Jordanian authorities lift ban on a local newspaper's edition

Jordanian authorities lifted a ban on a local newspaper's edition confiscated last week because it carried an article deemed "harmful" to Palestinians.

Tareq al-Monami told The Associated Press that the April 30 edition of the semimonthly newspaper Al-Majd which was seized during printing can be reprinted.

Al-Monami said his association demanded the "lifting of the ban and insisted on abolishing any censorship."

Al-Majd's chief editor Fahd al-Rimawi was informed of the decision. The article in question allegedly disclosed a Palestinian security plan an act that Jordanian authorities considered potentially "harmful" to Palestinians, but without clarifying why.

The Al-Majd is a small Arab nationalist independent paper, one of about 30 tabloids published in the kingdom. Al-Rimawi has been arrested numerous times and the newspaper has been banned before.

After hearing of the ban lift, al-Rimawi said he was preparing to reprint the edition on Monday.