Joint Statement Following Discussions With King Hussein of Jordan.

ON THE INVITATION of His Majesty King Hussein, President Richard Nixon paid the first visit of a President of the United States of America to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on June 17 and 18, 1974.

During this visit President Nixon and His Majesty King Hussein discussed the full range of common interests which have long bound Jordan and the United States in continued close friendship and cooperation.

The United States reaffirmed its continued active support for the strength and progress of Jordan. The President explained to His Majesty in detail the proposal he has submitted to the Congress of the United States for a substantial increase in American military and economic assistance for Jordan in the coming 12 months. The President expressed his gratification over the efforts which Jordan is making under its development plan to expand the Jordanian economy, to give significant new impetus to the development of Jordan's mineral and other resources and production, and to raise the standard of living for all its people.

The President expressed admiration for His Majesty's wise leadership and stated his view that effective and steady development would make a substantial contribution to peace and stability in the Middle East. The President promised a special effort by the United States Government to provide support in a variety of ways for Jordan's development efforts and in this regard welcomed the recent visit to Washington of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hassan.

His Majesty emphasized the importance of maintaining Jordan's military strength if economic progress and development are to be assured.

His Majesty expressed the view that resources invested in maintaining the security and stability of the Kingdom are related to its economic growth, for without order and peace it is unrealistic to expect to marshal the energies and investment needed for economic progress. The President agreed with His Majesty and promised, in cooperation with the Congress, to play a strong role in maintaining Jordan's military strength.

His Majesty and the President agreed that they will continue to give U.S.-Jordanian relations their personal attention. In this context, it was agreed that a joint Jordanian-U.S. Commission will be established at a high level to oversee and review on a regular basis the various areas of cooperation between Jordan and the United States in the fields of economic development, trade and investment, military assistance and supply, and scientific, social and cultural affairs.

His Majesty and the President have long agreed on the importance of moving toward peace in the Middle East. The President discussed the steps which have been taken in this regard since His Majesty's visit to Washington in March of this year. His Majesty expressed Jordan's support for the very significant diplomatic efforts which the United States has made to help bring peace to the Middle East. His Majesty and the President discussed the strategy of future efforts to achieve peace, and the President promised the active support of' the United States for agreement between Jordan and Israel on concrete steps toward the just and durable peace called for in United Nations Security Council Resolution 338 of October 22, 1973.

The President has invited His Majesty to pay a visit to Washington at an early date. The purpose of the visit will be to hold further talks on the strategy of future efforts to achieve peace in accord with the objectives of United Nations Security Council Resolution 338. Further discussions of the details of the establishment of the joint commission will also be held. His Majesty has accepted the invitation and the date of the visit will be announced shortly.

The President expressed his gratitude and that of Mrs. Nixon for the warm hospitality extended by His Majesty, by Her Majesty Queen Alia and by the Jordanian people.