The Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) is due to hold a conference at Jordan's eastern shore of the Dead Sea in mid-May with the participation of about 1,000 high-level officials, politicians and business community leaders from 50 countries, according to DPA. The May 18-20 meeting, with the theme "Putting Diversity to Work", is expected to spotlight efforts to accelerate economic diversification in a time of regional prosperity, while emphasizing the urgency of promoting peace and understanding in a region of great religious and ethnic diversity, a WEF statement said. Participants include heads of state, prime ministers, ministers, heads of regional organizations, legislators, and leading businessmen, it added. Jordan's King Abdullah II is expected to deliver an opening address on how participants can help resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict and promote economic development and cooperation in the region, officials said. The meeting in Amman is one of several regional parleys which the WEF organizes in venues around the world in addition to its main annual meeting held in the Swiss resort city of Davos each winter.
