Jordanian Minister: The declaration of intent with Israel is an Emirati idea, and the negotiations took place in 24 hours

Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation Muhammad Al-Najjar says that the idea of ​​the joint project between Jordan and Israel came at the request of an Emirati company, adding that the negotiation on the project "has taken place within 24 hours only."

The Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation, Muhammad Al-Najjar, said, on Tuesday, that the idea of ​​the joint project between Jordan and Israel, for which a " declaration of intent " was signed , came at the request of an Emirati company, adding that the negotiation on the project "has taken place within 24 hours only."

Al-Najjar indicated, in statements carried by the local Al-Mamlaka channel, that the project is to generate renewable energy for an Emirati company in southern Jordan, as it enjoys sufficient brightness of sunlight to generate clean electric energy, and to sell it to the Israeli side, and in return, Jordan obtains drinking water through desalination of sea water. and transferred to Jordan.

Al-Najjar noted that the idea came at the request of an Emirati company, which will implement the project in full and separately from any previous agreements with the Israeli side.

Regarding the sudden timing of signing the declaration of intent, Al-Najjar said that "negotiations took place 24 hours before the signing, which was likely not to reach an agreement, and therefore there will be no agreement to announce."

He pointed out that the declaration of intent witnessed extensive negotiations on all the terms and quantities that Jordan will obtain from the water and the date and dates of implementation of the project.

He said that the "national carrier" is separate from the declaration of intent, and that it is Jordan's strategic project and the first priority for Jordanian water security.

On Monday, Jordan announced the signing of a "declaration of intent" with the UAE and Israel, to enter into a negotiating process to discuss the feasibility of a joint energy and water project.

According to a statement by the Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the "declaration of intent" that was signed means "entering a process of feasibility studies during the next year 2022, through which Jordan could obtain 200 million cubic meters of water annually."