure to spend the grant in due time will be considered "a crime committed against the country." He said such an aberration could cost hundreds of millions in lost opportunities.

The prime minister told the public sector officials that the target was to spend by this year-end "the maximum possible amount on as many projects as the economy could warrant," but added that only JD650 million of the grant had been allotted this year.

Ensour told the ministries and independent entities to take all measures needed to ensure that all 114 projects that had applied for financing were fully ready and to remove any impediments that might arise in the way of implementation.

The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation Undersecretary, Saleh Kharabsheh, briefed the meeting about the progress in case of projects financed by the grant and the funds allotted for the ministries and other entities, besides the amount spent so far on various projects in many sectors. (Petra)