US embassy cable - 05AMMAN3364

UNCLAS AMMAN 003364 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA - WILLIAMS AND FOR OES/PCI 
INTERIOR FOR USGS/INTERNATIONAL AND FOR BUREC/IVES 
COMMERCE FOR NOAA/NOS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, PREL, KPAL, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: Deal Signed on Red-Dead Feasibility Study Terms 
 
Reftel: Amman 2055 
 
1.  Summary: Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority 
reached agreement on April 19 for Terms of Reference (TOR) 
to a feasibility study of the proposed Red Sea to Dead Sea 
water project ("Red-Dead").  The next tripartite Red-Dead 
meeting will be at the May 21-23 World Economic Forum Dead 
Sea, where solicitations for funding the multibillion dollar 
project itself will begin.  End summary. 
 
"No One's Interests Harmed" By Final Language 
--------------------------------------------- 
2.  Jordan Red-Dead lead negotiator Zafer Alem, Secretary 
General of the Jordan Valley Authority, told ESTHOff on 
April 20 that the long-stalled TOR had been signed late on 
the 19th after "compromises" were made to break the 
deadlock.  The sticking point had been on referring to the 
Palestinian Authority as a "party" or a "beneficiary party." 
Alem said that the final agreement makes an initial 
reference to all three parties as "beneficiary parties," and 
uses looser terms such as "stakeholders" at other parts of 
the agreement.  Alem added that "no one's interests are 
harmed" by the language used in the final version. 
 
3.  The Israeli concern has been that referring to the 
Palestinian Authority as a "party" to Red-Dead might be seen 
as expanding Palestinian Authority rights on other water 
issues between Israel and the Palestinians.  On their part, 
the Palestinians wanted to participate in Red-Dead only as a 
full partner.  Until the compromise language was agreed to, 
this sticking point was enough to create a logjam, despite 
Jordan's strong interest in seeing the Red-Dead project move 
forward. 
 
Next Step is Presentation at WEF 
-------------------------------- 
4.  With the deal signed and "each page initialed," 
according to Secretary General Alem, the stage is set for a 
Red-Dead coming-out party at the May 21-23 World Economic 
Forum (WEF) Dead Sea, where a Red-Dead briefing is already 
on the schedule.  With the deal set, and the world community 
in attendance at the WEF, the three Red-Dead parties, but 
especially Jordan, are sure to use the occasion to make a 
pitch for financing for the multi-billion dollar project. 
 
Cost/Benefit and Environmental Impact Uncertain 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
5.  The feasibility study is intended to produce the 
necessary economic and scientific data on the engineering, 
environmental impacts and cost of the mammoth project.  "Red- 
Dead" would be a canal and pipeline that would draw in 
seawater from the Gulf of Aqaba and pump it up to a height 
of slightly over 300 feet above sea level.  From that point, 
the water would flow downhill by gravity across Wadi 
Araba/Arava Valley towards the Dead Sea.  At roughly 1200 
feet below sea level, near the Dead Sea, the water would 
pass through a hydropower station where electricity would be 
generated by the downward-flowing water.  The water itself 
would then enter a desalination plant, which would 
desalinate hundreds of millions of cubic meters of water for 
domestic, commercial, agricultural and industrial use.  The 
brine produced as a by-product of the desalination process 
would be piped into the Dead Sea to arrest the Dead Sea's 
rapid fall. 
 
6.  Comment: Jordan's enthusiasm for the project is driven 
less by a concern for the water level of the Dead Sea than 
for the valuable desalinated water that would be produced. 
Both the economics of this massive infrastructure project 
and its environmental impact, particularly on the unique 
chemistry of the Dead Sea itself, need careful attention. 
 
HALE