Jordnian Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh arrived in Libya on Tuesday on a two-day visit together with one of the largest Jordanian government . . .[restrict]teams ever to travel abroad. As a clear sign of the importance Jordan attaches to forging the closest links with Libya, ten cabinet members arrived with Khasawneh. They are the ministers of industry and trade, higher education and scientific research, information and communications technology, transport, public works and housing, health, labour and public sector development as well as the ministers for prime ministry affairs and for energy and mineral resources..
The Jordanian news agency Petra said that Khasawneh is particularly interested in looking boosting economic and trade cooperation, in particular setting up joint projects.
During the visit, he is expected to visit the field hospital in Benghazi established by Jordan to provide medical, health and humanitarian services to Libyans wounded during last year’s uprising.
Jordan is also now the main center for treating Libyan injured during the uprising. There are currently about at least 15,000 Libyans being treated in Jordan for injuries sustained during the revolution. Jordan was one of the first Arab countries to recognize the Transitional National Council.
Khasawneh and his cabinet colleagues are accompanied by officials from ministries and various institutions and by heads of parliamentary committees together with leaders of Jordanian chambers of industry and commerce, businessmen and private sector representatives together with heads of trades unions.
One the eve of the visit, Sami Gammoh, Jordan’s Minister of Trade and Industry, said his country also hoped to re-activate agreements signed with Libya over the past years. He said the prime minister’s visit was aimed primarily at congratulating the new Libyan government but hoped agreements entered into by Jordan and the Qaddafi regime “would now be enacted.” He spoke of his country’s desire to contribute to the reconstruction of Libya, saying that Jordan was ready to help wherever needed. “We are ready to provide whatever we can to the brothers in Libya for the reconstruction of their country and enable the Libyan people recover and start the process of construction and development.”
As part of the growing new ties between the two countries, Jordan agreed last month to train 10,000 Libyan militiamen to become members of the armed forces and police.
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