Minister of Foreign Affairs Salah Eddin Bashir of Jordan

Bashir is to pay a working visit to Moscow on July 10-11 at Lavrov's invitation.

AMMAN, June 7 (AP) - (Kyodo)Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Eddin Bashir has asked the international community to help Jordan deal with serious economic and social problems posed by the presence of an estimated 500,000-600,000 Iraqi refugees in his country.

In an exclusive interview with Kyodo News, Bashir said the refugees account for nearly 10 percent of Jordan's population, placing a huge burden on the country's services and infrastructure.

Jordanian Minister for Trade and Industry Salah Eddin Bashir said the reforms required to conclude a trade agreement have resulted in a surge of exports to the United States, heightened prosperity, and the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.