King Hussein of Jordan yesterday announced at a press conference in Amman, his capital, that he may turn to the Soviet Union for purchase of armaments and military equipment if he does not get such materiel from “our friends, the United States, Britain and France,” according to Amman dispatches received here today.
The King said that he had recently “struck up new friendships” with the USSR. “Our American friends,” he stated, “are fully aware of our opinions. Jordan has no right to ask the United States to change its policy, and our relations with the U.S.A. are still strong,” he added. He explained that if he turns to the Soviet Union for certain material, it will be because the equipment Jordan needs is not available in the West. Jordan and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations two months ago.
Discussing relations with the Soviet Union, the King stated that the world situation is not as tense now as it had been, and that the Communist threat to his country is not as serious now. He said it was still too early to tell whether Russian military or economic aid would follow diplomatic recognition. But, he said, Jordan is changing its military equipment, and now wants “quality.”
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