The German aid agency, GTZ, has launched a regional
project for desalination and the import of sweet water
into Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. Tahal,
the Israel Water Planning Authority, is to co-ordinate
Israeli aspects of the project. This was the summation
reached at the regional water conference affiliated to
the multi-lateral peace talks, that wound up last weekend
in Tunis.
In the frame of the project, the German company is to
study the import of water from Turkey into Israel,
Jordan and the territories, either by sea or over a land
canal. Other companies and experts will also be included
in the project.
According to Ram Aviram, direct of the multi-lateral
peace talks department at the Foreign Ministry, the
German project is named in the joint communique with
which the Tunis meeting wound up, whereby agreement was
reached as to co-operation between Israel, Jordan and the
Palestinian Authority in the development of new water
sources.
Aviram added that Tahal was chosen in addition to
Israel's delegate to the water information bank project
being implemented by the Antea company. Antea has
retained Tahal as its local representative. The United
States and the European Union have already sent project
managers to the region to prepare twenty water
information banks. The Tunis conference resolved on the
establishment of eighty water information banks, to be
financed by the USA, the EU, Canada and Australia. At
the meeting, the Netherlands and the UK also expressed an
interest in taking part in the project