••• MaximsNews Diplomatic Statements from the U.N. •••

UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com, UN/ - 27 January 2007 -   Davos - In a dramatic statement yesterday Jordan's King Abdullah II challenged delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos to use their insights, tools and strategies to articulate a new vision for the Middle East .

The King said that such a vision should be one “of ordinary life where people can go to shop or work without fear … where ambulances don’t face checkpoints to get the sick to hospitals … where young people are able to build families and plan long careers … where the first-grade students of 2017, Israeli and Palestinian, can look back as adults, and have no memory of the conflict years.”

“It is a vision of an expanding regional economy, whose resources and energies go into productive growth, not wasteful conflict … where cross-border partnerships and shared interests will create new synergies … and where smart investments in our young people will expand access to opportunity,” King Abdullah said. “This can happen in the Middle East ."

The King said renewed international attention and willpower to end the Arab-Israeli conflict presented a rare opportunity for peace-making that should not be missed.

“The landmark Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 includes bold proposals for a sustainable peace; two states, living side by side … security guarantees for Israel by all Arab states … Israeli withdrawal from Arab territories occupied since 1967 … a sovereign, viable and independent Palestine … and a comprehensive settlement and lasting resolution,” said the King, urging the Israeli public to believe in the process. He cautioned that isolationism and unilateralism could never lead to the positive future that Israel and its neighbors wanted and needed.

“The Palestinians have suffered long enough,” he added, “and the international community, especially the Quartet, have an historic role and responsibility to stand behind peace.” 

Highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships, King Abdullah called on non-government actors to be engaged including regional and international business, NGOs and other civic groups. He said they are urgently needed – as project partners, facilitators, funders, investors and visionaries. 

The King outlined the many opportunities available including cross-border partnerships, development and education initiatives that engage young people, investments in economic growth and opportunity and communications projects that create new dialogue and professional exchanges on common concerns like health, water and the environment.

The King, who is accompanied in Davos by Queen Rania, said Jordan , which will be hosting its fourth WEF meeting in May, had proposed that the conference focus exclusively on building peace structures. 

He highlighted development challenges for the region, where youth form fifty percent of the population and have high expectations for opportunity, security and respect. 

Citing Jordan's success in addressing some challenges through its rich human talent and a heritage honoring education and culture, as well as economic promise in IT, tourism, and other areas, he cautioned that the region could not move forward without peace. 

The King held talks with several political and business leaders on the sidelines of the Forum held under the theme the “Shifting Power Equation”. 

"We have the power to shift the equations – whether it is peace and war; or poverty and prosperity – by what we do, together, to understand and take action," he said.

~~~~~~ MaximsNews.com, An Independent Voice from the U.N., provides commentary and analysis from leading world figures: King Abdullah II (Jordan), HRH Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein (Jordan), Sir Brian Urquhart, Hans Blix, Amb. Richard Holbrooke, Anwar Ibrahim, Bianca Jagger, Dr. Nafis Sadik, Shashi Tharoor, Susan Roosevelt Weld, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Noeleen Heyzer, Kerry Kennedy, Ian Williams, Stephen Schlesinger, Sen. Timothy E. Wirth, Marc Morial, Amb. Jayantha Dhanapala (Sri Lanka), Amb. Pierre Schori (Sweden), Amb. William H. Luers, Mehri Madarshahi, J. Michael Adams, Gloria Feldt, Jeffrey Laurenti, Rodney D. Smith, Rory O'Connor, Genevieve Stamper, Max Stamper and others.

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