AMMAN — US ambassador
to Jordan
Henry Wooster said that the US will do everything to keep the
stability of the Kingdom, including helping the country deal with its endemic
water crisis, which he described as “a building block for stability.”
اضافة اعلان
Speaking to representatives of
the local media on Sunday at his residence, Wooster said that the US takes the
water issue seriously not only because it’s key to survival but because it is
fundamental to economic sustainability.
Wooster added that the
challenge needs immediate action and that the US supports the message repeated
by the prime minister and the minister of water over Jordan’s water challenge.
“We share this concern, and we
are here to help ... because it is a key interest of the US,” he said. He added
that in addition to drinking needs and agriculture, the three largest
industries are being affected by water scarcity are tourism, textiles, and
mining, stating that these sectors will be imperiled without water.
Wooster added that the US
supports Jordan’s
National Conveyance Project, which aims to desalinate
seawater and pump it to Amman and other urban areas.
On the recent
Declaration of Intent between Jordan, Israel, and the UAE, Wooster said that the US was not
involved in negotiations and that the deal is a commercial deal between
commercial entities and it is not a sovereign project for any of the three countries,
whose viability is to be explored by the concerned parties.
For her part, the director of
USAID and Jordan Mission, Sherry Carlin, said that bridging the gap to keep up
with growing water demand will require more than $8 billion of new
infrastructure investments over the next five to ten years.
Carlin added that the US had
committed over $500 million to activities to support each and every one of
these areas.
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