A 10-man Soviet mission arrived in Amman yesterday, it was learned here today. The Daily Telegraph said that the mission, although ostensibly purely economic and technical, will almost certainly raise the question of military aid too. Just before the Russians arrived, King Hussein flew off for a surprise meeting with King Faisal of Saudi Arabia but the Jordanian king was expected to return to Amman today.
King Hussein is under increasing pressure to accept Soviet weapons in view of America’s continued arms embargo on Jordan, the Daily Telegraph said, adding that Washington’s decision to end financial assistance to Jordan has also played into Russian hands. The report further said that, while Russia would be only too happy to supply Jordan with cut-price MIGS as she does to Syria, Egypt and Iraq, King Hussein realizes it is the Americans who can put pressure on Israel to hand back the West Bank. At this stage, King Hussein presumably does not want to jeopardize relations with Washington nor an arms deal with Moscow, the newspaper said.
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