US embassy cable - 05AMMAN1515

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001515 
 
SIPDIS 
 
State for NEA/RA, NEA/IPA, and NEA/ELA 
Commerce for 4520/ITA/MAC/AMESA/OME/CLoustaunau 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, EIND, ECON, PREL, EAID, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: Jordan Re-engaging with Israel, U.S. on TRIDE 
Development Fund 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified - Protect Accordingly. 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: Representatives from Jordan, Israel and 
the United States met in Amman on February 16 to discuss 
collaboration under the Trilateral Industrial Research and 
Development fund (TRIDE).  Jordan is now ready to re-engage 
on TRIDE.  Each of the three countries has committed one- 
third of a million dollars for a new round of TRIDE grants. 
End summary. 
 
Consultation Meeting Takes Place in Amman 
----------------------------------------- 
2. (SBU) Then-Jordanian Ministry of Planning and 
International Cooperation (MOPIC) Secretary General Dr. 
Tayseer Smadi hosted the TRIDE meeting at MOPIC's offices on 
February 16.  Dr. Smadi, promoted to Minister on February 
20, restated Jordan's commitment to providing USD 330,000 in 
funding for TRIDE.  Smadi said that the GOJ is firmly 
committed to TRIDE and wants to move forward.  He emphasized 
the need for outreach into the corporate world to promote 
TRIDE projects, for good communication between TRIDE 
partners, and for sustainability, in other words profitable 
projects.  He said that the GOJ wants to be an active 
participant because of the benefits that TRIDE will bring to 
Jordanian companies and the country's scientific and 
economic development. 
 
Background 
---------- 
3. (U) TRIDE is a Peace Process pilot project begun in 1996 
to promote joint industrial R&D projects between Jordan, 
Israel and the United States.  TRIDE funded three projects 
in the late 1990's but became dormant when the second 
intifada started.  Israel, Jordan and the United States each 
contributed USD 0.3 million to the initial pilot phase. 
 
4.  (SBU) In a November 16, 2004 meeting in Washington, then- 
MOPIC Minister Bassem Awadallah told NEA/REA Senior Advisor 
for S&T Chuck Lawson that the Jordanian Cabinet had approved 
a second tranche of funding (USD 330,000) for TRIDE and was 
ready to re-engage.  The Cabinet also designated MOPIC as 
the new point of contact for TRIDE.  In the initial phase, 
the President of the Royal Scientific Society was the 
Jordanian member of the Executive Committee and the Society 
was responsible for technical reviews.  At the February 16 
meeting in Amman, then-SG Smadi said the Secretary General 
of MOPIC would be the Jordanian member of the TRIDE 
Executive Committee.  The Director for Industrial 
Development in the Ministry of Trade will be responsible for 
technical reviews of proposed projects. 
 
Solid Projects Needed for Sustainability 
---------------------------------------- 
5. (SBU) In the February 16 meeting, Israeli BIRD Executive 
Director Dov Hershberg and Program Director Uri Attir gave a 
presentation on the mechanisms of TRIDE and emphasized the 
need for commercially viable projects.  (Note:  BIRD is the 
Israeli-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development 
Foundation.  BIRD staff provides administrative support to 
TRIDE. End note).  The TRIDE representatives of each country 
will play an active role in matchmaking Jordanian, Israeli 
and American companies, they said.    Using the BIRD 
Foundation to administer TRIDE will capitalize on BIRD's 
experience in managing international R&D projects and will 
cut expenses by using an existing administrative resource. 
 
Suggestion for Expanding TRIDE: 3 year, $10 Million Program 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
6. (SBU) BIRD Executive Director Hershberg said that a 
commitment totaling USD 10 million, shared equally between 
Jordan, the United States and Israel, would enable TRIDE to 
offer meaningful support.  He said that having a typical 
grant of USD 600,000 per project and an average of five 
projects per year would create a ripple effect that will 
draw global companies to invest in similar business 
opportunities.  (Comment:  None of the three countries has 
yet committed funds for an expanded TRIDE effort.  Smadi 
stated that Jordan was likely to seek donor assistance for 
any expanded funding effort.  End comment). 
 
Participants 
------------ 
7. (SBU) JORDAN 
-- Dr. Tayseer Smadi, then-Secretary General, Ministry of 
Planning and International Cooperation 
-- Wissam Akroush, staff, Industrial Development Department, 
Ministry of Trade and Industry 
-- Amer Hadidi former TRIDE contact and Director of 
Industrial Development at Ministry of Trade and Industry, 
now Chief Executive of Public Sector Reform Administration 
at the Ministry of State for Public Sector Reform 
 
ISRAEL 
-- Dov Hershberg, Executive Director, Bi-National Industrial 
R&D Foundation (BIRD) 
-- Uri Attir, Program Director, BIRD 
-- Ilan Baruch, Head of Middle Eastern Economic Affairs 
Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
-- Daniel Nevo, Deputy Chief of Mission, Israeli Embassy in 
Amman 
 
UNITED STATES 
-- Robert Tansey, Environment, Science, Technology and 
Health (ESTH) Officer, Embassy Tel Aviv 
-- Greg Lawless, Econoff, Embassy Amman 
-- Rana Safadi, ESTH Specialist, Embassy Amman 
 
8. (SBU) The next steps are to identify a project before the 
executive committee meeting (TBD) and begin publicizing 
TRIDE.  Smadi agreed to check the mechanics of transferring 
Jordan's contribution to the TRIDE fund. 
 
HALE