1,000 high-level participants are expected at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East in Jordan

"We need all hands on deck. The international community, especially the US, must be engaged in moving the process forward," said the King in his speech to the US Congress yesterday referring to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The World Economic Forum on the Middle East has a strong record as a neutral platform for dialogue between countries, regions and religions. Under the theme Putting Diversity to Work, this year's meeting will focus the world's attention on the urgent steps required for peace and stability in the region, highlighting the following issues:
• Israel-Palestine
• Iran and the Region
• Iraq
• Islam and the West
• International Aid
• Trade

Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum; H.M. Queen Rania of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; and H.M. King Abdullah II Ibn Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan will welcome high-level participants to engage in the dialogue. At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2007, Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority and Tzipi Livni, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, said they are willing to carry on the discussions which started in 2006 at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East in Sharm El Sheikh.

Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister of Pakistan; Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria; Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary of Commerce, USA; Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan; Mohammad Khatami, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran (1997-2005); Adil Abd al-Mahdi, Vice-President of Iraq; John McCain, US Senator from Arizona; Amre Moussa, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States; Ahmed Mahmoud Nazif, Prime Minister of Egypt; John D. Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State, USA; Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister of Israel; Shimon Peres, Vice-Prime Minister of Israel; Barham Salih, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq; Fouad Siniora, Prime Minister of Lebanon; Javier Solana Madariaga, Secretary-General, Council of the European Union; and Alvaro De Soto, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process are expected to participate in the meeting.

Putting Diversity to Work is not only the central theme of the meeting, it is also key to the future of the region. Through the meeting and its outcomes, the Forum intends to be a catalyst for positive change for societies in the Middle East - to help them in their aspirations for a more stable, vibrant and prosperous life. Global leaders from all walks of life, in particular from the Middle East, will return to the Dead Sea to work together to capitalize on the inherent diversity of the region. Diversity has a broader meaning in the Middle East drawing in business diversifications, political pluralism and social richness in terms of gender, faith, ethnicity and age. "Diversity carries the power for indigenous renewal in the Middle East, " said Sherif El Diwany, Director, Middle East & North Africa, World Economic Forum.

"The Middle East is again at a major crossroads. Politically, the challenges in Palestine, central to the whole region, are being exacerbated by the situation in Lebanon, Iraq and Iran. Economically, development requirements now have a greater chance of being funded through the windfall profits of regional oil producers. Yet, the challenges of interdependence and integration still persist, leaving open the questions surrounding the future of the overwhelming majority of the region's inhabitants, and particularly the youth. The World Economic Forum on the Middle East in Jordan in May will present the challenges, debate the issues and provide a platform for political, civil and business leaders to offer solutions - ones that we cannot live without," said Bassem I. Awadallah, Director, Office of His Majesty the King, The Royal Hashemite Court, Jordan.