Closing Plenary Address of His Majesty at the WEF

Amman
17 May 2004

His Majesty King Abdullah II affirmed that peace, stability and prosperity must always guide our efforts of reform, of positive change.

His Majesty said in the closing plenary address at the World Economic Forum that the main impetus for action continues to be the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis and that the real challenge here is to arrive at the belief that we can solve the problem. "This has become doubtful in recent months, and our faith must be restored in our collective ability to hold to the vision no matter how disruptive the forces that surround us," he added.

His Majesty said that we must bring justice for the Palestinians and must offer security for the Israelis and take action for change.

"The compelling need for reform is the quest of the Arab youth. More young Arabs today have the freedom, time, social mobility and confidence to face the real challenge of the future," he added.

King Abdullah said that we can no afford to deny the younger generations the fulfillment of their expectations of knowledge and freedom. "We can no longer afford the denial of rights based on gender. Neither can we afford to deny the sanctity of free expression to all those whose opinions will undoubtedly contribute to strengthening our political and social culture," King Abdullah added.