December 6, 2011Jordan seeks alternative export route via Iraq
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan has asked Iraq to allow it to export goods bound for Turkey and Europe via Iraqi territory if Syria seals off its border, a trade official said Tuesday.
Jordan exports about 5,000 tons of mainly fruit and vegetables worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each day through Syria. The goods are shipped onward to Turkey overland or to Europe via Syria’s Mediterranean coast.
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Jordanian truck drivers say stringent security checks — because of the ongoing uprising in Syria — at the border have caused a backup of trucks and left drivers and their goods stranded for several days at the Syrian frontier.
“The delays are damaging the food shipments,” said Jordanian trucking union president Mohammed-Khair Daoud. “As a result, trade traffic through Syria declined by 20 percent in the last few weeks.”
The trade official said Jordanian Transport Minister Muhannad Qudah wrote to his Iraqi counterpart last week “asking permission to use Iraq as an alternative transit point.” He said Jordan was “specifically asking for special permission because Iraq had banned the transit of goods through its territory.”
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to brief the media, said the move was part of a “contingency plan” in case Syria closes its border.
Amman is still waiting for a reply from Baghdad.
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