Jordan, Syria cancel border levies

AMMAN (JT) - Jordan and Syria on Monday agreed to reciprocally exempt their citizens traveling between the two countries via land from any departure taxes paid at borders, effective January 1, 2010.

Border authorities currently collect JD8 from every individual who passes to Syria, while the Syrian counterparts collect an equivalent sum from passengers leaving their territory by land, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.

The two sides also agreed under a momorandum of understanding signed in Amman yesterday to reciprocally exempt all private and public vehicles, including trucks and buses from departure fees and "diesel support fees" levied on these vehicles by both sides.

They also agreed to reduce transit fees on trucks by 25 per cent, and to give Jordanian trucks a preferential treatment at Syrian ports and to include Jordanian transport companies in the incentive packages offered under the investment promotion laws in Syria.

The agreement was signed by Finance Minister Bassem Salem and his Syrian counterpart Mohammad Hussein.

The two sides said the deal is meant to facilitate the flow of passengers and goods between the two neighbors.

Regarding pharmaceutical product registration, the two sides agreed to deal with the issue on a reciprocal basis, and set six months as a deadline for authorities to wrap up the testing process as a prelude to allow entry of medicines made in Jordan and Syria into each other's markets.