Rabat – Egypt and Jordan have announced their decision to take part in the US sponsored economic conference, to be held in Manama, Bahrain this week. Delegations of high level officials from the US, Gulf countries, and the Middle East are expected to attend.
Spokespersons from both governments confirmed that their countries will send delegations to attend the symposium from June 25-26.
The US claims that the conference will serve as a workshop to boost the Palestinian economy. The event will also serve as a platform from which the US seeks to unveil the economic part of its Middle East peace plan, known as the Deal of the Century.
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Palestinians urged Arab states, including Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt to boycott the meeting, emphasizing that its government was not consulted.
Ibrahim Melhem, a spokesman for the Palestinian government said: “The Palestinian Authority urges Egypt and Jordan not to attend the Bahrain conference.”
“All brotherly and friendly countries to withdraw,” he said, adding that their participation “would carry wrong messages about the unity of the Arab position” on rejecting the US plan.
Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab states to have signed a peace deal with Israel.
Jordanian foreign ministry spokesman Sufyan al-Qudah said that his country will send the secretary general of its Finance Ministry to the event, emphasizing that Jordan refuses any economic proposal that might replace a political solution to end “the occupation” of Palestinian territories by Israel.
On June 12, a White House official claimed that Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco had all confirmed their participation in the symposium.
Morocco’s government has not, however, indicated whether the country will be sending a representative to the conference.
Several other Arab states have already confirmed participation in the event, including Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
On Sunday, June 23, hundreds of Moroccans flocked to Rabat’s streets waving Palestine flags to protest against the deal of the century plan, urging the Moroccan government to not participate in the event.
