Egypt informed Israel that co-operation between the two countries’ export institutes may now be resumed. In a parallel development, Jordan invited Israel to attend an event being held by her Export Institute in Amman. Both announcements reached the Israeli Export Institute the morning after the Hebron agreement was signed.
Export Institute director general Amir Hayek said today (Sunday) that his counterpart in the Egyptian Export Institute had written offering to resume contacts for the publication of a joint bulletin as early as the present month. The relevant contacts were suspended due to difficulties in the political process. Participating in the joint bulletin will be the export institutes of Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority
This is the first time the Israeli Export Institute has been invited by Jordan to attend the all-Mediterranean meeting. The event is scheduled to take place Amman in June 1997. The Export Institute has been asked to organise Israeli firms with a potential for co-operation with Jordanian and European countries. According to the Jordanians, about 150 Jordanian companies are due to attend the meeting, along with 300 European and other companies.
Correspondingly, the Emirate of Oman has announced a thaw of economic relations with Israel. A letter forwarded by an official body in Amman to its commercial representative in Israel states that the recent severance of ties resulted from "the freeze in the activity of the Oman trade representation in Israel".
In view of the renewal of contacts with Israeli companies, Omani businessmen estimated last weekend that by the end of the month of Ramadan, Oman could be expected to reopen its representation in Israel. The Omani representative was recalled three weeks ago.
Abu Dhabi too has renewed contacts with Israel regarding co-operation in the exchange of tourism delegations through the JTR company. Projects with Dubai that had been suspended on grounds of awaiting the end of the Ramadan, were thawed as soon as the Hebron accord was signed, even though the Ramadan holiday is by no means over.