In major reshuffle, Jordan PM moves to push IMF-led economic reforms

Jordan's Prime Minister Omar al Razzaz reshuffled a large part of his cabinet on Thursday, appointing a former palace advisor as finance minister to push forward with a mandate for economic reforms intended to spur growth in the debt-ridden country. The reshuffle was Razzaz's fourth since taking office almost a year and a half ago. It affected 11 ministries in all but left other key incumbents, notably the foreign affairs and interior ministers, unchanged.

As finance minister, he brought in Mohammad Al Ississ, a Harvard-educated economist and former palace advisor, in place of Ezzedin Kanakriyah. Al Ississ, who had been serving as a planning minister, will lead a team overseeing the three-year economic program agreed with the International Monetary Fund. It covers long-delayed structural reforms and will seek to cut public debt to 77 percent of GDP by 2021 from 94 percent now.

Ayman Safadi, a long-time adviser to the royal family, who has been leading Jordan's talks with Washington over its Middle East policy, remains as foreign minister.