AMMAN, 18 May 2007 — Jordan’s King Abdallah II is due to open the World Economic Forum (WEF) Middle East conference at the Dead Sea resort today with the participation of about 1,500 high-level officials, politicians and business community leaders from 50 countries.
The meeting, to be held under the theme “Putting Diversity to Work”, is expected to spotlight efforts to accelerate economic diversification in a time of regional prosperity, while emphasizing the urgency of promoting peace and understanding in a region of great religious and ethnic diversity, a WEF statement said.
“Conferees will examine the root causes of conflicts in the region and seek to find paths to greater peace and stability based on tolerance, moderation and renewed partnership,” it added.
Participants include heads of state, prime ministers, ministers, heads of regional organizations, legislators, and leading businessmen.
Plenary sessions will cover a variety of topics including industries of the future, reaching for the new Middle East, tourism competitiveness, the future of Islamic movements, means of addressing the Arab-Israeli conflict, reconciling Islamic and Western cultures and Iran’s influence on the region.
A number of Jordanian and regional projects and contracts are due to be concluded during the three-day conference, organizers said.
