Jordan Times
Monday, July 20, 2009
Jordan, Israel to meet
over Jordan Valley blaze
By Hana Namrouqa
AMMAN - The government is following up on a massive fire which erupted on
Saturday at the border between Jordan and Israel, a senior official said on
Sunday.
Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Nabil Sharif said
yesterday Jordanian and Israeli technical committees will hold a meeting on
Thursday to discuss means to prevent and contain future fires, which occur
frequently on the Israeli side of the Jordan Valley, the Jordan News Agency,
Petra, reported.
The blaze, which damaged 100 dunums of Jordanian crops, started on Saturday
afternoon as a result of high temperatures and strong winds which carried the
flames from Israel into the Kingdom, according to the Civil Defence Department.
Meanwhile, a joint committee was formed on Sunday to assess the damage incurred
by farmers in the Jordan Valley, as Minister of Agriculture Saeed Masri said
Israel must shoulder the responsibility for the fire, noting that "Jordan has
the right to ask for compensation."
The joint committee, which includes officials from the Ministry of Water and
Irrigation, the Jordan Valley Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture, will
examine the damaged terrain and submit its recommendations to the Cabinet, Water
Ministry Media Adviser Omar Salameh told The Jordan Times yesterday.
Meanwhile, Masri said in a press statement issued yesterday that he will meet
soon with his Israeli counterpart and demand compensation for the damaged lands
and crops and urge an end to such fires. Masri and Minister of Water and
Irrigation Raed Abu Saud yesterday toured the affected area in Masharaa and Tel
Al Sukkar, where forests and citrus trees were severely damaged.
The Jordan Valley's total agricultural area consists of 300,000 dunums, around
190,000 of which are planted with vegetables and the rest with bananas, grain
and citrus fruit.