Jordan, Syria eye $1b trade volume

AMMAN (JT) - Jordan and Syria on Sunday said they seek to increase trade volume to around $1 billion annually, enhance economic integration and settle all lingering issues.

During the meetings of the Joint Jordanian-Syrian Higher Committee, which commenced in Damascus yesterday, Prime Minister Nader Dahabi noted that in 2008, the volume of joint trade exchange amounted to $575 million while this figure exceeded $273 million during the first half of this year.

He said the Jordanian and the Syrian public and private sectors have a joint responsibility to maintain and increase these figures. Dahabi urged all Syrian investors to visit Jordan and get acquainted with the opportunities available in various fields, vowing that he would personally follow up the issue to make sure that all facilities are offered to Syrian investments, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported from Damascus.

The two sides also agreed to boost joint cooperation in the fields of railway connectivity as well as in the areas of water and irrigation.

Regarding water cooperation, they agreed to increase cooperation regarding the Yarmouk Basin and stop the existing violations to previous water-sharing agreements. They also agreed to give priority to water storage in the Wihdeh Dam on the river as of the upcoming rainfall season.

Dahabi underlined the significance of the Yarmouk River as one of the most important joint resources of water.

Regarding the slowdown in the water flow in the river, Dahabi stressed that Jordan is looking forward to serious cooperation to conduct a speedy joint study to probe the reasons behind the problem and apply workable solutions.

The premier also referred to the need to stop land cultivation, in the upper and lower areas of the Wihdeh Dam, to provide sufficient quantities of drinking water, which is a priority in Jordan, "the poorest country in water resources in the world".

Dahabi and his Syrian counterpart Mohammad Naji Otri stressed their commitment to eliminating any obstacles that hamper cooperation.

They pledged to exert all efforts necessary to facilitate the flow of goods and passengers as well as investments between the two countries.

Dahabi said Jordan is a supporter of Syria in the same way Syria backs the Kingdom, vowing that Jordan will support Syria "under all circumstances".

At the regional level, the premier urged Syria to join the Agadir Agreement, which currently includes Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, noting the potentially positive effects of the agreement at the level of integration among signatories.

Underlining the importance of the meetings, the Syrian premier said the talks allow Jordan and Syria to detect the obstacles which have hampered joint cooperation. Subsequently, the two countries will work out feasible mechanisms to tackle urgent hindrances and difficulties, "arising from this side or that".

During the two-day meetings, Jordan and Syria are scheduled to sign 13 deals and memoranda of understanding.

On border demarcation, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications and Government Spokesperson Nabil Sharif said Saturday the agreement in this context will not be signed during the current meetings because the technical committee has yet to finalize it.

Sharif also stressed that the reason behind the postponement was purely "technical and had nothing to do with any differences between the two parties".