Amman warns Israel against registering Jordanian positions in world heritage list
Jordan-Israel, Politics, 7/26/2001

The Jordanian foreign ministry has sent a memorandum to the Israeli government in which it warns against the consequences of the request proposed by Israel from the world heritage organization to register Jordanian religious and archaeological positions under the name of Israel in the world list of heritage.

The Jordanian foreign ministry put notes on the Israeli demands, saying that the five positions in the Jordan Valley ( Wadi al-Aurdon), the Jordan river, its springs, the dead sea and Wadi Araba and Khaleij al-Aqaba which all came under the item of " multi- national position" all relate to Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine and enrolling it in that list requires, a prior work by regional committees before their nomination to the world heritage committee.

The Jordanian memorandum explained that positions like the Crusaders fortresses, the Umayyad's palaces in the Jordanian desert, the desert convents, the desert artistic formation, the cities of the ports, the Ottoman train routes and the road of pilgrimage to Mecca are linked to a big circle of the Middle East states, and therefore regional committees should work earlier on this issue before the nomination of these sites to the list of the world heritage committee.

Israel had earlier proposed to the world heritage committee of UNESCO to enroll some 23 archaeological and religious positions in Jordan and Palestine to the list of the world heritage on the ground that they are " Jewish heritage." A matter which raised the protest of Jordan, which started to make intensive contacts with the Arab states and the world heritage committee to challenge the Israeli attempt.

In a report made earlier, the Jordanian royal committee for Jerusalem affairs has warned against the consequences of the Israeli attempt. The committee's report mentioned the names of the positions Israel demands to be enlisted in the world heritage list as Jewish antiquities.

Previous Stories:
  Israeli message to Jordan   (7/19/2001)
  Sharon is under judicial pursuance   (7/18/2001)
  Jordan hands Israel the remains of 4 Jews   (6/20/2001)

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