AMMAN - The National Committee for De-mining and Rehabilitation (NCDR) on Sunday officially handed over 14 million square metres of mine-cleared land in the south.
The lands in the Aqaba and Wadi Araba regions had been contaminated with around 58,624 landmines until a major 18-month de-mining task saw their removal in May.
The task was carried out by the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) by request of the NCDR, while other suspected hazardous areas were de-mined by the Royal Engineering Corps (REC) in the early 1990s.
NCDR Chairman HRH Prince Mired yesterday presented Finance Minister Hamad Kasasbeh and ASEZA Chief Commissioner Hosni Abu Gheida with official documents declaring that the two areas are now free from mines.
Prince Mired said the Kingdom's de-mining teams had successfully completed the task of clearing the southern lands thanks to the close cooperation of all those involved.
"I am pleased to say that the joint efforts of the NCDR, NPA, REC, the donor community and local stakeholders have made it possible for these lands to be handed over and returned for good use," said the Prince.
"It is such cooperation that allowed things to run smoothly and I believe we've done a very good job and one to the best of our abilities," he added.
Although the NCDR officially announced the completion of the Wadi Araba and Aqaba Mine Clearance Project in a ceremony on the shores of Aqaba earlier this month, yesterday's ceremony was the final step of the handover process.
It will pave the way for land in these areas to be returned to their owners and allow work to begin on land slated for major investment development projects.
Initiatives such as a hydroelectricity project, the proposed Red-Dead Canal, and the multimillion dollar Ayla Oasis are some examples of these projects, as well as agricultural, manufacturing and service industries benefiting local communities.
The de-mining project, which began in July 2006 and was completed six months ahead of schedule without injury, had recruited, trained and employed around 100 de-miners from the Wadi Araba and Aqaba area for the duration of the mission.
NPA National Programme Manager Yasin Majali said they cleared mines that once affected the villages of Risha, Beer Mathkour and Greigra in the Wadi Araba desert, as well as the area where the upper marina of the Ayla Oasis Project is under way and the land west of the Aqaba airport.
He said the mission was overseen by the NCDR, which undertook both quality assurance and quality control procedures in line with the country's and international mine action standards.
Representatives of donor countries and organisations that had supported the project in the southern region also attended yesterday's ceremony. They include Norway, Germany, Japan, Finland and ASEZA.
Prince Mired thanked the donors for their support for the project and ongoing mine-action activities in the country, citing such assistance as a valuable contribution to the country's development efforts.
NCDR Director Mohammad Breikat briefed participants on current and upcoming projects, including the second phase of Mine Risk Education in Mafraq in the north where a major de-mining task is already under way.
The northern border project, funded by Norway, Canada, Japan, the EC and Germany aims at clearing 93 minefields along the Jordanian-Syrian border and is the country's last remaining de-mining task.
Breikat also referred to a cooperation agreement with NATO that seeks to help the Kingdom locate and destroy unexploded ordinance and obsolete munitions.
The NCDR official said that an agreement for the technical assessment for the project is expected to be signed in September.
By Dalya Dajani
© Jordan Times 2008
