His Majesty King Abdullah on Friday met with chairmen and chief executive officers of several international corporations in the fields of information technology and communications and software.

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, King Abdullah met with Google's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt and stressed Jordan's determination to become a regional IT centre, highlighting the Kingdom's support for small and medium enterprises in the IT field through a special fund to boost the sector.

The King also briefed him on Jordan's achievements in the ITC sector, indicating that the sector's revenues increased from $300 million in 1999 to $2.4 billion in 2008.

According to official figures, there are 350 ITC companies operating in the Kingdom providing around 18,000 direct jobs and 60,000 indirect employment opportunities.

During a meeting with Michael Dell, the chief executive officer of Dell Inc., the King expressed Jordan's keenness to boost cooperation with the company through upgrading electronic health services by connecting the Kingdom's hospitals with an network.

Also on Friday, the King reviewed with Cisco Systems Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Chambers the investment incentives that Jordan provides to ITC companies.

The King also met with Leo Apotheker, the chief executive officer of SAP.AG, the international business management software company, and discussed on means to upgrade local human resources and efficiencies through training and the transfer of IT knowledge.

King Abdullah and Ellen Kullman, the chairman of the board and chief executive officer of DuPont, discussed means of cooperation. DuPont operates in more than 70 countries and offers a wide range of products and services including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.

Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania also met with Klaus Schwab, WEF founder and executive chairman, and his wife and discussed cooperation between Jordan and the forum.