AMMAN - Negotiations between the Social Security Corporation (SSC) and the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) are under way over selling JAF's under-construction headquarters to the SSC, a government official said yesterday.
The SSC will establish a JD100 million company it will fully own to handle the corporation's real estate investments, Labour Minister Bassem Salem told The Jordan Times on Saturday.
The property will be offered for lease as offices for international companies, such as Microsoft Corporation, Salem said Friday evening in an interview with Jordan Television's 60-Minutes programme.
"The property will be transformed into a 'business park' and will contain investment compounds since the infrastructure is already in place," he told the TV station.
The minister said that the current JAF Headquarters will remain in the same place until alternative offices are ready.
The JAF still uses their old premises that will be part of the Abdali regeneration project, which is currently being implemented by the Abdali Investment and Development Company. The mega project seeks to transform the area into a 300,000-square-metre high-tech hub in the heart of the capital.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Nasser Judeh told The Jordan Times that Salem's announcement does not contradict the former's statements at a press conference last week.
Judeh said he was then commenting on reports alleging that the lands of the King Hussein Medical Centre (KHMC), adjacent to JAF's new headquarters, were offered for sale.
"The government did not sign any deals to sell the lands of the KHMC or the surrounding area," Judeh reiterated in a statement to The Jordan Times yesterday.
He stressed that in case there were any plans in this regard, it will be through the SSC's planned company.
Salem reiterated that the KHMC includes newly constructed facilities such as a children's hospital, denying any talks over its relocation; however, he stressed that once a decision is made, the relocation will not be implemented overnight and will need time until an alternative is available.
He stressed that the largest army-run medical compound will continue to provide citizens with medical services through its current facilities, rejecting as baseless reports which claimed that the government is about to sell its lands to a foreign investor.
By Hani Hazaimeh
© Jordan Times 2008
