The “New Sham” project

By: M. Sharifi

The "New Sham" project offers a land bridge between Egypt, a populous country with expertise in a variety of sectors and strategically positioned on the Mediterranean Sea; Iraq, a nation with vast oil reserves; and Jordan, a country with substantial economic potential. Energy transmission, commerce, and human resources are the primary focuses of this trilateral partnership.

As part of this cooperative effort, a pipeline will be developed from Basra in southern Iraq to the Jordanian port of Aqaba and on to Egypt. By importing oil from Iraq at a lower price than the global markets, Jordan will make revenue from energy transit while Egypt secures a consistent supply of crude oil for its refineries. In exchange, Iraq will purchase electricity from Egypt and rely on Egyptian technical assistance through its rebuilding efforts.

Furthermore, Jordan's well-developed transportation infrastructure will allow the nation to serve as a bridge between Egypt and Iraq. Also, by joining forces, Egypt and Jordan can facilitate the import of goods into Iraq. As was previously noted, if Iraq and Egypt's electrical grids were linked through Jordan, Iraq would be able to purchase energy from Egypt.

Although economic cooperation is a driving force behind this partnership, its overarching political goal is to create the framework for Syria's long-term rehabilitation.

In recent months, leading officials from three nations have been referring to their coalitions as "New Sham" or "Al-Sham Al-Jadeed" in Arabic. Sham refers to the region known as the Levant. As the reasoning goes, there can be no new "Sham" without Syria. In declaring the establishment of a new alliance, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan have suggested that other nations in the region may join the project. There is a possibility that Syria and Lebanon will join their Arab neighbours in the near future.

The chairman of the Iraqi National Wisdom Movement, Sayyed Ammar al-Hakim, has been in separate meetings with Arab leaders, including Syrian and Jordanian officials, in recent weeks to explore means to expand the New Sham project. According to the Arabic service of Turkey's Anadolu news agency, the Jordanian royal court released a communiqué saying that King Abdullah II welcomed Mr. Sayyed Ammar al-Hakim at the Al Husseiniya Royal Palace, located in western Amman.

The statement adds that Abdullah II and al-Hakim discussed strategies to increase cooperation between Jordan and Iraq in a variety of sectors to achieve mutual objectives, as well as recent regional developments and the boosting of the cordial ties between the two countries.

In a recent meeting with Bashar Assad in Damascus, the head of the Iraqi National Wisdom Movement stated that the security of the entire region depends on Syria's ability to emerge from the crisis, adding that the rapprochement between Damascus and the Arab governments is primarily due to Syria's incontrovertible strategic significance. Al-Hakim saw this scenario as a win-win for all countries in the region and highlighted the need for enhanced cooperation between Damascus and Baghdad across all fields.