Jordan, Palestine sign free trade agreement: Fayez Tarawneh, the prime minister said the Kingdom will continue to support the Palestinians politically and help them confront Israel’s attempts to Judaise Jerusalem.

Reproduction of the en:Madaba Map discovered in Saint George Church in Madaba, Jordan

Madaba Map Detail: Place of John the Baptist's baptism at the mouth of the Jordan and (near-obliterated) lion hunting a gazelle

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

http://jordantimes.com/jordan-palestine-sign-free-trade-agreement

Jordan, Palestine sign free trade agreement

by JT | Oct 04, 2012 | 23:12 Updated: Oct 04, 2012 | 23:12

AMMAN — Jordanian and Palestinian officials held talks on Thursday, during which a number of agreements were signed.

The most prominent of these was a free trade agreement, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh and his Palestinian counterpart Salam Fayyad announced the agreements at a joint press conference in Ramallah.

Tarawneh was in Ramallah on a short visit to take part in the third session of the Joint Jordanian-Palestinian Higher Committee.

Formed in the 1990s, the panel held its second session in 1998 when Tarawneh’s first government was in office.

The prime minister also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the committee meeting.

Talks covered the “deep-rooted ties” between Jordan and Palestine, in addition to Jordan’s keenness on building on the current relations to benefit both sides.

At the press conference, Tarawneh reiterated Jordan’s support for the Palestinian Authority and people, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on its own land, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

But the premier said the trade volume between Jordan and Palestine remains “below aspirations”, standing at around JD75 million in 2011 and called for resolving the “technical difficulties” to increase trade levels.

He also called for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and for a two-state solution that is entrenched within a regional context that would achieve peace and stability in the region.

The prime minister said the Kingdom will continue to support the Palestinians politically and help them confront Israel’s attempts to Judaise Jerusalem.

He emphasised Jordan’s role in preserving Islamic and Christian sites in Jerusalem.

Tarawneh also conveyed His Majesty King Abdullah’s greetings to the Palestinian president, government and people.

Also at the press conference, Fayyad said emphasis should be placed on the difficult financial situation of the Palestinian Authority under the Israeli occupation.

He reiterated that Palestinians will not be swayed from their cause of establishing their own independent state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.