His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday stressed the role of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in addressing the challenges facing the Middle East.
King Abdullah expressed his appreciation to WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab for the successful preparations, during a meeting Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania held with Schwab and his wife prior to the opening of the WEF meeting at the Dead Sea on Saturday.
Also Saturday, the King held talks with Spain’s King Juan Carlos, who arrived here on Friday to participate in the WEF. Talks focused on developing Jordanian-Spanish relations and on regional developments as well as the Middle
East peace process and means to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution. At the meeting, King Abdullah highlighted Jordan’s drive to achieve comprehensive political, economic and social reform.
Also Saturday, King Abdullah met with Chairman of the Executive Board of the National Transitional Council of Libya Mahmoud Jibril to review the latest developments in Libya and means to foster the Jordanian-Libyan relations.
During his meeting with Jibril, the King underscored the importance of solidarity among the Libyan people in overcoming the current difficult circumstances, stressing Jordan’s continued commitment to provide humanitarian and medical assistance to Libya.
At the Dead Sea, King Abdullah also met with several world leaders, including Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Ben Jassim Ben Jabr Al Thani and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.
During his meeting with Fayyad, King Abdullah stressed Jordan’s continued support for the Palestinian Authority and emphasised that Israel must stop its settlement building policy, which he said undermines the peace process.
Fayyad briefed the King on the domestic developments in the Palestinian territories, stressing the significance of international aid to the Palestinian Authority to support stability and development there. Discussions at the meeting, attended by Prime Minister-designate Awn Khasawneh, Royal Court Chief Khaled Karaki and King’s Adviser for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh, also addressed developments in the Arab countries.
Talks with the Qatari premier centred on the latest developments in Arab countries and means to face regional challenges. The King stressed that Arab countries must adopt clear positions that serve Arab interests and underlined Jordan’s commitment to boosting its cooperation with Qatar in various fields.
Discussions with the Pakistani president addressed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation, especially in economic fields. The two leaders underlined the need for further coordination and consultations on issues of concern to the Islamic world.
Moreover, the King received Edouard Balladur, the G-8 special envoy for the implementation of the Deauville Partnership, at the Dead Sea where they discussed the latest developments in the Arab region. Discussions also tackled means to enhance economic cooperation between Jordan and the G-8 countries.
The King also met separately with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mikhail Bogdanov, who stressed his country’s desire to improve Jordanian-Russian ties in all fields.
His Majesty also received former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean Youssef Amrani, and a delegation from the US Legislative Leadership Institute, who are taking part in the forum.
King Abdullah also met with CEO of the Bahrain Economic Development Board Sheikh Mohammad Ben Isa Al Khalifa and John Chambers, Cisco Systems chairman and CEO, and discussed with them prospects for further economic cooperation.
Speaking to the press yesterday, Fayyad lauded Jordan’s efforts, led by King Abdullah, to support the Palestinian endeavours to build an independent state and regain the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. Fayyad highlighted
Israel’s schemes to alter the status quo in the Palestinian territories by building settlements in the south of Jerusalem, in a bid to isolate East Jerusalem from the Palestinian surroundings from the southern side. He also emphasised
Israel’s continued incursions into the Palestinian territories and closure of Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem, which contravene Israel’s commitments.
Later on Saturday, Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania held a reception in honour of the WEF participants.