(5 Jun 1995) Eng/German/Nat
The leaders of Germany, Israel and Jordan met on a hill overlooking the Yarmouk River Monday to underscore their commitment to Mideast peace.
During his visit, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl is expected to announce European Union funding for two crossborder dams on the river to generate water for Jordan.
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
and Jordan's King Hussein met for talks in Jordan today (Monday).
The three-way summit - held close to the Israeli border - centred around the crucial issue of water.
The three leaders focused their attentions on Israel-Jordan water projects stemming from the October 1994 peace treaty between the Jewish state and Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
King Hussein welcomed the visitors and reaffirmed his country's commitment to peace in the Middle East.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
'I believe that no place illustrates no really the fact that we are at peace that after years and years of suffering and losses and misery and despair, peace has finally come to be a reality between two neighbours, Jordan and Israel.'
SUPER CAPTION: King Hussein of Jordan
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin also voiced his support for the new understanding between the nations.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
'We are here in a meeting of two rivers that supply water to
all the parts of Jordan and Israel South of here, the Yarmouk and
the Jordan river. In our meeting before, chancellor Kohl said that he
was brought up on the idea that water is life. Here we are in the place of the source of water, lets make them used for the benefit of the people of Jordan, the people of Israel.'
SUPER CAPTION: Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
The German leader is soon expected to announce a five million dollar project to supply water to the area.
Today, Chancellor Kohl stressed the importance of rivers at which the leaders met.
SOUNDBITE: (German with English translation)
'Here it is tangible what the history of humanity really means. The name of the river that gave its name to this valley is part of the history and of the legacy with mankind. And over many years at the same time it symbolised distrust, suffering, despair and tears.'
SUPER CAPTION: Chancellor Helmut Kohl
The dams would help channel extra water from the Yarmouk, which runs along the Israeli-Jordanian border, into Jordan, during drought-ridden summer months.
Under a peace treaty signed last October, Israel is supposed to divert 20 million cubic meters of Yarmouk water to Jordan between May and October.
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