AMMAN, 20 May 2005 — Jordan’s King Abdallah today opens the third annual meeting in a row of the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea resort with the participation of about 1,300 leaders of the world’s business, politics and civil society. Held under the theme “Seizing the Moment”, participants are expected to focus on ways and means of speeding up reforms in the Arab world and the latest developments of the Arab-Israeli peace process with a view to building up international support for the next steps.
The discussions will also engage regional players with the wider world on the issue of international terrorism and nuclear proliferation, organizer said. The conferees “will be challenged to respond to peoples’ demands for improvement in their daily lives through wider political participation, improved economic opportunities and greater peace and stability throughout the region,” the WEF said in a statement.
It pointed out that the conference would provide a platform for appraising the outcome of latest elections held in Iraq, the Palestinian territories and Saudi Arabia as well as the democratic agitation in Egypt. Relations between the United States and each of Iran, Syria, and Lebanon will be on the agenda, the WEF said.
Meanwhile, representatives of 19 regional countries and the G-8 nations are meeting in Jordan to address key trade, investment and finance issues in the broader Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). The two-day meeting, which paves the ground for the WEF conference, is sponsored by the Jordanian government and four US bodies-the US Export Import (EX-IM) Bank, the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the US Trade and Development Agency and the US State Department.
“The conference builds upon the commitments made by the leaders of the G-8 and Broader Middle East and North Africa region to a partnership for progress and a common future at the June Sea Island G-8 summit, and the subsequent December 2004 forum for the future held in Morocco,” according to a statement by the US sponsor.
Delegates from the 27 countries discussed yesterday how more financing can be made available to support increased trade, investment and economic development in the broader MENA region, which includes all Arab countries, as well as neighboring states like Israel, Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan, conferees said.