AMMAN (JT) - The Czech Republic will send equipment and experts to support landmine clearance in the Jordan Valley under a de-mining cooperation agreement signed with Jordan on Monday.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the National Committee for De-mining and Rehabilitation (NCDR) and the Czech Republic yesterday, a team of Czech de-mining experts will be sent to the Kingdom to share expertise with their Jordanian colleagues over the next three-six months, according to a statement from the embassy of the Czech Republic in Amman.
The first batch of experts is expected to arrive later this month, the statement added.
The MoU, signed by NCDR Chairman HRH Prince Mired Ben Raad and Czech Deputy Minister of Defence for Foreign Affairs Jan Fulik, will help implement the overall objectives of the NCDR's de-mining activities in the Jordan Valley with the provision of two advanced Czech de-mining systems, according to the statement.
At the signing ceremony yesterday, Prince Mired lauded the Czech government's support for de-mining projects across the world and highlighted the NCDR's efforts to make the Kingdom mine-free, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
For his part, Fulik expressed admiration for the NCDR's comprehensive support for survivors of landmine incidents, underlining Prince Mired's role in making the agreement possible, according to the Czech embassy statement.
The Czech official, who is on a three-day official visit to the Kingdom, also noted that the efforts of the Jordan Armed Forces made the agreement logistically feasible, reiterating his appreciation for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mashal Al Zaben's support in strengthening military and defence cooperation between the Czech Republic and Jordan.
The NCDR's ongoing sampling and verification project in the Jordan Valley is meant to address the lingering threat of landmines that were not cleared during the early years of Jordan's landmine clearance operations in the 1990s, according to the NCDR.
Over the past few years, most mine-related accidents in the Jordan Valley did not take place in the sites of known minefields, but in other areas, posing a threat to human security, the NCDR said.
Due to flooding and erosion, many of the area's remaining mines have migrated from their original locations, necessitating a full-scale re-verification project in the Jordan Valley, the committee added.
NCDR figures indicate that as of November 2009, 108 suspected hazardous areas were identified throughout the project area, and 75 tasks were sampled, 32 of which were identified as confirmed hazardous areas. A total of 119 items have been removed, including 74 anti-personnel and anti-tank mines and 45 mine fuses.
© Jordan Times 2010
