SOUTHERN SHUNEH, Jordan – Jordan’s king opened the World Economic Forum Saturday by urging the Arab world to unite against “the culture of terror and destruction” and act on opportunities for peace and reform.
Nearly 1,300 intellectuals, politicians and members of the business community began the three-day forum near the Dead Sea with discussions on Iraq, the economy and the state of reforms in a region where respect for human rights is not enshrined in legal codes.
King Abdullah II of Jordan said progress requires more than simply a renewal of efforts. “We must renew our spirit as well,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell also joined the forum after a meeting in Amman with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia.
Powell urged Qureia to “seize the opportunity” of a proposed Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as a first step toward statehood next year. He also said time is running out on President Bush’s pledge to create a Palestinian state in 2005.
“I don’t think anyone can predict” whether that timetable will be met, Powell said after a 40-minute meeting.
Appearing more upbeat than Powell on the prospects for statehood, Qureia said, “We have time to finish negotiations and to have a state by 2005.”
Democratic reform was a primary focus at Saturday’s sessions, a touchy subject in recent months. Abdullah conceded the need for reform, but said it should come from within.
The king said “a vision of change by the year 2010” is focused on the region’s “core needs: peace based on justice; progress based on reform.”
“Indeed, the recent attacks on innocents in Saudi Arabia, Spain and Morocco, and the attempted attacks in Jordan and elsewhere, should unite us all against the culture of terror and destruction,” the king said.
“In stark contrast, true Islam supports a democratic environment that respects human life, human rights and the rule of law. It upholds accountable, transparent governance. These are the values that make people shareholders in, and protectors of, society,” he said.
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