The United States and Jordan on Wednesday agreed to hold expert-level talks on US proposals to modify UN sanctions on Iraq, the State Department said.
"They agreed that there should be some expert discussions in the coming weeks," spokesman Richard Boucher said after a formal meeting and working lunch between Jordan's King Abdullah II and Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Though Boucher had no details about when the talks might take place, he said they would cover precise ways in which sanctions could be eased on civilian goods while boosting those on military items and technology, according to AFP.
On a Middle East tour in February that included Jordan, Powell said he had received support for those proposals and despite last month's Arab League summit call for a lifting of all sanctions that Abdullah signed onto, Washington insists it still has support for the changes.
Among the modifications being suggested by the United States are ways to entice Iraq's neighbors, including Jordan, to cut down rampant illegal smuggling by offering incentives to strictly enforce embargoes on key items, said AFP.
The proposals could include placing UN monitors just outside Iraqi borders to monitor trade and drawing up a list of oil companies officially allowed by the United Nations to buy Iraqi crude.
Abdullah and Powell also spent time discussing efforts to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the peace table, Boucher, reported the official Petra news agency.
"The United States and Jordan both want to do all we can to help calm the situation, help the parties end the violence, re-establish normal lives for the people of the region, and get back on a path to peace," Boucher said, quoted by AFP.
The monarch and the secretary were "looking at what we could each do to help make that happen," Boucher added.
Abdullah, who is to meet President George W. Bush next week, is the second Arab leader to visit Washington this month following Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who held talks with Bush and Powell on Monday.
In addition, Powell and Abdullah also discussed US-Jordanian ties and the importance of economic reform and a bilateral free trade agreement that was signed in October between Abdullah and then-US president Bill Clinton, but is still awaiting ratification by Congress, said Petra.
The pact, the first between the United States and an Arab country, requires both countries to enforce their respective labor and environmental laws as well as stimulate trade and investment.
It eliminates barriers to trade in goods and services between the two countries over 10 years and Amman has high hopes it will bolster Jordan's ailing economy.
King Abdullah II and Powell affirmed the two countries’ keenness on developing bilateral relations and activating the practical measures to increase investment and economic cooperation, said Petra.
Earlier, King Abdullah held talks with Bush's Advisor for national security, Condelse Raiss, said the Jordanian agency.
“His Majesty discussed mechanisms of activating bilateral cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the trade, investment and economic fields,” said Petra.
Following the meeting, Raiss told JTV that “His Majesty King Abdullah and the Jordanian government have a key role in working to calm the situations down and achieve peace in the region.” – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
