Jordan Times
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Al-Ali meets with US
congresswoman
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair Al-Ali met with US
Congresswoman Betty McCollum on Monday and discussed various internal and
external challenges facing the Kingdom, including a budget deficit, poverty and
unemployment, the increase in oil prices and the recent influx of Iraqis to
Jordan. The minister called for increased US assistance to help alleviate some
of the pressure on the budget, and to enable the country to accelerate its
reform agenda. Also yesterday, Al-Ali met with a delegation comprising staffers
from the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Judiciary
Committee. During the meeting, the minister highlighted the strong political
will behind Jordan’s roadmap for its future. She called for significantly
increased assistance from the donor community to assist the Kingdom address
future challenges. Both meetings were attended by US Ambassador to Jordan David
Hale.