BBC Monitoring

Text of report by Jordanian newspaper Al-Dustur on 8 November

[Unattributed report: "Al-Sijil, a New Weekly Which Will Come Out Today."]

The first edition of the weekly newspaper Al-Sijil [The Record] will come out today, Thursday [ 8 November]. Mustafa Hamarinah, a researcher at the Political and Strategic Studies Centre of the University of Jordan, the founder and a former director of the centre, and former chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jordan Television Corporation, is the chairman of the board of directors of Al-Sijil. The chief editor is fellow writer Mahmud al-Rimawi.

Hamarinah said that "Al-Sijil aspires to adding what is new and qualitative in press service and performance in a manner that keeps up with the accomplishments made by the Jordanian and Arab press."

Hamarinah added: "The enlightened democratic trend in Jordan is not a small one, and it deserves to have a platform that reflects its existence and visions within the context of the royal reform visions and the aspirations o! f the youth Jordanian generations and in a manner that fulfils the interests and aspirations of all Jordanians. This is in order to build a prosperous, modern Jordan, which interacts with and contributes to the accomplishments of the age and, before that, interacts with its pan-Arab surroundings and the just Arab causes, because Jordan is situated at the heart of our Arab world."

Al-Rimawi, the chief editor of the new paper, said: "The publication of Al-Sijil is the fruit of the continuous efforts of the founders, who are about 80 Jordanian figures, over the past two years and a corresponding effort by a small number of editors. This was in order to come up with an advanced formula for an independent, critical, and democratic publication, which does not fit into the current categorizations of the pro-government and opposition forces. Its work will be focused on presenting a critical view on the various aspects of our life and the rest of the political, economic, and c! ultural activists. The paper will be keen to not underestimate the acc omplishments already made or the points of weakness and shortcoming, wherever they exist. Al-Rimawi hoped the new publication would be a real addition that would enrich the media scene and upgrade its performance level and would share the Jordanian newspapers their aspirations and efforts to place our local press within the Arab media accomplishment befitting the 21st century.

A trial edition, not for circulation, came out yesterday. The 40-page tabloid-size edition featured domestic and regional political, economic, and miscellaneous issues. Eight pages were devoted to the "the Cultural Al-Sijil."

Source: Al-Dustur, Amman, in Arabic 8 Nov 07