Jordanian Minister of Industry will soon visit Baghdad

The joint Iraqi-Jordanian committee will hold its meetings on the 15th of this month in Amman. The meetings will be headed by Jordanian Minister of Industry and Trade Dr. Hani al-Mulqi and Iraqi Minister of Trade Mohammed Mahdi Saleh.

The meetings are to discuss the renewal of the trade protocol between Iraq and Jordan, which was signed later in 1997, he told the reporters.

There was $255 million worth of agreements within the 1997 trade protocol, some of which has not yet been exchanged, he added. "I have told the Iraqi charge d'affairs to accelerate the use of $30 million," Al-Mulqi said.

Regarding raising the amount of the trade protocol to $300 million, Al-Mulqi was quoted as saying that they would discuss the issue." all the scenarios and the substitutes will be discussed." he said.

The Jordanian Minister of Industry and Trade will soon visit Baghdad. "I hope for Jordanian companies to deal with Iraqi markets," he said.

He confirmed that there are rations stored if there is a military confrontation between Iraq and the USA. "Stores belonging to the ministry are filled with food supplies and there is a huge quantity ready to be distributed in Aqaba," he said.

In the middle of the next month, the private sector would import 50,000 tons of wheat and 140,000 tons of barley, he added.

Concerning the exports of Jordanian companies to Iraq via the UN sanctions committee, the minister said that 69 contracts valued at $89.88 million were ratified.

"The value of Jordanian export contracts with Iraq as per the oil-for-food deal reached $199.18 million," he said.