Obama pledges $1 billion in loan guarantees for Jordan

[February 15, 2014]  RANCHO MIRAGE, California (Reuters) — U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday pledged $1 billion in loan guarantees for Middle East ally Jordan and the renewal of a five-year aid package.

Obama made the announcement while meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah at a summit at a California retreat. Jordan, one of the United States' closest allies in the Middle East, is a regional player in diplomatic efforts seeking peace in the turbulent region and is one of two Arab countries, the other being Egypt, that has signed a peace treaty with Israel.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; writing by Mark Felsenthal; editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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