Latest news with #Hamlan
Ammon
06-07-2025
- Business
- Ammon
Amman hosts forum showcasing staircase tourism as heritage
Ammon News - The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Sunday organized the inaugural Omani Staircase Tourism Forum at Staircase No. 3 in Philadelphia, opposite the Roman Amphitheater, with participation from the General Authority for Popular Arts, several Jordanian universities, cultural associations, and civil society organizations. According to a GAM statement, Deputy Director of Amman City for Community Development, Hatem Hamlan, who inaugurated the forum on behalf of the Mayor of Greater Amman, highlighted the historical significance of the city's stone staircases, carved by earlier generations to facilitate movement across Amman's distinctive topography and connect its elevated districts. He emphasized the role these architectural features play in enhancing urban tourism, especially in heritage-rich neighborhoods. Hamlan said the forum is part of a broader series of cultural initiatives GAM plans to implement in collaboration with various partners to revive and preserve Amman's tangible and intangible heritage. Mohammed Abu Zaitoun, Executive Director of the Amman Old Neighborhoods and Tourist Routes Development Project, noted that hosting the event on the Philadelphia Staircase exemplifies innovative urban tourism, leveraging historic urban infrastructure to attract visitors and stimulate the local economy. He described staircase tourism as an emerging facet of the urban tourism economy, aiming to integrate community participation, cultural heritage, and sustainable development. He explained that this approach promotes community ownership by involving municipalities, tourism authorities, local youth initiatives, and residents, thereby transforming cultural events into sustainable development models rooted in cultural diversity and strategic investment in urban infrastructure. Mohammed Wahib, Chairman of the Forum's Organizing Scientific Committee, stated that Omani staircase tourism represents a pioneering concept in the Middle East. He highlighted archaeological evidence of the world's oldest staircase discovered at Ain Ghazal, dating back over 6,000 years BC, emphasizing that staircase tourism in Oman and across the region could yield significant social and economic benefits. Ghassan Owais, Chairman of the Popular Arts Association, remarked that the forum marks the beginning of further academic and cultural engagements centered on Amman's historic staircases. Cultural and academic figures participating in the forum included Alian Adwan, President of the Jordanian Writers and Authors Union, who underscored Jordan's deep historical heritage as a pillar of national identity. Saad Yaqoub, President of the Historians Union, pointed to Amman's rich civilizational legacy, spanning from the Ammonites through Roman and Islamic periods, visible in landmarks such as the Roman Theater and the city's stone staircases, which narrate the story of Amman's evolution.
Shafaq News
29-05-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Baghdad politicizing Kurdistan's salaries ahead of elections, official says
Shafaq News/ The Iraqi government is deliberately targeting public sector salaries in the Kurdistan Region for political gain, former Deputy Finance Minister Rebaz Hamlan said on Thursday. In a statement, Hamlan accused Finance Minister Taif Sami of yielding to political pressure, alleging that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and the influential Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) are 'exploiting the financial file for election campaigns and political bargaining at the expense of Kurdistan's stability and development.' 'The May salary list is free of any legal or administrative issues. Withholding payments is purely political and directly harms the people of Kurdistan,' he stated, calling the decision a violation of the Constitution, the Federal Budget Law, and Federal Supreme Court Decision No. 224, which requires the federal government to disburse salaries irrespective of political disputes. Hamlan noted that only 3.8 trillion ($2.3B) of the Kurdistan Region's agreed share of 11.5 trillion Iraqi dinars ($8.2B) for 2025 has been disbursed so far, urging Kurdish ministers in Baghdad to present a unified position in the federal cabinet and defend the financial rights of the Region's citizens. The salary dispute between Baghdad and Erbil has remained unresolved for years, often resurfacing during budget negotiations. Tensions escalated after oil exports through Turkiye's Ceyhan port halted two years ago, prompting the federal government to classify salary transfers as temporary advances rather than fixed allocations. In February, the Supreme Court ruled that salaries for Kurdistan Region employees must be paid directly by Baghdad, bypassing the Kurdistan Regional Government, after months of delays.
