The opening of the Tarbil border crossing between Iraq and Jordan over the weekend has stirred debate in Baghdad over the purpose of the agreement.
On Saturday, the two neighbors agreed a deal over the trade of oil and goods at a meeting between their two prime ministers on the Iraqi-Jordanian border.
Under the deal, Iraq would sell 10,000 barrels per day of oil to Jordan at a special price, transported by tanker from its Kirkuk oilfields, the Jordanian prime minister’s office said in a statement. It did not say what the price was or when the oil would be exported.
Iraqi goods imported via Jordan’s Aqaba port on the Red Sea would meanwhile receive preferential tariffs, it said.
Iraqi MP Abdullah al-Khraybit told Asharq Al-Awsat that the deal offers more job opportunities for the residents of Anbar and will help the fight against terrorism.
“The fight needed such bold decisions,” he remarked.
The deal will also see Jordan increase its security cooperation with Iraq and dedicate intelligence efforts to securing the eastern borders, he said.
Iraq may be able to ink a similar deal with Syria, which would lead to greater security and spare many lives. Iraq will also be forced to commit to the US sanctions against Iran, so it needs to boost its cooperation with its other neighbors, such as Jordan and Syria, he explained.
Anbar council member Karim al-Karbouli told Asharq Al-Awsat that the opening of the Tarbil crossing will pave the way for a new era for the residents of the province that makes up a third of Iraq’s territory.
The deal with Amman will provide thousands of job opportunities and boost Anbar’s trade market, he stated.
“We will soon be closing the chapter of terrorism because unemployment is in fact one of the faces of this phenomenon,” he said.
Former MP Haidar al-Malla told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Amman deal will revive investments in Anbar that have been obstructed by terrorism.
On criticism over the deal’s lifting of tariffs on some Jordanian goods, he explained that such exemptions do not amount to more than USD20 million. In return, the profits will amount to billions of dollars.
