HRH Price Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, one of the most respected statesmen of the Arab region, and Mr Walid Muallam, Foreign Minister of Syria, were among the leaders of Jordan and Syria who received SFG President and Executive Director for in-depth discussion on building peace and water security in the Middle East. 

Sundeep Waslekar, President, and Ilmas Futehally, Executive Director of SFG, visited Jordan and Syria for high level consultations from December 12 to 18, 2008 to discuss long-term water security in the region and prospects for a peace process.

In Jordan, SFG representatives were received by HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal, with whom they had an intellectual exchange on water security in the Middle East, the concept of regional commons, and sustainable global security. They also met HE Dr Nasser Lozi, Chief of the Royal Court, for consultations on peace process in the region and the potential role of trans-boundary watercourses as an instrument of peace. 

El Majlis El Hassan at the Royal Palace hosted a mini seminar for SFG with heads of major scientific institutions in Jordan on water and environment issues. They discussed the crisis arising from the depletion of the Lower Jordan River, new sources of water such as Red-Dead Canal, ‘green water’, underground water from Disi aquifer and new trans-boundary sources to augment the supply of water.

Dr. Musa Keilani, an eminent columnist and former ambassador, hosted a lunch in the honour of SFG, along with a debate on water security with former Ministers of Water Resources and heads of major universities. SFG met with three former Ministers – Dr. Munther Haddadin, Eng. Zafar Alem, and Dr. Hazem El-Naser for in-depth discussion.

In Syria, a delegation was formed under the leadership of The Rt. Hon John Alderdice, former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Parliament. It included SFG President and Executive Director along with representatives of Oxford Research Group and the World Federation of Scientists. The delegation called on several leaders and presented three SFG projects (1) Inclusive and Semi-Permanent Conference for the Middle East (2) Cost of Conflict in the Middle East (3) Water Security in the Middle East. They had a meeting with Minister for Irrigation, Eng. Nadir Al Bunni, who has the surface water portfolio, for technical consultations on supply and demand situation of water resources in Syria, including some of the proposed plans.

The delegation also met Foreign Minster Walid Muallam to discuss various aspects and stages of the peace process in the Middle East and the role of new trans-boundary watercourses in promoting cooperation.

The delegation also called on several other leaders.

The wide range of meetings indicates that the water crisis in the Middle East is very serious and a regional approach to water resource management, along with sound and efficient governance, can alone help mitigate this. Such an approach is closely inter-linked with the peace process. There is an appreciation for the urgency of peace among main political actors. If this understanding is translated into political will, it would be possible to turn a new leaf in the ongoing saga in the Middle East.