The Bush administration proposed increasing aid to Jordan by about 50 percent. The memorandum of understanding signed Monday would increase assistance to $660 million a year over the next five years: $360 million in economic assistance and $300 million in military aid. Those amounts last year were $263 million and $200 million respectively, for a total of $463 million. The proposal is non-binding and is seen as more of a guiding principal for the next administration, based in part on Jordan’s role in nurturing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, particularly through training of Palestinian security forces. It was signed in New York by Condoleezza Rice, the United States secretary of state, and Salah al-Bashir, the Jordanian foreign minister, during the launch of the United Nations General Assembly. The agreement “reinforces our commitment to work together on a range of important issues – including advancing security and stability in the region, and encouraging economic development and political reform,” a statement from the U.S. State Department said.
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.
