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IRBID- During his visit to Irbid, HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh said that Jordan will have a central and pivotal role in the reconstruction phase of Syria pointing out that preparations for this phase are in full swing at the UN as well as at the international level.

At a meeting with the Chairman of Irbid Chamber of Industry, Mr. Hani Abu Hassan, and its Board of Directors, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated that Jordan will be the largest gateway for the reconstruction of Syria and that the public and private sectors must be prepared to play this role in a manner which reflects positively on the expected volume of economic activity that will be generated out of this huge endeavor.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh affirmed that the Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs) in the north, especially in Irbid and Mafraq, Al Hassan Industrial City and the land port that is planned to be established on the northern border will all be the platforms for the reconstruction process.

Furthermore, he stressed that the wisdom of His Majesty King Abdullah II and his leadership in dealing with the Syrian crisis since its outbreak resulted in a Jordanian stand that is acceptable by all parties, including the conflicting parties and international entities of different views and standings.

Expressing the hope that the Nasib border  between Jordan and Syria may be opened in the very near future Dr. Abu Ghazaleh highlighted the positive effects of such an eventuality in re-activating trade and in providing secure crossing for Jordanian exports to Syria and beyond. He also underscored the tireless and constant efforts exerted by the Jordanian and Iraqi parties to re-open the Trebil border crossing, thus eliminating a major obstacle to trade and  movement of goods in both directions; and that will also reduce the transportation cost between the two countries, he noted.

For his part Mr. Abu Hassan spoke about the existing capacities of the local industries in the QIZ in Irbid and the potential of having a share in the reconstruction process of Syria, particularly in the pharmaceutical, chemical and construction industries.

In a separate event organized in Irbid during the visit, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh patronized a ceremony that honored women working in hard and untraditional professions held by Ta3ayosh for Training and Human Development at the Armed Forces Officers Club where he underlined the significance of the role of women in work and production. The ceremony was attended by HE the Governor of Irbid, Mr. Radwan Al Otoum, Member of Parliament HE Mr. Rashed Al Shouha and Irbid Police Director, Brigadier General Amjad Khreisat.
 
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated that working women are the basis of development and construction as they contribute significantly to the domestic production as compared to non-working women who disrupt half of the economy and the domestic production. Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh held a comparison between Jordan and Finland, which, he said, is similar to Jordan in terms of population size and scarcity of natural resources. However, Dr. Abu Ghazaleh revealed that Finland’s domestic production is $180 billion which is six times the size of the 38 billion Jordanian domestic production. This is because the Finns invested in know