Brussels, 04/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - The secretary general for the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Ahmad Masadeh, will take up his post on 4 March. In a ceremony in Barcelona, the centre of the new organisation, he affirmed during his first public declaration that the role of the union includes “a long-term commitment to achieving and maintaining security, stability and prosperity in our region”. As a guest of the Diplomatic Club of Amman (the capital city of his home country), he highlighted, according to the Jordan Times on 3 February, the six UfM priorities: - environmental protection, transport, protecting civilians, alternative energies, education and scientific research, and business development.
He added that “these projects alone will not solve the region's most serious sources of conflict and instability, but they represent shared goals that will become shared accomplishments, making each member of our union a stakeholder in the collective security and prosperity of the region”
Masadeh also said that his nomination was important to his country: “This trust is very important for Jordan, and also symbolic… it is a clear recognition of the values which this kingdom entertains - values of peace loving, cooperation, moderation, openness, reconciliation and integrity”. The secretary general of the UfM explained that Jordan had been chosen because it had become a “model country under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah”. The Committee of Senior Officials is due to meet on Wednesday 3 March at the end of the day in Barcelona to ratify the adoption of the statutes and designation of the six deputy secretary generals. (F.B./transl.fl)