Jordan Times
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
PM delivers King's letter to Qatari emir
Prime Minister Faisal Fayez on Monday held talks with Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad Ben Jassem Al Thani on bilateral relations.Fayez, who arrived in Doha following a two-day visit to Oman, said he delivered a letter from His Majesty King Abdullah to Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Ben Khalifa Al Thani.
Talks covered cooperation in the fields of investment, tourism and economy. The Qatari minister said that his country is interested in investing in tourism projects in the Kingdom.
The two sides discussed ways to facilitate Jordanian agricultural exports to the Gulf emirate in light of a Gulf Cooperation Council customs agreement, put recently into implementation.
The Qatari minister expressed appreciation at the outcome of a meeting between the two countries' joint committee in Doha earlier in the day.
Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher co-chaired the meeting with his Qatari counterpart. The two sides signed a number of agreements on tax duality, tourism, education, youth, sports and scientific cooperation.
In Muscat on Sunday, Fayez delivered a message from King Abdullah to Sultan Qaboos through Omani Deputy Prime Minister for Cabinet Affairs Fahed Ben Mahmoud Al Saeed.
Fayez and Saeed held talks on ways to enhance bilateral ties, especially in the trade, water and agricultural sectors.
During the meeting, Fayez emphasised that Jordan's stability and security has helped attract Arab and foreign businessmen to invest in the Kingdom.
The Omani official, for his part, said his country was keen to exchange expertise with Jordan, especially in the electricity, water and agricultural sectors. He called for enhanced cooperation between the private sectors in both countries.
The meeting was also attended by Minister of Water and Irrigation and Minister of Agriculture Hazem Nasser, Minister of Labour Amjad Majali and Cabinet Secretary General Salim Kheir.
Exporting Jordanian agricultural products to Omani markets topped the agenda of a separate meeting between Nasser and Omani Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Salem Ben Hilal Al Khalili. The talks also covered Jordan's imports of Omani fish and exports of olive oil to the sultanate. Nasser also met with Minister of Municipalities and Environment Khamis Ben Mubarak Al Alawi. The Omani side showed interest in Jordanian expertise in the water sector, including ways to preserve underground water.
Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse reported that Muasher arrived in Kuwait Monday for talks to renew an oil grant and to sign several economic cooperation agreements.
"Talks will cover political and economic issues including the oil grant. A number of agreements will be signed within the framework of the joint higher committee," in the fields of trade and investments, Muasher said on arrival.
He said the two countries have "completely overcome" a bitter dispute over a Kuwaiti accusation that Amman had supported former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein when he ordered the invasion of the emirate in 1990.
"Jordanian-Kuwaiti ties are at their best ... Now we want to take another step in boosting economic and political ties," said Muasher, who added that talks will cover the situation in Iraq and the Palestinian issue.
Muasher and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Mohammad Al Sabah were to lead their countries' delegations at the first meeting of the joint higher committee formed last year.
High on the agenda will be Jordan's request to renew an oil grant of 25,000 barrels per day offered by Kuwait since the halt in Iraqi oil supplies to Amman following last March's US-led invasion of Iraq, on which Jordan relied for its energy needs, Muasher said.
However, he added, the strategic ties between the two countries should not be limited to the oil issue.