Richard Melson

May 2005

Jordan

http://usembassy-amman.org.jo/user/default.aspx

Jordan's King Abdullah II accompanies

first lady Laura Bush after she addressed

the World Economic Forum Saturday, May 21, 2005

World Economic Forum
Dead Sea, Jordan
May 20-22, 2005

Middle East and North Africa

Bush Pledges $50 Million To Aid Palestinians in Gaza

President Bush announces the United States will provide $50 million for new housing and infrastructure projects in Gaza following Israel's withdrawal, expected this summer. Speaking with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House, Bush says the funds will be used "to improve the quality of life of the Palestinians living in Gaza where poverty and unemployment are very high."

Countering Misperceptions of U.S. Requires Dialogue, Rice Says

Countering misperceptions of the United States requires not only doing a better job of explaining what it is America is trying to do in promoting democracy, but also keeping this country open to other cultures and conversing with people of other nations, says the U.S. secretary of state. Condoleezza Rice tells National Public Radio, "[T]here’s a lot to be gained from … getting out and talking to people about their perceptions of the United States, many misperceptions of the United States."

Defense Department Report, May 26: Quran Treatment

The U.S. commander of forces in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, says a preliminary investigation has found "no credible evidence" that any military service member there ever flushed a Quran down the toilet. Army Brigadier General Jay Hood told reporters at the Pentagon May 26 that his information is based on a 12-day preliminary investigation drawing upon a review of 31,000 electronic and paper documents covering a three-year period.

U.S. Military Attempting To Verify Reports About Zarqawi

The Pentagon is tracking reports that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist in Iraq linked to al-Qaida, has been wounded or spirited out of the country, but a spokesman says it has no independent corroboration. Even if the reports are true, says Brigadier General Carter Hamm, al-Zarqawi's organization remains lethal and "won't crumble."

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