Rudaw Net
10-03-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Iraq's deputy finance minister resigns over Kurdistan Region's grievances
Also in Iraq US urges Iraq to work with KRG on paying energy companies' debts Iraq moves to boost electricity output as US ends Iran energy waiver Women rights in Iraq face stepbacks amid legal changes: HRW Iraq starts releasing prisoners per general amnesty law: Ministry A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's deputy finance minister stated on Monday that he cast his resignation in protest of Baghdad's failure to pay the salaries of civil servants in the Kurdistan Region on time. Rebaz Hamlan, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), posted a statement on Facebook explaining that his resignation was driven by the 'politicized actions' that have 'continued under the guise of technical and administrative matters.' Commenting on Baghdad's continued delay in paying the salaries of the Kurdistan Region's public sector employees, Hamlan said, 'I have worked diligently to protect the financial rights of the Kurdistan Region,' emphasizing that Erbil has 'fully fulfilled' its commitments to Baghdad. For over a decade, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has faced challenges in paying civil servants on time and in full. In recent months, civil servants in the Kurdistan Region have held on and off protests, demanding reimbursement for unpaid wages for many months over the past decade. The unpaid salaries crisis in the Kurdistan Region was additionally aggravated in the past two years by the suspension of Kurdish oil exports in March 2023, following a court ruling on a dispute between Iraq and Turkey regarding the Region's independent oil sales. Hamlan also highlighted disagreements he had with Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami, with whom he had defended the rights of the Kurdistan Region 'proudly and steadfastly.' 'I decided it is not fit for me to be a deputy minister in Baghdad, receiving salaries on time' while 'the ministry I work for was a source of discomfort for my people in the Kurdistan Region,' Hamlan said, adding, 'I cleared my conscience.' Iraq's parliament in early February passed an amendment to the federal budget law that set the Kurdistan Region's shares at 12.6 percent, based on earlier population estimates and despite ongoing disagreements. Following the amendment's passage, KRG Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, hoped that 'an understanding had been reached' between Erbil and Baghdad, and that the Iraqi federal government would adopt the January salary list - presented by the KRG and 'approved' by Baghdad - as 'a basis' to ensure the timely payment of salaries each month. However, as of March 10, Rudaw has learned that the KRG's civil servants have yet to receive their February salaries.
Shafaq News
28-01-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Al-Sudani briefed on Kurdistan Region employees' salaries crisis updates
Shafaq News/ Iraq's Deputy Finance Minister, Ribaz Hamlan, announced on Tuesday, that he discussed the issue of salaries for Kurdistan Region employees with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani, and revealed that a meeting is scheduled in Baghdad in two days between a Kurdish delegation and the federal ministry. In a statement, Hamlan said he had conveyed a message from Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to Al-Sudani, which was presented during a recent extraordinary session of the Kurdistan Regional Government on the salary crisis. Hamlan explained that he detailed to the prime minister the "steps being taken by the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Ministry of Finance daily, in the presence of representatives from the federal Ministry of Finance," adding that the salaries of regional employees are significantly delayed. He emphasized that "Kurdistan's demand is within the framework of the constitution, treating it as a region, and in line with the budget law and the decisions of the Federal Court, to be implemented as they are regarding the region's financial entitlements." 'All parties are awaiting the outcome of the upcoming meeting on Friday in Baghdad between delegations from the Kurdistan Region Government and the federal Ministry of Finance' the statement concluded. The salary crisis in the Kurdistan Region dates back to 2014, when disagreements between the federal government in Baghdad and the KRG over the management of oil and budget issues escalated. The situation was further exacerbated by the war against ISIS, falling oil prices, and the global COVID-19 pandemic. Baghdad stopped sending the region's share of the budget, prompting the KRG to begin exporting oil independently. This dispute led to disruptions in salary payments, sparking a series of delays and financial backlogs. Since then, several attempts have been made to find a compromise, notably financial agreements stipulating the region's share of the budget in exchange for its commitment to exporting a specific amount of oil. However, these agreements have not been fully implemented due to ongoing mistrust and political disagreements between the two sides. As the dispute persists, the region's citizens bear the greatest burden, with increasing calls from political and economic activists for the implementation of Federal Court rulings, which affirm citizens' right to receive their salaries without delay. The biggest challenge remains finding a final solution that ensures sustainable salary payments and removes the issue from political considerations.
