Jordan Times
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Trade ties with Iraq
rebounding with exports reaching JD350m in 8 months
King stresses support for Iraq's reconstruction process in meeting with
Iraqi minister Mehdi Hafedh
AMMAN (JT & Petra) — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday reiterated Jordan's
continued backing to Iraq's reconstruction process.
At a meeting with Iraqi Planning and Development Cooperation Minister Mehdi
Hafedh, King Abdullah also said the Kingdom fully supports efforts to ensure
stability in the neighbouring country, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.
Hafedh, Petra said, thanked the King for his endeavours to write off Iraq's
foreign debts and secure the needed financing for the reconstruction process.
Hafedh was also received by Prime Minister Faisal Fayez for talks on bilateral
ties and a Nov. 3 meeting of the Jordanian-Iraqi Joint Higher Committee. The
committee will be co-chaired by Fayez and his Iraqi counterpart Iyad Allawi.
The Iraqi minister briefed Fayez at the meeting, which was attended by Planning
and International Cooperation Minister Bassem Awadallah, on the outcome of an
international donors' forum held in Tokyo last week for the reconstruction of
Iraq. The forum welcomed convening such a meeting in Amman next spring.
The two sides also coordinated their stands on a meeting which will bring
together in Cairo next month the Group of Eight and countries neighbouring Iraq.
Following the meeting, Awadallah stressed the two countries' keenness to boost
their ties at various levels.
He said bilateral trade was rebounding to normal levels, with Jordanian exports
to Iraq reaching JD350 million in the first eight months of the year.
According to Awadallah, these ties would be boosted further once security and
stability in Iraq are achieved.
Addressing a joint press conference with Hafedh at the Prime Ministry, Awadallah
indicated that the two countries will discuss several strategic joint projects
during the Nov. 3 meetings of the Jordanian-Iraqi Joint Higher Committee.
These projects include extending an oil pipeline, upgrading border centres, a
highway linking the two countries, upgrading port facilities in Aqaba and
establishing a free zone area at the border, Awadallah pointed out.
A Ministry of Planning statement said these projects were reviewed by the Tokyo
donors meeting.
“The international donor community has expressed interest in developing a new
funding mechanism to support regional projects to facilitate and enhance efforts
for the reconstruction of Iraq, which include supporting a number of
infrastructure improvement projects in Jordan,” the statement said.
Hafedh, emerging from his talks with Fayez and Awadallah, voiced confidence that
Jordan would have a “major role” in reconstructing Iraq, saying the joint
committee's meeting would define policies and mechanisms that would develop
bilateral ties.
He described cooperation with Jordan as a springboard to developing Iraq's ties
with countries of the region and the world.
The Iraqi minister voiced hope that the donors' conference which will be hosted
by Amman next spring would constitute “an important political and economic step
on the way to the reconstruction of Iraq.”