US embassy cable - 05AMMAN2551

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002551 
 
SIPDIS 
 
INTERIOR FOR US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY - INTERNATIONAL WATER 
PARIS PASS TO UNESCO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, ECON, PREL, XF, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: Biblical River Jordan Now Sewage-Laden, Drying Up 
 
1.  This is a joint Embassy Amman - Embassy Tel Aviv 
message. 
 
2.  Summary: The NGO Friends of the Earth Middle East 
(FOEME) organized a symposium on March 8 on Peace Island 
(Bakoura Island) for representatives from Jordan, Israeli, 
the Palestinian Authority and the international community to 
discuss rehabilitation of the Jordan River.  The Jordan's 
flow is less than 10 percent of its former level, and a 
large percentage of that is untreated sewage.  Speakers 
noted that riparian states would need to redirect fresh 
water supplies to the river if the Jordan is to regain its 
health.  End summary. 
 
Speakers Stress Cooperation but Don't Make Commitments 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
3.  Key speakers included Prince Al-Hassan of Jordan, 
Israeli Environment Minister Shalom Simchon, UNESCO Deputy 
Director General Mounir Bouchenaki, and Pekka Haavisto, 
Director of the UN Environment Program Post-Conflict 
Assessment Unit.  Embassy Tel Aviv ESTH Officer and Embassy 
Amman Econcouns attended.  In his remarks, Amman Econcouns 
stressed the importance of the parties working together to 
resolve water and environmental issues and to achieve 
sustainable peace in the region.  Prince Hassan and Israeli 
Environment Minister Simchon also made remarks in that 
spirit but without making specific commitments.  Although 
the Palestinian Authority was not represented at the 
ministerial level, Palestinian local officials and 
specialists participated actively in the discussions.  There 
were many media representatives in attendance. 
 
Flow Down from 1.3 Billion to 100 Million Cubic Meters 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
4.  Symposium speakers noted that the river is under threat 
of drying up altogether during summer and being reduced to a 
meager flow in the winter because of water diversions by 
Israel, Jordan and Syria.  Over the past fifty years, annual 
flows have dropped from 1.3 billion cubic meters per year to 
less than 100 million cubic meters per year, of which some 
20 million cubic meters is untreated sewage, according to 
FOEME.  The highly polluted Jordan River ends at the Dead 
Sea, itself under threat because of having shrunk by 30 
percent in the last fifty years as its major source, the 
Jordan River, has been depleted. 
 
"Crossing the Jordan" Concept Document 
-------------------------------------- 
5.  Friends of the Earth Middle East (FOEME) has called for 
the Jordan River, an important river for Christians, Jews 
and Muslims, to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
FOEME experts from Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian 
Authority prepared and presented a concept document at the 
symposium entitled "Crossing the Jordan." (See 
http://www.foeme.org/publications/crossing_th e_jordan.pdf). 
The document focuses on the heritage, water resources and 
biodiversity of the Jordan River Valley.  Its goal is 
rehabilitating the river, promoting prosperity in the Jordan 
basin and helping to bring peace to the region.  FOEME and 
other speakers at the symposium argued for cooperation in 
the region to treat sewage before it enters the Jordan River 
and to develop tourism as an alternative to water-intensive 
agriculture. 
 
FOEME's Declaration 
------------------- 
6.  FOEME also issued a unilateral declaration as follows: 
 
(begin quote) 
 
Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) 
Peace Island Declaration for the Lower Jordan River Valley: 
 
The Jordanian, Israeli and Palestinian representatives who 
met at the Peace Island on Tuesday 8th March, 2005 to 
jointly discuss a concept document entitled "Crossing the 
Jordan" for the rehabilitation, the promotion of prosperity 
and the help of bringing peace to the Lower Jordan River 
Valley, acknowledged and thanked the Patron HRH Prince 
Hassan of Jordan, the Hosts and Donors for their support and 
encouragement and UNESCO for its concerns. 
 
The representatives in recognizing: 
-- the universal natural and cultural significance of the 
area; 
-- that current practices are at the demise of natural and 
cultural values and at the expense of peoples' livelihoods; 
-- that all peoples/riparians along the Valley must share 
the benefits of the resources of the valley but that in so 
doing the right balance must be struck with nature; 
-- the introduction of sustainable tourism - along and/or 
crossing the Jordan - is one of the economic activities that 
can promote sustainable development and bring prosperity to 
the valley; 
 
Called upon the three governments to: 
-- make a commitment for the ecological rehabilitation of 
the River Jordan based on their signed peace treaties and/or 
agreements, and that now is the time to implement that 
commitment before damage done becomes irreversible; 
-- prevent ongoing pollution and return sufficient 
quantities of clean water back to the Jordan River; 
-- appropriate UNESCO and UNEP mechanisms as a strong basis 
for ecological rehabilitation of the river and valley; 
-- develop a coordinated and collaborative Integrated 
Environmental Management Plan including the Tangible and 
Intangible Heritage of the valley together with extensive 
public participation; 
 
And further invited the international community to: 
-- give support to the project through the UNESCO, UNEP and 
other mechanisms; 
-- adopt and give technical and financial assistance towards 
its implementation; 
-- develop academic networking to research and monitor the 
rehabilitation of the valley and river. 
 
(end quote) 
 
Comment 
------- 
7.  For health reasons, you would not want to be baptized in 
some sections of the Jordan River these days.  The task of 
rehabilitating it is daunting.  The symposium highlighted 
the current sad state of the river and helped identify hard 
decisions and major actions that governments need to take to 
rehabilitate the river.  End comment. 
 
HALE