Jordan Times
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Dead Sea permanent home
for WEF’
AMMAN (JT) — Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum Klaus
Schwab announced that Dead Sea will be the permanent home for the WEF on the
Middle East, according to a statement.
“We have built this meeting into the region’s foremost gathering, integrating
political, economic and social dimensions, and this has only been possible
thanks to the leadership and full partnership of His Majesty King Abdullah. For
this reason, we decided that Jordan will be the home of the meeting and it will
rotate back to the Dead Sea every other year of the meeting,” Schwab said in the
WEF statement on Friday.
It was also agreed that in 2008 the meeting will take place in Sharm El Sheikh,
before returning to the Dead Sea the year after. In 2010, the forum will
hopefully convene in Jerusalem or Bethlehem, then again at the Dead Sea in 2011.
“By rotating every other year to another location in the Middle East, the vision
of His Majesty King Abdullah for region-wide development and progress, and an
economically competitive Middle East is reinforced, and diversity harnessed,”
said the statement.
Around 15 heads of state and more than 600 businesspeople are expected to meet
at the May 18-20 forum on the Middle East at the Dead Sea. Participants will be
drawn from the highest levels of government and business, and will include top
experts and representatives from civil society.