address that crisis. Initiatives and procedures proposed or taken by some industrialized countries to reduce the debt volume and write off the overhang of the poorest nations should be encouraged. We must begin the 1990s with a clear vision and a determination on the part of both the creditor and debtor nations to resolve the crisis. RM/21 A/S-18/PV.4 96 (Mr. Salah, Jordan) Our experience with regard to the external debt problem in Jordan clearly illustrates that its root causes are not exclusively domestic. In our case, our obligations towards the fraternal people of Palestine in the occupied Palestinian territories, the substantial defence outlays arising from the conflict in the Middle East, as well as the non-fulfilment of external-assistance commitments towards our country have prompted us to take decisive steps to correct the imbalance. Like Jordan many other countries have suffered from the demographic and economic consequences of regional conflicts. These factors should be taken fully into consideration by such multilateral economic institutions as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank when they come to evaluate their assistance to adjustment programmes in the countries affected by regional conflicts. The current severe crisis in development financing calls for the international community to provide more generous financial assistance, on an urgent basis, to the developing nations. It is our hope that the industrialized countries will pledge themselves to reaching the development-assistance target set out in the two previous Development Decades. We also feel that concessional assistance should be provided to all developing countries on terms commensurate with their level of development. In addition, the arbitrarily set level of per capita income at which concessional assistance is cut off should be replaced by another, flexible system that will allow for the provision of such aid, access to which would gradually be reduced at a certain point. 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on the debt crisis faced by developing countries and the need for international cooperation and financial assistance to address this issue. It also touches on the impact of regional conflicts on economic development and the importance of considering these factors when evaluating assistance programs. Based on this, it is likely that the text falls under the category of economic development, with possible connections to international trade and humanitarian aid.

**Category**
Economic development