Jordanian, Israeli coordination on water issue

The Jordanian and Israeli sides on Tuesday agreed on the importance of prior coordination between the two sides to withstand water requirements in the summer of 2000.

On Monday the Jordanian and Israeli sides held a meeting for the joint committee on the Dead Sea, under the chairmanship of the Jordanian minister of water and irrigation, Kamel Mahadin, and the Israeli official in charge of water issues, Maier Bin Maier.

The Jordanian daily al-Rai, quoted the Jordanian minister of irrigation and water as saying that the meeting came to discuss water issues between the two sides, especially water for the next summer.

Mahadin told the daily that the Israelis pledged to abide by what had been stated in the treaty. He added that the joint committee meets every three weeks, and its agenda will be to ensure the additional 50 million cubic meters of water stated in the second appendix of the Jordanian- Israeli treaty. He stressed Jordan's persistence to have its full allocation of water.