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Al-Ahram Weekly 29 Apr. - 5 May 1999 Issue No. 427 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 29 Apr. - 5 May 1999 Issue No. 427
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Focus Special Travel Sports People Features Living Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Jordan-Syria ties on the mend
By Lola Keilani"This visit was extremely successful and it marked a turning point in our relations, as we see eye to eye on all issues with the Syrians," said Jordan's King Abdullah upon his return to Amman from a recent visit to Syria. The king added that the visit "removed all lingering barriers and laid down the foundation for a fruitful future in bilateral cooperation."
Syria's relations with Jordan deteriorated after Jordan signed its peace treaty with Israel in 1994. The Syrian president, Hafez Al-Assad, had not set foot in Jordan for five years until he made a surprise appearance at King Hussein's funeral on 8 February, a gesture seen by Jordanians as an indication of Syria's desire for a new beginning. Al-Assad's son and heir apparent, Bashar, also visited King Abdullah in March to present condolences.
Officials in Jordan are optimistic that the visits have helped to set aside past animosity and would improve relations between the two Arab neighbours.
"Jordan regards its relations with Syria as the most important set of bilateral ties covering a comprehensive range of issues of mutual interest to the two countries in the political, economic and regional spheres," said Minister of Information Nasser Lawzi.
Sources within the Jordanian delegation said that the Joint Jordanian-Syrian Higher Committee, which has not convened for years, is scheduled to hold a meeting in the first week of June.
One of the issues discussed between the two countries focused on Jordan's demand for its full share of water from the Yarmouk River which Syria has not been providing since the late 1980s, the Jordanian sources said.
Syria built 26 dams on the Yarmouk River and it also has expanded domestic use of spring water that feed the river especially in summer. Unconfirmed reports said that Syria agreed to provide Jordan during this summer with drinking water from two dams located in the southern part of Syria.
In addition, the results of the visit, which will be announced in the next couple of weeks, are expected to revive plans for the construction of a new dam called Al-Wihda, or unity. The king said, following the visit, that Syria promised to cooperate with Jordan on the water issue but he did not give any details.
One important issue which was not addressed during this visit was Jordanian political prisoners held in Syrian jails. An official said that this issue which needs to be discussed in detail, would be left for the higher committee to tackle. Officials here say that about 700 Jordanians have been detained in Syria for years without charge or trial.
On relations with Israel, Syrian Vice-President Abdul-Halim Khaddam whose country's own peace talks with Israel have been stalled for nearly three years, has in recent months called on Jordan to "reconsider" its policy towards Israel.
But Jordanian political observers stress that the state of peace with Israel is the result of a strategic option adopted by the kingdom; therefore, "Jordan will not reconsider its policy towards Israel," said one political analyst.
The warm welcome which the Jordanian king received from the Syrian president and his son, Bashar, and the in-camera 10-hour private talks between the two leaders seem to reflect the fact that Al-Assad is willing to open a new era in bilateral ties.
King Abdullah expressed hope that the stalled peace process will be revived following the Israeli elections next month and emphasised that Jordan calls for full implementation of the peace accords.
Abdullah also said that Jordan supported Syria's efforts to regain its occupied Golan Heights and backed Damascus' call for the resumption of its peace talks with Israel from the point where they ended in earlier negotiations with the former Israeli Labour government. After Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu came to power in June 1996, he said talks with Syria should start from zero without any preconditions.
King Abdullah's Arab tour, which took him to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirate (UAE), Oman, Libya and Syria, is seen as a message from Jordan's new ruler that his country's ties with Israel will not be at the expense of its relations with other Arab countries.
Questions remains, however, regarding how far Jordan will comply with Syrian expectations from the kingdom which include support for Al-Assad's regional role regarding the Palestinians, a slow-down in the normalisation process with Israel and an enhancement of identification with Damascus' political stands regarding Iraq, the Lebanese-Israeli track and the Syrian-Israeli track.
