Prince El Hassan of Jordan Meets with President Papoulias of Greece

(Athens - Majlis El-Hassan)

Greek President Karolos Papoulias welcomed His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal to Greece yesterday. In a courtesy visit to the Presidential Palace in Athens, they discussed global humanitarian issues.

Prince El Hassan, accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Sarvath, was in Greece for a three-day visit to several international non-governmental organizations. Throughout his stay, Prince El Hassan emphasized the need for transborder cooperation and global standards to address the problems that sovereign governments and free markets are unable to solve.

On Sunday, Prince El Hassan spoke to a gathering hosted by the International Anti-Corruption Conference, a bi-annual forum that defines ways of increasing accountability in government and business. The group is also known as Transparency International.

Speaking to a plenary session of two hundred people, HRH called for the development of alternative fuels, new technology and energy efficiency to end the misery and instability of poverty, curb carbon emissions and create a massive economic stimulus and new jobs.

But he also warned that "greening all of the world's businesses through the economic signals of the marketplace will not change the energy base of civilization from fossil fuel to solar or other renewable energies as long as the reserve standard of the dominant global currency remains tied to fossil fuels." 

Prince El Hassan indicated that the global financial crisis requires a fundamental restructuring of the financial and monetary system and a global social charter for the just distribution of resources and human security. He concluded that "the lesson we are learning from the financial crisis is that we cannot borrow ourselves into wealth."

Speaking yesterday to a group of ambassadors, professors and international analysts at the Hellenic Foundation for Europe and Foreign Policy, HRH outlined the possibility of a water and energy community for the broad Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Sea region.

Since the area "will soon be facing energy and water shortages, rising prices and the risk of conflicts over resources," Prince El Hassan said that nations in the region should engage in resource-sharing agreements as a means of increasing development and cooperation. He also focused on the possibility of intra-regional solutions as a way of reversing the impact of the present global economic crisis.

(Athens - November 4, 2008)