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23 June 1995
MULTILATERAL WORKING GROUP ON WATER DECIDES ON REGIONAL PROJECTS
(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
The water committee in the framework of the multilateral talks
concluded its discussions yesterday (Thursday), June 22, 1995, in Amman.
For the first time, the Palestinians were represented by engineer Nabil
Sharif, the Palestinian Authority Water Commissioner. The head of the
Israeli delegation, former Agriculture Minister Avraham Katz-Oz, said in
his opening speech that in the next decade, an annual average of $200
million will be needed for the establishment of projects and to supply
water to the countries of the Middle East.
During the discussions, a number of joint projects, worth a total
investment of approximately $50 million, were proposed: The United States
and the European Union will invest approximately $2.5 million to establish
a data bank for the Palestinians. Austria will invest approximately $3
million to equalize brackish water irrigation methods. The Netherlands is
examining an investment of $7 million to build a dam in Nahal Besor/Wadi
Aza, in order to enrich the Gaza Strip's aquifer. A regional desalination
center, worth $30 million, is being planned in Oman. The United States,
Japan, and Israel will invest approximately $5 million to treat waste
water in small communities, reduce water loss in municipal systems, and
desalinate brackish water.
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