Jordan: Abdullah nominates new al-Ayan council

Jordan's King Abdullah II yesterday issued a decree according to which it appointed 55 new members including 4 women, in a five seat increase over the former council, in the council of the new Jordanian Ayan, upper house of parliament, as a gesture to inaugurate its works by the beginning of December.

The decree issued by the royal court announced that Abdullah desolved the former al- Ayan, council which is also called the royal council and appointed it again, with the former prime minister Zeid al-Fefai as a spokesman for the council which included 28 former ministers including 3 former prime ministers as well as al-Refai and army leaders and intelligence officers, businessmen, journalists and artists.

So far a date has not been set for King Abdullah's speech before the new council.