(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
October 19, 1995
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Transportation Minister Yisrael Kessar, Tourism Minister Uzi Baram, and Trade and Industry Minister Micha Harish, met yesterday (Wednesday), 18.10.95, with their Jordanian counterparts, and with Crown Prince Hassan, in Amman. Ambassadors Shimon Shamir and Marwan Muasher were also present.
Following the plenary meeting, in which Foreign Minister Peres and Crown Prince Hassan discussed the overall state of Israeli-Jordanian cooperation, the Israeli ministers met individually with their Jordanian counterparts.
Foreign Minister Peres and Crown Prince Hassan, and their respective security officers, discussed the issue of the maritime boundary in the Gulf of Eilat. An agreement was achieved -- the first such agreement that Israel has signed regarding the determination of maritime boundaries, and the first agreement between Gulf of Eilat countries. The border will run down the middle of the Gulf.
A trade agreement between the two countries will be signed on the 24th of the month, and will go into effect upon ratification. It was also agreed that a bilateral committee would be set up stimulate trade after the agreement is ratified.
A transportation agreement -- dealing with land, air and water travel, and which will allow free passage across the border for individuals and goods -- will be signed at the beginning of November.
It was also agreed that a series of agreements on agriculture, communications, and culture would be signed.
Agreement was also achieved on a series of joint projects, which will be presented to the Amman Conference, including: a Gulf of Eilat riviera; a rail line for carrying phosphates and potash from the Dead Sea to both Eilat and Aqaba, and the joint airport -- the showpiece project. The difficulty regarding a name for the airport has been resolved; it will be called the "International Peace Airport" (in Hebrew, English and Arabic).
At the conclusion of the meetings, which lasted almost 4 hours, and were conducted in a warm and friendly atmosphere, King Hussein arrived and held a political meeting with Foreign Minister Peres.