General James Mattis, the leader of the United States Central Command, met Thursday with senior Jordanian officials to discuss the prospects of military and security cooperation between the two countries, according to a US embassy statement. Mattis wanted "to gain understanding and appreciation of key issues such as military-to-military relationship, security challenges and regional developments", dpa quoted the statement as saying. The Jordanian army headquarters said that Mattis, who was paying his first visit to the country, met with the leader of the chiefs of staff, General Mishaal al-Zaben, and other senior commanders. They discussed "bilateral ties and spheres of cooperation between the two friendly armies as well as issues of mutual interest," the army said.
