Jordan Times
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Gov't to pay part of firms'
dues owed by Iraq
AMMAN, April 29 (JT) - The government on Wednesday said it agreed to pay part of
financial dues Iraq owes local exporters under a joint trade protocol
implemented prior to the war.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Mohammad Halaiqa told
the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the financial dues would be paid “in
coordination with the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank of Jordan [CBJ].”
Last July, Michel Marto, then finance minister, said the official Iraqi
financial assets, deposited in the local banks, would be frozen “until all
rights of Jordanian traders and exporters are ensured.”
Under the payment mechanism, companies claiming debts under the protocol were
classified into a number of categories. In total, 793 firms are owed $171
million by the Iraqi side.