THE KING OF JORDAN EXPRESSES FRUSTRATION OVER SYRIAN REFUGEES OVERWHELMING HIS COUNTRY, CALLING THE SITUATION "DIRE" - "60 MINUTES" SUNDAY

King Abdulla II and Scott Pelley in Jordan last month

King Abdullah II of Jordan tells Scott Pelley that Syrian refugees are overwhelming his kingdom, making such an impact on its institutions and economy that the country is now in "dire straits." The king speaks to Pelley about the refugee crisis, radical Islam, the Syrian Civil War and ISIS, on the 49th Season Premiere of 60 MINUTES Sunday, Sept. 25 (7:30-8:30 PM, ET/7:00-8:00 PM, PT) on the CBS Television Network.

An excerpt from that interview will appear tonight (9/23/16)
on the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH SCOTT PELLEY (6:30-7:00 PM, ET/PT). Below is a transcript of that excerpt. Please credit 60 MINUTES.

(NATS REFUGEES)

WE WERE ON THE SYRIAN BORDER IN 2014 AS THE KING'S SOLDIERS REACHED OUT TO REFUGEES. HE WELCOMED THEM EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE ALREADY MORE THAN TWO MILLION PALESTINIAN REFUGEES WHO'VE BEEN IN JORDAN FOR DECADES.

(PELLEY)
Why did you allow nearly a million and a half Syrians to come into your country?

(ABDULLAH )
Well we really didn't have much choice. I mean they were flooding across the border, being shot by the Syrian regime. And Jordan has always been a place that opens it arms to refugees from many countries, unfortunately. But then it got to a point where we're now at 20% increase of our population and this is a huge burden on our country. We're in dire straits.

MOST ARE IN TOWNS, LOOKING FOR WORK, DRIVING UP RENTS. 160 THOUSAND SYRIAN KIDS ARE IN JORDAN'S SCHOOLS.

(PELLEY )
What's the breaking point for your people?

(ABDULLAH)
About a year or two years ago... Unemployment is skyrocketing, our health sector is saturated, our schools are really going through difficult times. It's extremely, extremely difficult and Jordanians just have had it up to here. I mean we just can't take it anymore.

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