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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The United States Embassy in Jordan, on Wednesday, presented a mobile scanning system valued at over $1.3 million to the government of Jordan to be used at the King Hussein Bridge border crossing.

This system will help facilitate and improve trade between Jordan and the West Bank by decreasing the inspection and processing time for shipments while also helping increase Jordan’s capabilities to inspect vehicles and cargo for weapons, hazardous materials, undeclared cargo, and other items of concern, according to an embassy statement.

Minister of Public Works and Housing Sami Halasa and Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Maha Ali participated in the ceremony.

During a ceremony held at the bridge, U.S. Ambassador to Jordan, Alice Wells said: "We are optimistic that the scanner will boost trade flows by as much as 30 percent. With the use of the VACIS scanner, exporters can now more easily transport their products across the border, opening up new markets for Jordanian products. The United States is committed to improving Jordan’s strategic trade control system to help stem the proliferation of dual-use items." Ambassador Wells noted that the Government of Jordan has made significant progress and continues to enhance its border security and trade control system. She also commended the efforts of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing in making available the infrastructure and technical resources to assure the system is operational.

In his welcoming notes on behalf of the Jordanian Government authorities, Halasa expressed his appreciation for the donation, and emphasized that this significant contribution to the bridge’s capabilities demonstrates the strong bilateral relationship and cooperation between Jordan and the United States.

The donation was made possible under the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program, which is led and funded by the U.S. Department of State.

EXBS is a worldwide program that aims to support partner countries by providing expertise, equipment, training, and software to improve their export control systems, to prevent illegal shipments and smuggling, and to counter weapons proliferation threats.