Jordan Times
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
US-Jordan environment talks
open
AMMAN (JT) — The United States and Jordan on Monday opened a two-day series of
talks designed to increase environmental cooperation between the two countries.
The talks mark the first meeting of the bilateral Joint Forum on Environmental
Technical Cooperation, established in association with the Jordan-US Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) as a means to enhance the quality of the trade relationship
flourishing between the two countries, according to a US embassy statement
released yesterday.
Minister of Environment Alia Bouran and Anthony Rock, principal deputy assistant
secretary of state for oceans, environmental and scientific affairs, are heading
the two delegations at the talks.
Discussions will include the development of a joint plan of action related to
the environment, which sets out goals for cooperative projects to promote
environmental protection and sustainable development as the two countries
benefit from increased bilateral trade.
In negotiating the US-Jordan FTA, it was the firm belief of both sides that
strong environmental cooperation should be an integral part of a growing trade
relationship, the statement said.
The event will feature site visits to joint infrastructure projects designed to
improve environmental standards in the Kingdom, and a meeting with
nongovernmental “stakeholders” for whom environmental issues are a key concern.
Sites visited include Al Samra wastewater treatment facility — a $169 million
project financed in part by the US Agency for International Development (USAID)
to expand and modernise the existing overloaded and inadequate wastewater
treatment system. When complete, this state-of-the-art facility will have a
major positive impact for the Kingdom, the statement said.
The US delegation to the talks includes representatives of the US Department of
State, the office of the US Trade Representative, USAID and the Environmental
Protection Agency, as well as officials from the US embassy in Amman.