Jordan Times
Monday, May 17, 2004
King attends WEF sessions,
holds meetings
AMMAN (JT) — His Majesty King Abdullah urged team spirit in Arab efforts to hold
a successful summit, scheduled for next week in Tunisia.
At a meeting with Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa, who is taking part in
the meetings of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the King said Jordan will work
hand-in-hand with Arab countries to come up with decisions in line with the
aspirations and expectations of the Arab peoples.
He pinpointed the importance of the items on the summit's agenda, highlighting
in particular the Palestinian issue, the future of Iraq and reforms in the Arab
world.
Musa acquainted the King with the preparations under way to hold the meeting.
The meeting with Musa was one in a series of activities the King took part in as
part of WEF and on its sidelines on the second day of the event, starting with a
meeting he chaired which brought together Arab foreign ministers and heads of
Arab delegations in an encounter with US State Secretary Colin Powell.
King Abdullah also attended a meeting between Powell and representatives of the
Arab private sector. In his remarks at the meeting, the Monarch stressed the
importance of opening channels of communication between US and Arab businessmen
as one way of empowering the sector to assume its role in efforts to achieve
sustainable development in the area. The King cited the partnership between the
private and the public sector in Jordan as a success story in the field.
Prime Minister Faisal Fayez also took part in the session, during which he said
finding solutions to regional conflicts is the first step towards political and
economic reforms.
Participants took turns to elaborate on their visions of a better future for the
region, noting King Abdullah's role in establishing the Arab Businessmen
Council, which was brought into existence during last year's WEF at the Dead
Sea.
Discussions also covered the role of women in the Arab world and ways to empower
them to play an effective role in the society.
King Abdullah reviewed the Kingdom's major achievements in the socio-economic
fields and the ongoing efforts to achieve sustainable development.
During two working sessions of business leaders, the King said Jordan enjoys a
considerable competitive edge manifested in the availability of qualified and
well-trained human resources and the spread of education, especially in the IT
and other related fields. He cited Ireland and Singapore as examples to follow.
The King also attended a session where Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Defence
Minister General Mohammad Ben Rashid Al Maktoum reviewed Dubai's experience in
development and modernisation.
In his presentation, Al Maktoum made reference to the King's efforts to develop
the national economy despite the turbulent circumstances in the region.
The prince went over a series of initiatives adopted by the government of Dubai
in the fields of e-government, IT, e-education and mega- strategic projects such
as the Dubai Media City in addition to the planned Dubai Land, which is expected
to be a major tourist attraction.
The prince urged Arab countries to benefit from Dubai's experiment, noting that
the Arab world is rich in qualified people who can achieve similar successes.
Regional developments and bilateral relations were the focus of various other
meetings the King held separately with Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Ben Bot,
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Mustafa Barghouthi, president of the
Medical Aid For Palestinians, and Boeing's Vice President Thomas Pickering with
whom the King discussed cooperation, particularly in the field of pilot
training.
Meanwhile, Fayez attended a working lunch at the Jordan Valley Marriott on the
sidelines of WEF, during which he spoke about the government's reform efforts.
He said these efforts are directed to meet three goals: Developing human
resources, reinforcing basic government services and alleviating poverty and
unemployment.
Fayez added that the Kingdom's political development model is based on
protecting citizens' rights and improving the situation of political parties. In
the presence of HRH Prince Faisal, a number of ministers and representatives of
companies like Microsoft, Boeing and France Telecom, the premier said the hard
decisions taken during the reform process are necessary to improve the country's
financial status and stabilise the market.
Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher also held a series of meetings on Sunday with
Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Ben Bot, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs
Fuji Saka, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Sultanov and former Spanish
Foreign Minister Ana Palacio who are taking part in the World Economic Forum.
Muasher reviewed the Kingdom's efforts to revive the peace process stressing the
roadmap was the only way forward.