Aid For Jordan

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28183, 23 January 1957, Page 10

Aid For Jordan

The agreement by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria to provide funds for Jordan will free Jordan to break its treaty ties with Britain. In an economic sense there are few more hopeless countries in the world than Jordan. In the best circumstances it could not be selfsupporting; but with the swamping of the true Jordanian population with Palestinians after the Arab-Israel war, Jordan became, and remains, utterly dependent on outside help. This help has been provided chiefly by Britain, and partly by the United States under President Truman’s Point IV plan. Britain has paid about £12,000,000 a year—£9.ooo,ooo for the Arab Army and the Jordan National Guard, the remainder a budget subsidy. Point IV aid runs at about £3,000,000 a year. In addition, Britain has provided development loans which have fluctuated between £1,000,000 and £2,000,000 a year. Iraq also has given large donations to Arab land development schemes. Last October, the Palestinian majority succeeded in electing a parliament committed to ending the BritishJordanian Treaty. The only thing that stood between the promise and its fulfilment was the lack of funds to keep Jordan going. For several months before the Jordanian election, Egypt and Syria were lavish with promises of " Arab aid ” to replace British aid; and it was presumed that they expected oil-rich Saudi Arabia to foot the bill. But Saudi Arabia made it clear that this was not a matter for one State alone. Egypt and Syria could hardly default on their promises, and have agreed to pay, respectively, £ 5,000,000 and £2,800,000 a year, Saudi Arabia finding the balance. Neither Egypt nor Syria can

afford these sums, as sensible persons in Jordan are well aware. That some anxieties are felt on this score by even the pro-Egyptian elements now running Jordan was implied in a recent statement by the Prime Minister. Replying to a question about the origin of subsidies from penurious Egypt and Syria, he said: “How they “ get it is their business, but we “ are sure it will be their own “ money and will not come from “ any foreign source In Britain, Jordan’s attitude will be regretted both because it will end a close, friendly association of 35 years, and because there can be no confidence about Jordan’s future under EgyptianSyrian domination. It may well be doubted whether Jordan will remain independent for very long. But in Britain the feeling for some time has been that if Jordan was really set on throwing away the British security guarantees and subsidies, then it was a waste of anyone’s time to try to dissuade it. The dismissal of Glubb Pasha ended the value of Jordan as a stabilising influence in the Middle East. Since then, the British tie with Jordan has been used to the advantage of Jordanian nationalist elements. The “ Economist ” said recently that the British taxpayer has enough burdens not to want to buy hate in Jordan at £12,000,000 a year. When the Jordanian Government moves to end the British-Jordan treaty, Britain will be saved opprobrium, embarrassment, and expense—which will surely fall elsewhere. The people most embarrassed are likely to be the Jordanian nationalists who, having lost a major part of the reason for their hitherto destructive existence, will be compelled to try to do something constructive for the hapless Jordanian people.