Foreign Ministry Statement on Multilateral Talks in Amman

Two working groups, on water and on environment, met in Amman on 20-22 June 1995 for the seventh multilateral round of talks. Israel ascribed great importance to these groups, since they dealt with practical matters involving Israel and some of its immediate neighbors. It also involved international institutions such as the World Bank and donor nations. Above all, there was a feeling that peace has to be accompanied by concrete acts that will improve the lot of ordinary people in the Middle East. Text of the statements dealing with what was achieved in the three days of talks follow:

The environmental working group - within the framework of the multilateral peace negotiations - yesterday, 21.06.95, concluded its seventh meeting in Amman, with the feeling that it has made real progress in implementing joint regional projects and in raising the international funds needed in order to advance these projects. The World Bank reported on obtaining the necessary financing that would enable work to begin on the working group's anti-desertification project. This is a joint Tunisian, Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian project to fight the effects of desertification in the region and includes the establishment of five regional centers, with each one dealing with a specific aspect of desertification.

The committee expressed satisfaction regarding the major progress that has been made in implementing the project on fighting pollution in the Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba. In the framework of this project, three stations have been set up in Aqaba, Eilat and Nuweiba. The three stations, which will be linked by a joint communications network, will together deal with pollution in the waters of the Gulf. The project is being financed by the European Union and the Japanese government. This summer, joint teams from Israel, Egypt and Jordan will go to Norway for intensive training. The working group similarly discussed the establishment of two regional environment centers in Jordan and Bahrain, a joint public network to raise the level of environmental awareness and how to deal with waste water and hazardous waste.

Crown Prince Hassan opened the joint meeting of the environmental and water working groups. He spoke of the importance of adopting "the environmental code of conduct," which was achieved in the framework of the committee's work, by the unanimous consent of its participants and called for similar codes to be achieved by the other groups in the multilateral negotiations.

The water committee - in the framework of the multilateral talks - concluded its discussions yesterday (Thursday), 22.06.95, 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.