King Meets Monterrey`s Delegations` Heads

Amman
22 March 2002

His Majesty King Abdullah II late Thursday held talks with several heads of states and delegations taking part in Monterrey`s Conference on Financing of Development The King discussed with Mexican President Vicente Fox Jordanian-Mexican trade and investment cooperation and means to benefit from Mexican experience in micro-enterprise management , tourism and agriculture.

The two leaders` talks also touched on future cooperation between the Arab countries and their Latin American counterparts.

The Monarch thanked President Fox to host this few-days international event.

Jordanian-Spanish relations and Jordan-Euro Association Agreement figured high in the King`s talks with Spain`s Prime Minister Jose Maria Azner, whose country heads the rotating presidency of the European Union EU.

The Monarch noted to Europe`s significant efforts to back Mideast peace process and to support development efforts in the Arab world.

In a separate meeting , the King held talks with United Nations UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on tireless and relentless efforts aiming to deescalate Mideast tensions and peace maneuvering seeking to put an immediate halt to regional lethal violence.

During the meeting , the King reviewed Arab countries` stance towards peacemaking initiatives , noting Saudi land-for-peace plan is an opportunity to end Arab- Israeli conflict and to achieve just , comprehensive and durable peace in the region.

Participants stressed the urgent need to eradicate poverty and to achieve sustainable development at a time the world heads towards an open economic regime based on justice , transparency and accountability. Anan, in an address , agreed with the King in the need that developed countries continue offering assistance to developing countries to help the former carry out their economic plans and to eradicate poverty .

The King earlier delivered a keynote address at the UN-sponsored conference and urged rich countries to shoulder responsibilities towards global development in order to guarantee international stability and peace, saying " in the globalized 21st century , growth for any state or region requires growth for all".

The Monterrey represents conference a follow-up to the Millennium Summit held in New York in September 2000, when world leaders first committed themselves to fighting extreme poverty - a condition in which currently some 1.2 billion people live.