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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Lower House Tuesday passed a draft law amending the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) law.

During a session chaired by Speaker Atef Tarawneh and attended by cabinet members, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi said that the legislation is within the context of stimulating investment, adding that "Jordan has not and will not sell its land or institutions, and will not give up its identity."

Safadi pointed out that "many laws allow investment in all the regions of the Kingdom without changing the national identity of Jordan since we submit to the law and practices," reiterating that the legislation is within the context of investment stimulation as "a key pillar of development and a means for which all countries compete to address their economic woes."

The bill "allows legal persons, according to their registration documents in the Kingdom, to own immovable property outside the archaeological reserve or other archaeological sites in the Petra Development and Tourism Region in line with its master plan and upon a decision of the Council of Ministers, based on the recommendation of the PDTRA Council and the approval of the Ministry of Interior."

"Therefore, Jordanian partners of a legal person must possess a stake of over 51 percent, subject to the principle of reciprocity for all non-Jordanian partners, and in the event that the partner has dual nationality, the condition of reciprocity applies to both nationalities, under the penalty of nullity, and that the condition of reciprocity here shall not apply to a non-Jordanian, who holds the nationality of any Arab country," according to the bill.

It also "allows the rental of immovable property for non-Jordanians and legal persons, provided that they are outside the boundaries of the reserve or archaeological sites, according to the PDTRA master plan, taking into consideration the principle of reciprocity, and in the event that the natural or legal person has more than one nationality, the condition of reciprocity applies to both nationalities, and under penalty of nullity."

"The amendments to the law stiffen the penalty for violating the provisions of the law to imprisonment from one week to six months, and raise fines from 100 dinars to one thousand dinars at a minimum, and from 1,000 dinars to 10,000 dinars at a maximum, with the violator being obligated to guarantee the damage," the bill stipulates. It also sets risk allocations, including natural disasters, in the PDTRA budget.

The bill also allows for setting up light industries in the Petra Region, and that "the principles and terms for their practice and their returns to the PDTRA be defined under a by-law."

MP Saud Abu Mahfouz said he opposed the article on light industries, saying these should be restricted to the tourism industry, and he also was in opposition to the article on the sale and lease of land in the Petra Region to legal persons over fears of "foreign ambitions" in the ancient city of Petra.