JORDAN ISLAMISTS FOR'NATIONAL GOVERNMENT'

Jordan’s main opposition group, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), on November 21 urged the formation of a “national salvation government” to come to grips with the political and social problems facing the country.“The formation of a national salvation government that enjoys the confidence of the people has become an urgent necessity,” the IAF Executive Bureau, the party’s highest decision making body, said in a statement. “Such a government should open serious dialogue with all political and social forces in the country with a view to surmounting the impasse currently facing the country, otherwise the consequences will be more dangerous,” it added. The IAF had boycotted the November 9 parliamentary elections, demanding political reforms, including a new election law that provides for proportional representation. The IAF Executive Bureau held the government responsible for a series of social violence that swept the country over the past few months, including post-polls rioting.