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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - His Majesty King Abdullah II said on Monday that it was not by coincidence that Jordan had overcome the shocks and difficulties that affected the Middle East, but had done that with the efforts of its people and its wisdom and ability to turn challenges into opportunities.

In comments he made during a panel discussion at the opening of the tenth annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York along with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, King Abdullah said that Jordan had managed to transform the Arab Spring, which was a turning point in some Arab countries, into a positive development.

At the meeting, moderated by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, the King added: "We are a country that has opened and still opens its doors to refugees", which posed huge burdens on the Kingdom that needs more foreign aid to face them.

He said aid offered by the world community and donors covered just 40 percent of the total cost of hosting Syrian refugees, estimated at $3 billion next year.

His Majesty also said that fighting extremism is a global endeavour and the responsibility of all as "this conflict is no longer confined to the Middle East", urging the international community to back these efforts.

In answer to a question about renewable energy, the King said Jordan had many programs in that field, pointing to the opportunities for forging a partnership between the public and private sectors and noting that $10 billion renewable energy projects are currently being launched.

Jordan, he added, had made successes in the Information Technology and Communications (ITC) sector and become a regional hub in healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry besides advanced electronics industries and high-tech vocational training.

He said the Kingdom is interested in creating the proper environment for investment in growth-stimulating projects that generate jobs for the youth and also turn a country rich in talented human resources into a springboard to neighbouring countries, particularly in alternative energy and ITC fields.

Commenting on women's participation in the labor market, the King said that Jordan is providing a suitable environment and articulating programs to more jobs for women, especially in the field of small and medium enterprises.

Asked what was his message to the world to overcome conflicts, the King said "what is needed is just to launch initiatives, but we have to continue working every day to eliminate any negative signs when they occur." In that regard, His Majesty referred to Jordan's invitation to scholars and clergymen of various faiths to declare that inciting hatred among the different sects is too far from Islam and to nip the problem in the bud.

One reason behind extremism in the region, he said, is the injustice inflicted on Palestinians and their right to existence and to a future, which had been exploited by extremists.


*Petra