King Holds Talks In Singapore

Amman
14 October 2003

His Majesty King Abdullah and Singaporean President S.R. Nathan held talks on Tuesday on bilateral relations and the developments in the Middle East.



The two leaders expressed their keenness on enhancing bilateral
relations in the economic fields and in supporting the economic sectors
in building fruitful economic cooperation.



The two leaders expressed their support for the free trade agreement
between Jordan and Singapore which is expected to be signed next year.



King Abdullah expressed admiration for Singapore's success in building
a strong economy despite its small size and the number of its citizens.



The talks also focused on the developments in the Palestinian cause
and the future of the situation in Iraq where His Majesty reviewed
the efforts aiming at ending violence in the Palestinian lands and
preparing the atmosphere for resuming negotiations between the Palestinians
and the Israelis.


In regards of the Iraqi file, King Abdullah reiterated the importance
of the international society support for the Iraqi people and enabling
them to form an elected national government which will have an effective
role in maintaining security and stability in Iraq.


In talks with Singaporean prime minister, King Abdullah affirmed
his support for the Singaporean companies in Jordan . The King reviewed
a number of the big projects in which the Singaporean companies can
participate like the channel between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea.
The importance of enhancing cooperation between the private sectors
in the two countries and overcoming any obstacles facing it was discussed
in the meeting as well as enhancing cultural cooperation.


An agreement of cooperation between the two countries was signed
with the presence of the two leaders by which Singapore will provide
technical support to the Jordanian government in the field of telecommunications
and information technology.

His Majesty also met a number of directors from companies specialized
in building and developing ports where he affirmed that Jordan is
interested in a fast manner to make it a distinguished center for
export and import which serves the region especially Iraq.


On the other hand, His Majesty met with the young Asian leaderships
participating in the World Economic Forum summit and reviewed with
them his vision for developing Jordan adding that Jordan emphasizes
on investment in human resources. The king invited these leaderships
to visit Jordan to see the available investment chances.


The king also visited the Islamic center in Singapore which serves
the 450,000 Muslims there and hailed the center's efforts in enhancing
cultural ties and in clearing the real vision of Islam.