The Iraqi Free Zones Public Authority is presently evaluating a proposal to connect Iraqi ports in Basra with Syrian ports via a new railway line passing through Al-Kaem Free Trade Zone.
According to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat daily, the new railway will be established under the auspices of the General Establishment for Railways, Syria’s state run railway foundation, and its Iraqi counterpart, the General Company for Railways.
The joint project comes in the wake of renewed political ties of the two countries in recent years following decades of strained relations caused by issues surrounding the Iran-Iraq War.
In a further move of reconciliation, the two nations adopted this past week unprecedented measures allowing Syrian and Iraqi citizens to travel between the two countries without prior authorization. Travelers will now be able to easily obtain tourist visas at border passes for the first time in nearly 20 years. ― (MENA Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
