MULTILATERAL PEACE TALKS
WORKING GROUP ON WATER - PRESS RELEASE
BEIJING, OCTOBER 28, 1993
The fourth round of the Working Group on Middle East Water Resources
took place in Beijing on October 26-28, 1993, as part of the
multilateral talks which are being conducted under the Madrid framework
of Middle East peace negotiation.
At the concluding meeting of the Working Group on Water, Oman offered to
host the next meeting of the working group to be held in April 1994.
This offer, which came after prolonged negotiations, was welcomed by the
participants, and will be referred to the Steering Committee for final
approval.
Throughout the three days of talks in Beijing, intensive negotiations
were held among the states of the region, sheperded by the US, on the
venue for the next meeting of the Working Group. Following contacts by
the Americans in the various capitals, the participants changed their
previous decision to hold the next session in Canada.
Developments During the Session:
- In the course of the sessio n, many states congra tulated Israel on
the water desali nizatio n facil ity built by the Israel i Civi Admini
stratio n in the Dir el-Bal ah area of the Gaza Distri ct.
- The Israeli delegation proposed that the states of the region avail
themselves of Israel's experience in increasing rainfall by cloud
seeding. This proposal aroused the interest of many states.
- Jordan proposed to begin discussions on the formulation of a 'water
convention' in the Middle East, which would define principles for
regional cooperation and serve as a mechanism for resolving
differences on the subject.
- The Working Group plenum adopted a comprehensive plan to train
professional water personnel for the region.
- It was decided to begin work on the establishment of a regional data
base that will serve as the basis for all activity and cooperation on
water in the Middle East.
- The Palestinian request for assistance in the establishment of a
Palestinian national data base met with a positive response.
- Between the current round and the next round to be held in April,
several professional programs for experts in the region will be
organized, as follows:
A seminar on weather forecasting;
A seminar on data base standardization in the U.S.;
A study tour of river basins in France.
- It was also decided to initiate a Jordan River modeling project, in
which the sources of the Jordan River would be mapped from its source
in the Sea of Galilee to its mouth in the Dead Sea.
Upon concluding of the session, the head of the Israeli delegation
Avraham Katz-Oz stated his belief that Oman's offer was presented to the
Working Group with the full knowledge of the Gulf states and Saudi
Arabia, and therefore constitutes a most significant breakthrough.