Jordan Times
Sunday, May 22, 2005
King commends efforts of Arab Business Council
DEAD SEA (Petra) — His Majesty King Abdullah on
Saturday thanked the Arab Business Council (ABC) for its efforts to promote Arab
business ties with other countries.
At a meeting with ABC representatives during the World Economic Forum (WEF), the
King said he has been closely following the activities of the council. He
referred in particular to a study the council is conducting on competitiveness
in the Arab private sector and the meetings it held in April in Singapore with
Asian business leaders.
The ABC comprises the leading representatives of the Arab private sector who are
committed to enhancing economic competitiveness in the Arab world.
The Monarch said Jordan is willing to cooperate with the ABC to develop the
relationship between the public and private sectors in the Arab region.
ABC President Shafiq Jaber briefed the King on the achievements of the council,
which recently set up the first Arab competitiveness panel in Egypt, to be
followed by similar committees in Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.
He said that the ABC has adopted three initiatives that it would help promote
the Jordan Education Initiative, the Illiteracy Initiative and the Media
Initiative.
The King also met with members of the International Business Council taking part
in WEF meetings.
Finance Minister Bassem Awadallah gave a presentation on the developments
witnessed by the national economy, noting that the country recorded a growth
rate of 7.5 per cent last year and reduced the ratio of public debt to GDP to
record levels.
Minister of Industry and Trade Sharif Zu'bi focused on the amendments made to
legislation in Jordan to attract foreign investments in addition to the
Kingdom's privatisation experiment.
President of the Information Technology Batelco CEO Marwan Juma outlined
economic growth engines in Jordan and promising sectors such as IT,
pharmaceuticals, the Qualified Industrial Zones and the Aqaba Special Economic
Zone.
Meanwhile, King Abdullah held meetings with several heads of delegations taking
part in the WEF, on the sidelines of the event.
He met separately with European Parliament President Joseph Borrell, Irish
Minister of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey, Mohammad
Al Zubair, an adviser to Sultan Qaboos of Oman.
The Monarch also held meetings with President of the Spanish Province of
Catalonia Pasqual Margall i Mira, Kuwaiti Minister of Energy Mohammad Juweini
and US Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-California), among other key participants in
WEF.
The King also met with several WEF participants and briefed them on the mission
of the King's Academy.
He said the educational institution, which will open its doors to Jordanian and
Arab students, seeks to develop quality education in the region and prepare a
generation of leaders equipped with the tools of modern knowledge.
In April last year, King Abdullah laid the cornerstone for the new secondary
school, a co-educational boarding school that will replicate the US-based
academic institution where he completed his high school.
Inspired by King Abdullah's formative experience at Deerfield Academy, the
King's Academy, which will be located in the rural town of Manja, is designed to
guide students towards the highest international standards of educational
achievement.
Adopting the American high-school style curricula, the academy will include
studies in arts, athletics, leadership, community development and community
service whilst also conforming to local culture and values.