JOINT STATEMENT BY THE ISRAELI AND JORDANIAN DELEGATIONS TO THE PEACE TALKS
EIN AVRONA, JULY 19, 1994
A. The delegations of Israel and Jordan met in the boundary area north of
Aqaba and Eilat on July 18-19, 1994 to continue their bilateral peace
negotiations. They confirmed the already established commission on
boundaries, security, water, environment and related issues (such as
energy), and the sub-agendas on security; borders and territorial matters;
water, environment and related issues, signed in Washington on June 7,
1994
B. The work was divided into three major sub-commissions:
1) Subcommission on boundaries
2) Subcommission on security
3) Subcommission on water, environment and related issues (energy).
C. The two sides have agreed as follows:
1) The talks will resume on a continuous basis starting August 8, 1994,
and will proceed in the plenary, commission, sub-commissions and any other
agreed groups. The negotiations will alternate between the Israeli Dead
Sea Works and the Jordanian Potash township starting on the Israeli side
for the next session; the next session on boundary, however, will take
place in the boundary area where our negotiations took place this time.
2) The boundary work will start by the preparation of joint maps and
additional material by a joint team of experts (JTE), in accordance with a
memorandum, which has been concluded. Modalities of production of joint
maps and additional materials on the Jordan-Israeli boundary have been
worked out. The sub-commission will become "The Boundary Maintenance and
Administration Commission" after the peace negotiations culminate in a
treaty of peace, as stipulated in the Common Agenda.
3) Security
The Jordanian and Israeli teams to the security sub-commission focused
in their detailed deliberations on the following:
* Examination of the practical implications of the elements that
constitute the security sub-agenda approved in Washington June 7,
1994. A thorough review of these implications indicates that there is
a broad understanding on these matters.
* Discussions were held on the issues of confidence building
measures. Specific measures have been jointly examined.
* Both parties agree to continue their discussions in the next
bilateral session, in order to reach agreement on the subjects on
their common security sub-agenda.
The two sides expressed their full satisfaction from the excellent and
productive spirit that prevails and hence facilitates progress in this
important issue.
4a) Water
The sub-commission for water, energy and the environment, having
discussed the issue of water:
4.1 Agreed to mutually recognize, as a result of their negotiations,
the rightful allocations of the two sides in Jordan River and Yarmouk
River waters, and to fully respect and comply with the negotiated
rightful allocations, in accordance with agreed acceptable principles,
with mutually acceptable quality.
4.2 Stressed the importance and the need to minimize wastage of water
resources throughout the chain of their uses.
4.3 Stressed the need to make more water available for use as soon as
possible.
4.4 Agreed to share, where appropriate, the available data on shared
water resources, and to review the potentials for enhancement of water
resources development and use.
4.5 Accepted the principle that the water issues along the entire
border must be dealt with in their totality, including the possibility
of trans-boundary water transfers.
4.6 Accepted the principle of mutual prevention of harm to the water
resources of the other party.
4b) Environment
Jordan and Israel acknowledge the importance of the ecology of the
region, its high environmental sensitivity and the need to protect the
environment and prevent danger and risks for health and well-being of the
region's population. They both recognize the need for conservation of
natural resources, protection of biodiversity and the imperative of
attaining economic growth based on sustainable development principles.
In light of the above, both parties agree to cooperate in matters
relating to environmental protection in general and to those that may
mutually affect them. Areas of such cooperation which [are] deemed to
reflect common understanding have been detailed ad referendum for timely
agreement on activities, projects and geographical spread thereof.
4c) Energy
The parties referred to energy topics, having the potential of
bilateral future cooperation, comprising energy generation such as oil
shale utilization, solar energy for power generation and interconnection
of grids.
5) The parties agreed that negotiations on economic matters will continue
in order to prepare for future bilateral cooperation.