His Majesty King Abdullah on Friday said that this year could be a year of opportunity to end violence and make peace and build a regional economic powerhouse.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East at the Dead Sea, King Abdullah emphasized that there is an historic opportunity to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement this year.

The Arab countries, the King noted, are engaged in a major effort to achieve a just settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict within the framework of the Arab Peace Initiative.

“The absence of peace and the conditions of occupation have devastated Palestinian life,” King Abdullah said, adding that Jordan was doing everything it could to build the momentum for peace.

There is, King Abdullah stressed, a new international will to resolve the crisis, and "it is in the interest of this entire region and indeed the world that we succeed."

King Abdullah said that peace should not be thought of as an end to conflict, but as a beginning of new opportunities and benefits for the people of this region. He added that peace would free greater human and financial resources for region-wide achievement and prosperity and open new, cross-border opportunities that multiply the benefits of development and investment.