JEDDAH, 6 May 2008 — President George W. Bush will be among 12 heads of states and governments to be welcomed by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the opening session of the World Economic Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh on May 18. More than 1,500 participants, including key heads of states and governments, ministers, leading business figures and leaders from civil society and the media will take part in the meeting, it was announced in Cairo yesterday.
“Learning from the Future” will be the theme of the three-day meeting that will bring together leaders from more than 55 countries. It will focus on a series of futuristic scenarios that explore the impact of long-term global trends in the Middle East. It is designed to highlight the actions that need to be taken today to meet the challenges and opportunities for the region in the next 20 years.
“The World Economic Forum has once again succeeded in bringing together the key global and regional leaders who can make a difference in this region. The Forum’s unique ability to convene leading figures from politics, business and civil society makes it a platform where decisions are taken that will affect the region and beyond,” said André Schneider, managing director and chief operating officer, World Economic Forum.
“We know that business leaders remain engaged in helping to shape the region’s future — and alongside them there is huge momentum from young people to imagine and to try to construct a successful future for the Middle East. This is the place where the first steps on that journey can be taken,” he said.
Bush is scheduled to hold talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdallah of Jordan. Other prominent figures to be present in the WEF include: Tony Blair, Middle East Quartet envoy; Mohamed M. El-Baradei, director-general, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Amr Moussa, secretary-general, Arab League; and Abdullah A. Zainal Alireza, Saudi Arabia’s minister of commerce and industry.
