Petra News Agency
Monday, October 2, 2006
Minister of Planning and
International Cooperation concludes official visit to the United States
Amman, Oct. 2(Petra)-- Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair
Al-Ali concluded yesterday a working visit to the United States, during which
she held several meetings with senior officials from the State Department, the
Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Freedom House.
Throughout her meetings, Minister Al-Ali underlined the economic, social and
political reforms that have recently been undertaken in Jordan in addition to
the recent adoption of several new laws by Parliament. The Minister also
highlighted the achievements that have been made despite the significant fiscal,
political and social challenges that Jordan continues to face.
Minister Al-Ali discussed the various forms of cooperation between the
Government of Jordan and the U.S Government, while reiterating Jordan's
commitment to reform and achieving sustainable growth. Central to Al-Ali's
meetings with the State Department was Jordan's request for increasing the
levels of regular economic assistance from the United States. This increase in
assistance will assist Jordan in accelerating the level of reforms and improve
the livelihood of all Jordanians.
The Minister also discussed Jordan's eligibility to receiving funds from the
Millennium Challenge Account as an additional funding opportunity for Jordan,
mirrored in the recent approval of Jordan's Threshold Program which provides
Jordan with an additional grant in the value of $25 million to support and
develop local councils, and modernize the capacity of the Jordanian Customs
Department.
The Minister expressed her gratitude and appreciation to the Government and
people of the United States for their continuous support over the years,
highlighting the importance of this support in assisting Jordan to realize its
vision as a successful model for reform and development. Al-Ali emphasized the
key role that His Majesty King Abdullah II plays in advocating moderation,
tolerance between people and cultures and rejecting extremism through His
Majesty's "Amman Message" launched in 2004.
During this visit, the Minister also participated as a keynote speaker in the
World Pension Forum in Maryland, which was attended by a large number of US
Pension Fund managers, and renowned business leaders.