Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, opened the 10th Jeddah Economic Forum here Saturday in which more than 1,300 people from all around the world will discuss the global economic crisis. Instead of delivering the prepared speech, Prince Khaled opted to speak extempore. He said after such a long session of speeches he wanted to save the audience from boredom. “I have left my speech with the organizers, those interested to read the text can ask them for a copy.” “I just want to express my great love, admiration and appreciation for Jeddah, its people and all the guests,” he said. “I ask you all to give a standing ovation to this city and its people”. Speaking on the occasion, Saleh Kamel, Chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “I think that we can be optimistic only if the governments of some Western countries stop their greed.” “We are not talking about the Islamic or Christian economy, we are talking about the moral economy since all the heavenly religions have economic rules that reject greediness and cheating,” he said. He said the organizers of the forum had considered two topics for this year's event – either the Jeddah flood crisis or the global financial crisis. The first topic was excluded because it was a local issue and investigations were still under way. Abdullah Zainal, the Minister of Trade and Industry, said that the JEF had become a prominent feature of Jeddah city and was competing with other international forums. Abdul Aziz Al-Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, the organizer of JEF, said that the forum was an opportunity to exchange ideas on the global economy at a sensitive time. Clinton to speak at JEF Sources told Okaz that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also expected to attend and speak at the forum during her visit to the Kingdom.
