US delivers F-16s to Jordan

The United States has delivered to Jordan four F-16 fighter planes to help modernise its air force.

They are the first of sixteen aircraft which are to be delivered by February.

They form a central part of a deal worth more than three-hundred million dollars, which includes helicopters, trucks and naval vessels.

Correspondents say Washington is helping to modernise the Jordanian military in recognition of Amman's new role in the Middle East after its peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service