A series of super-highways linking the important centers of the Near East will be one outcome of the tension in the Mediterranean zone caused by the Italo-Ethiopian conflict.
Military requirements have caused Great Britain to give serious consideration to the question of transport in the Near and Middle East. They are behind the present discussions between England, the Kingdom of Iraq and the Emirate of Transjordan, looking toward construction of motorways across the desert.
A road linking Bagdad and Damascus, in Syria, which is under French mandate, is now under construction. The present negotiations are for the construction of a similar highway between Amman, capital of Transjordan, which is under British mandate and control, and the Iraq capital. The Trans jordan Government, it is learned, originated the scheme which has the full backing of the British Government which is said to be ready to furnish heavy financial assistance for the project. The Iraqi Government is reported ready to cover the costs of the project from Bagdad to the Transjordan frontier.
In addition to its great strategic value for military purposes, the proposed new highway would have great economic significance for Transjordan which, economically, is the most backward of the new Arab countries established since the break-up of the old Ottoman Empire. The route, it is believed, would deflect freight and traffic from the present Syrian routes through Palestine ports and Transjordan. It would also be attractive to Moslem pilgrims to the holy cities who now proceed from Bagdad along the new routes built by Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
