Jordan and the Palestinian territories will engage in door-to-door trade from October 1 with trucks rolling in and out past Israeli controls without having to transship their loads, Jordan's transport minister said Tuesday.
"The new door-to-door system will go into effect October 1 and will reduce the cost of transporting merchandise and help promote trade between Jordan and the Palestinians," said Mohammed al-Kalaldeh, quoted by Petra news agency reported.
Two-way trade between Jordan and the Palestinian territories reached 49 million dollars in 1999 with the balance in the favour of the kingdom.
Jordanian and Palestinian officials have often blamed Israel for the slackness of their reciprocal trade, because it obliges trucks to stop at checkpoints, discharge the merchandise they are carrying and reload it onto other vehicles which take it to their final destination.
The goods will be transported across the King Hussein bridge (formerly known as Allenby) which links both banks of the River Jordan.
Israel controls entry points into the West Bank and Gaza Strip under the terms of the autonomy agreements signed with the Palestinians. – (AFP)
© Agence France Presse 2000
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
