A Jordan - Oman agreement on bilateral maritime transport cooperation is set to provide a catalyst to linking all Arab ports with the Maghreb expected to gain considerably. Jordan already has maritime agreements with several Arab countries including Syria, Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
There has been active talk to create a maritime link starting at Morocco's ports and then passing through Algeria and Tunisia. Trade between Arab countries is relatively low and there are several initiatives planned to reverse this trend. Although the maritime link is a long way off from implementation, there is increased willingness to strengthen cross-country transport and infrastructure cooperation.
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
