Jordan, Libya discuss bilateral ties

Jordan and Libya on Sunday held talks to explore ways to cement their bilateral ties and study prospects for opening new scopes for cooperation in various fields. During the talks, led by Jordan's Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and his Libyan counterpart Ali Zeidan, the two sides agreed on the importance of laying the ground for "real strategic" relations driven by common interest and a political will for their growth, Jordan Petra news agency reported. "We were looking forward to this meeting which was delayed due to the instability in Libya over the past period, which prevented closer contact," Ensour said, expressing hope that the Libyan visit would give a further boost to the "brotherly" Jordanian-Libyan ties. Jordan, he said, was ready for cooperation and to provide Libya with its expertise in various sectors, noting that the Kingdom realised that the "blessed" Libyan revolution had brought key change in the Libyan state, which warranted a reconsideration of the roles of Libyan institutions. "Jordan, which possesses human resources and skills, would offer assistance in that respect," he told the Libyan delegation. Ensour said despite being in the midst of a turbulent region, Jordan remained an oasis of security, peace and stability, noting that the Kingdom had the highest ratio of education in the Arab world and is among the top most in the world in addition to the distinction it has achieved in the health, tourism and medical tourism sectors. He also said Jordan had an advanced banking system and a strong construction and contracting sector that could contribute to Libya's reconstruction effort. In remarks during the meeting, Zeidan spoke about Libya's historic and deep-rooted ties with Jordan and said the visit was overdue, referring to the treatment of sick and injured Libyans in Jordan. He said a delay in the payment of treatment costs was due to the yet incomplete functioning of the country's financial and banking system, explaining that 80 per cent of the costs had been covered and the rest of the amount was deposited with the central bank. "This visit was delayed and should have come earlier to express our gratitude and appreciation for the efforts Jordan had made to assist Libya," he said. The Libyan premier said his country was looking to build solid ties with all countries, adding that Tripoli was interested in Jordan's expertise, particularly in the areas of training and capacity building in defence and police, water, transport, culture and media sectors.