REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, AMMAN -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday said conflicts in Syria and Iraq continue to weigh on Jordan's economy, with growth expected at around 2 percent in 2016 and unemployment increasing to 15.3 percent.

In a statement, a copy of which was obtained Wednesday by Xinhua, the IMF said a team led by Martin Cerisola visited Amman from March 5 to 9 to take stock of recent economic developments and discuss with the authorities their planned economic policies for 2017 and beyond.

"Inflation has accelerated to 2.5 percent year-on-year in January and 4.6 percent in February, reflecting higher global food prices and the one-off impact of the fiscal measures. The overall fiscal deficit is estimated at 3.6 percent of GDP in 2016 and is projected to decline to less than 3 percent in 2017 in light of fiscal measures underpinning the 2017 budge," Cerisola said.

The IMF statement said the discussions also focused on the authorities' plans for policies and reforms to preserve Jordan's macroeconomic stability and to enhance growth and employment prospects in a difficult environment, where the pressure from refugees on the economy needs continued support from the international community.

The IMF is committed to maintaining its dialogue with the authorities and supporting Jordan's national program of economic reforms, it added.

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