The United States will donate 200,000 tons of wheat worth $26 million to Jordan, official Jordanian sources said Monday, August 13. A deal to that effect was signed Monday by Jordanian Planning Minister Jawad Hadid and US charge d'affaires Gregory Berry, the sources said.
Hadid said the donation, which represents a third of the kingdom's annual consumption, "comes as Jordan has been suffering from drought for years." Washington has now donated a total of 680,000 tons of wheat to Amman since 1998, making Jordan one of the top beneficiaries of US wheat aid, according to the US embassy in Amman.
Washington grants Jordan annual economic aid of $150 million and military assistance estimated at between $50 and $75 million. The two countries signed a free trade agreement in October aimed at boosting US investment in the kingdom. The deal was approved by the US House of Representatives but still needs to approval by the Senate before it comes into effect. ― (AFP, Amman)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
