JORDAN REJECTS BILL STIPULATING IMPORTING GAS FROM ISRAEL

Amman, 19 Safar 1436/12 December 2014 (MINA) – The Jordanian House of Representatives voted against a draft agreement that would have stipulated importing gas from Israel.

It asked the government not to sign the agreement and stressed on the need to look for alternatives to secure the country’s gas needs, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

During the hearing held on Wednesday, Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said the government is looking for alternatives, especially in Arab countries, expressing his government’s willingness to purchase gas from Arab countries such as Qatar, even if prices are somewhat higher than Israeli prices.

Speaking before the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Jordan’s Minister of Energy Mohammad Hamed said that the purchase of gas from the US’ Noble Energy does not threaten the future of Jordan and does not put the Jordanian economy at anyone’s mercy.

Noble Energy owns the right to franchise gas extraction from Israel and it has entered into an initial agreement with the National Electricity Company, which is fully owned by the government, so that the latter would buy gas for 15 years at a total cost estimated at $15 billion.

The minister said that the fear that Jordan could be held captive to a particular source of gas is out of the question, pointing out that the move to import natural gas from Noble Energy will not put the Jordanian economy at the mercy of any country.

MPs expressed their fears over the gas agreement with Israel and demanded that the government look for alternatives.

They asked the government not to sign the agreement and to retreat from the initial pact that was struck with the American company on the grounds that the deal means that Jordan will, in the end, import gas from Israel.

Jordan suffers from significant economic challenges, the most important of which is the high cost of energy.(T/P008/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)