His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday said recommendations to be made by the Steering Committee for National Agenda will determine the Kingdom's policies and programs over the next ten years.



"We are on the right track and the National Agenda committee will come up with a clear strategy for the consecutive governments to adhere to," King Abdullah said during a meeting at the Royal Court with chief editors of local dailies and director general of the Jordan News Agency, Petra.



His Majesty said that the letter of Designation and the national agenda will guide the government's performance, stressing that judegement should be on programs and not persons.



King Abdullah added that political reform process is going ahead in line with "our vision" for Jordan's future, emphasizing that it should go hand-in-hand with social and economic development programs.



Underlining that the government should work with a team spirit to achieve reform, the King urged local press to back the Kingdom's reform drive.



King Abdullah said that he directed the government to support the freedom of press, grant reporters' access to information and enact laws that prevent jailing journalists. He also stressed the importance of training journalists according to professional standards in order to upgrade the performance of media sector in the country.



On Iraq, His Majesty King Abdullah said that the media was partly responsible for the misunderstanding between Amman and Baghdad. "Some journalists do not like to see close and strong relations between Jordan and Iraq." Stressing that everyone should respect the will of the Iraqi people, His Majesty said that some columnists and writers are still captives to the past.



The King said the press has an important role to play in giving a clear and true picture to citizens of the new situation in Iraq, emphasizing that Iraqis are looking to the future and have no desire to go back to the past.



King Abdullah said Jordanian media should take into consideration the Kingdom's interests and how to enhance its relations with Arab countries.