Background:
Two different subjects are addressed in the following recording, these are; Tourism development in Jordan; and development of water supply in Jordan, however, both press conferences are in the context of the then newly signed peace treaty with Israel and its political and economic benefits.
For more information on Tourism Development in Jordan, please refer to the tape: MENA Summit 1995 press conference in Amman with Jordanian economist ʾUmayyah Ṣalāḥ Ṭūqān/Interview with Andrew De Carpentier on Muslim – Christian relations and Jordanian Minister of tourism
Side A:
Part 1:
The Jordanian Minister of Tourism and antiquities ʿAbd al-ʾAIlah al-Khaṭīb talks about tourist developments and international cooperation with Israel in this press conference. First, he informs his audience about the proposal of a regional tourist organization for the Middle East, though where the head office will be is still not decided. He touches on the topic of the new Jordan Valley and Sheikh Hussein border crossings, resulting from the peace treaty with Israel. They are in the process of upgrading the bridges there, with Japanese financing, and dividing the traffic between them, having one for passengers and the other for cargo. To the expression of concern regarding the time-consuming border-crossing he responds that the bridges were operating before the treaty but that when the new entry points were built, in less than three days, people didn’t expect so much traffic that they were not able to provide the necessary services. Further regional traffic and tourism are discussed and he says that there will be point to point buses from Jordanian cities to Israeli cities as well as flights there, ferries to Nuweiba and Suez and modern vessels for tourist trips in the Red Sea when the transport agreement with Israel is concluded. Especially as the private sector in Jordan in very eager to provide services in all sectors of tourism. On the question of the behavior of Israeli tourists, he says that they come on organized tours and stay two nights on average and that they are attracted to Jerash and Petra. The nationalities that are increasing the most are Russian, Netherlands and British. On the topic of tourist offices, he states that they still connected their commotion through the offices of Royal Jordanian Airways, but that they now we have established The Jordan Tourism Board, a joint venture between the Ministry of Tourism and, importantly, the private sector. This board is planning to open a few offices in their biggest markets. Jordan received 736 000 tourists the first 8 months of 1995. Exploiting the desert is brought up and he confirms that this is a priority, especially as many films have been filmed there. The Minister expresses a hope that tourism will benefit from and at the same time help sustain the peace. When it comes to bilateral projects with Egypt he says that projects in the Red Sea will definitely involve all three countries. In addition, he hopes tourism development won’t come at the expense of the environment and stresses the importance of cooperation to achieve this. On the topic of cooperation, he points out that “we’re getting to the point where you could drive from Egypt to Jordan through Israel and even through Jordan to Syria”.
Part 2:
The then Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation Dr. Ṣāliḥ ʾirshīdāt talks about new water-related projects following the peace treaty with Israel. Firstly, they already implemented the first important project, the pipeline from south Tiberias to the King Abdullah Canal. Now, amongst other projects, they’re studying a diversion on the Yarmouk River to regulate the water coming from the river between Israel and Jordan, as the treaty ensures Jordan 75 million m3 of water more. A $ 500 million scheme of two dams on the Jordan River and some smaller storage facilities on the eastern side of the Jordan valley are also under construction and will hopefully be financed by the EU. Generally, the joint water committee with Israel is working to implement what was agreed upon in the treaty and to manage water resources in the two rivers better. Overall, 74% of the water is allocated to agriculture, 22% to municipal use and 4-5% to the industry and with these limited resources there would be a shortage in 2025, therefore they need to work with the Israelis. A last resort would be desalination, with technical and financial help from the international community, or, deeper aquifers. Actually, Japan had agreed to donate a desalination plant at the time.
Side B:
Other, less costly future plans include buying water from the Litani river in Lebanon, the Turkish “Pipelines for Peace” project, bringing water from Turkey to Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine which is only feasible when there is “a peace atmosphere surrounding the whole area” and getting water from the Euphrates in Iraq. The last option is under study but it proves difficult, as the Iraqi had less water at the time because Turkey had built a lot of dams. The Ministry had two projects for the Amman summit; the DC conveyance pipeline, a project bringing 1000 million m3 of water per year from the Saudi border where they have a big joint aquifer, which could last for 200 years. He also mentions an aquifer that has too high of a salt content, where the plan is to reduce pumping in order to maintain the quality of the water. The second project is a scheme of dams on the eastern side of the Dead Sea which aimed to provide water for industry, tourism, and a small part for irrigation. They started the studies 10 years ago and only need finance for them The cost estimate is $250 million and they would be very important for the industrial area of Jordan. He goes on to mention two tourism projects that also will be presented at the Amman summit: a $ 90 million master plan for infrastructure development the touristic area around the Dead Sea and the building of hotels worth $ 300 million for three years. The final outcome from the peace treaty in terms of water resources is hard to tell, and the Minister says it might take them 10 years before they will know, as the building of two important dams in the Jordan River will take eight years. However, in the treaty, Jordan is ensured 215 million m3 of water.
