His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday said Jordan might set up more special economic zones in the future, after the successes achieved by the five-year-old Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ).

The King was speaking to business leaders at a meeting here organized by the Jordan Investment Board, UK Trade and Investment and Arab British Chamber of Commerce. Her Majesty Queen Rania was present.

He said the potential zones would focus on attracting light industries, medical care institutions and IT operations.

He described the achievements of ASEZ as a successful example of Jordan's economic model, which relies on active participation of the private sector

He renewed Jordan's commitment to reform, free-market economy and economic openness.

The King called for stronger trade ties between the Jordanian and British private sectors and thanked the Duke of York Prince Andrew for encouraging partnerships between firms in both countries.

Referring to the EU-Jordan Association Agreement, the King emphasized Jordan's keenness on developing relations with all EU members at the private and government levels.

He outlined the steps the country has taken so far to build a strong and liberalized economy, which, he said, is reinforced by the agreement with the EU and the Free Trade Agreement signed with the US, along with an array of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements with regional and Asian countries.

The King also summed up achievements in programmes the country is implementing in other sectors such as education.

He referred to economic indicators, noting that GDP growth reached 7.2 in 2005 and 6.4 by June this year, while exports recorded remarkable increase to $1.2 billion last year.

In his remarks at the meeting, Prince Andrew pointed out that Jordan's imports from the UK rose last year by 16 per cent, while exports went up by nine per cent.

Jordanian officials took turn in presentations covering the main aspects of Jordan's economic development.

The Jordan Times