Jordan Times
Saturday, May 21, 2005
King meets with senior officials on sidelines of WEF
DEAD SEA, May 21 (Petra) - His Majesty King
Abdullah renewed the Kingdom's support for the Palestinians during a meeting
with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qureia on Friday.
Qureia briefed the King on the daily suffering of the Palestinians and recent
political developments.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Adnan Badran, Royal Court Minister
Marwan Muasher, Foreign Minister Farouq Qasrawi and several Palestinian
ministers and officials participating at the World Economic Forum (WEF).
King Abdullah also met with Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa and discussed
upgrading Arab League operations.
In another meeting on the sidelines of the forum, the Monarch and EU Trade
Commissioner Peter Mandelson discussed enhancing existing economic ties between
the Kingdom and the EU, as well as mechanisms to activate the Jordanian-European
Partnership Agreement.
King Abdullah also had a second meeting with Mandelson in the presence of
Minister of Industry and Trade Sharif Zu'bi and Israeli Trade Minister Ehud
Olmert. Discussions covered the Qualified Industrial Zones Agreement signed in
Amman last December between Jordan and Israel, and between the two countries and
the EU.
The King also met with several officials on the sidelines of the WEF, including
Kuwaiti Minister of Trade Abdul Rahman Tawil, South African Deputy President
Jacob Zuma, and Seif Al Islam Qaddafi, son of the Libyan President Muammar
Qaddafi.
Meanwhile, US First lady Laura Bush arrived yesterday to take part in the forum.
She will address a plenary session today.