September 26, 2000

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) -- AMMAN, Jordan, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- A new member of the Jordanian royal Hashemite family has been added Tuesday with the birth of King Abdullah and Queen Rania's baby girl.

Sources at the royal palace said that Queen Rania, 29, delivered her third child at 2:22 a.m. local time (23:22 GMT), at the King Hussein Medical Center.

They said that mother and baby, who weighed 3.3 kilograms in a natural delivery, were in good health.

The sources refused to say whether the king, 38, was with his wife during delivery, saying that Queen Rania "likes to keep some things private."

A royal court statement said that King Abdullah named the newborn Salma. It said that the monarch instructed Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb to donate 100,000 Jordanian dinars ($140,000) to the country's orphans to be distributed through the Ministry of Social Development. It did not say whether the donation would be made by the king or by the government.

The royal couple, who was married in 1992, have one son, Prince Hussein, 6, and daughter Princess Iman, who turns four on Wednesday.