Shimon Peres and King Abdullah
PhotoL Moshe Milner Inc.
Peres and Abdullah agree on joint airport
Vice premier meets with Jordanian King Abdullah in Petra, agreement reached on immediate commencement of construction of international airport in Aqaba with Israeli and Jordanian terminals, to replace Eilat airport
Jordan's King Abdullah and Vice Premier Shimon Peres have concluded a meeting in Petra with a decision to immediately begin work on a joint Israeli-Jordanian airport in Aqaba, as well a water pipeline connecting the Red Sea to the Dead Sea.
The meeting between Abdullah and Peres was described as "very good."
Peres is expected to address of joint development along the Jordan Valley before those attending a forum in Petra for Nobel Prize Laureates later today.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to speak in the same forum.
The Jordanian king and the vice premier exchanged documents on the beginning of operations for the joint projects along Jordan Valley.
The most important issue of the day is the expansion of the airport in Aqaba and turning it into an international terminal to serve flights from around the world. The airport will have two terminals, one Jordanian and one Israeli.
The second joint project will be a 250 kilometer water pipeline that will connect the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, to prevent the latter from drying up.
The water will also be used for parks and holiday resorts expected to be built along the Jordanian and Israeli sides of the Jordan Valley.
The third initiative is a copper extraction site via a Mexican company.
