Incouraging Words by Lebanese Minister of Tourism

H.E. Joseph Sarkis

Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I come to you today bearing the breeze of green cedars to the rose-colored stones of Petra. It is indeed a grand day when the grace of trees and the magnificence of stone intertwine, and when two courageous peoples, facing extremely difficult circumstances, resist and prevail in the hopes of preserving the wealth of their heritage.

I come to you today to rejoice in the unity of our brotherhood and friendship. Ours is a relationship that grows stronger with each passing day, reflecting as it does the growing attachment both of our peoples have to the touristic and historic treasures in our respective lands. It is our obligation to further reinforce this strong alliance, as each act of support blocks any black clouds we may face until the sun of truth returns to our skies. It does not matter if the sun is blocked today. One day, it will shine stronger and brighter than ever.
It must!

I come to you today passionate about the bond between the hearts of our two people, from the cedar hilltops to the stones of Petra; from the snows of Haramon to the Jordan River; and from Qana, in southern Lebanon, where Jesus Christ turned water into wine, to the holy baptism site in the Jordan Valley, where Christ was baptized.

We cannot begin to express our sense of pride when Petra was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and we congratulate you on a well-deserved victory.

To our friends in Jordan, Lebanon, and especially Front Row: It is an honor to celebrate such an impressive initiative in Jordan and to be in the country that Pope John Paul II visited when he announced that he felt that Jesus Christ was touching his eyes while in your holy sites.

This event highlights your awareness of the importance of tourism for the economy, culture, and international relations through apolitical channels. Special thanks go to the organizers, and salutations to this beautiful kingdom!

The unique relationship that Jordan has with Lebanon motivates us to bolster our ties further, and to commit to higher levels of encouragement for a sustainable tourism sector.

Long live the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, King, Government, and people! Long live everyone.
And long live Lebanon!

Words of Support by Jordanian Minister of Tourism

H.E. Maha Khatib

Good evening. Thank you so much to every single person who is involved in creating and organizing such a beautiful event. This is a world-class event. And I would like to use this event as a plea to each and every person in this hall to try to support every tourism facility and service in this country. We are actually doing a great job in terms of the number of tourists. But we do need Jordanians to support Jordanian tourism. Please be our supporters from now on. Thank you.

H.E. Senator Aqel Biltaji

Good evening, with His Excellency Jo Sarkis's speech, which was very moving, if I was to use my Arabic I would have to go and read Said Aqel again but my name is Aqel. And when I came to you your Excellency I did not introduce myself. I am a former minister of tourism at the time of fattoush, which is part of the industry.
Iyad, this is a great gathering, do you remember when I said 'what you do at Front Row, you are the enabler of our industry'? And I remember having spoken to H.E. Minster Maha AlKhatib who said 'this publishing house can be one of your arms.' I am so happy that you are here tonight minister. Our Royal family, on many occasions, would insist that they are not to be announced when present. And who am I to announce their presence? However, your mere appearance here is very felt. Thank you for making it tonight.
Now let's move to the next category and see what we have. I assure you that this was a very transparent and very authentic process. So, let's go!"

H.E. Minister Nasser Joudeh

I am having a great time here tonight! However I will be more direct than H.E. Senator Aqel Bitaji and not be very discreet about mentioning the royal family. SO I will start by saying HRH Princess Rahma Bint Al Hassan.

Where do I start? This is a Grumpy Gourmet event and not a press conference, right? His Excellency and dear brother Jo Sarkis, the Minister of Tourism in beloved Lebanon, your words have penetrated the core of our hearts, the heart of every Jordanian. And if they indicate anything, they highlight Lebanon with its grand history, civilization, and grandeur. We are not talking merely of the grandeur of the cedar trees but we are also talking about the grandeur of all Lebanese. And from this podium we salute the Lebanese people, Lebanon's civilizations, and Lebanon's role in its Arab and international surroundings.

And we here, Your Excellency, in the Kind Hussein Convention Center in the Dead Sea, will never forget His Majesty the late King Hussein's efforts in reinforcing the friendship and brotherhoods between the people of Jordan and Lebanon: This brotherhood that His Majesty King Abdullah the Second continues to reinforce, God bless him. So we give the warmest salutations and respect to Lebanon and its people and to all of our families and loved ones in Lebanon.

I have to say that Iyad Shehadeh has really given us yet another evening to remember. I had the pleasure, along with my better half her HRH Princess Sumayya, who as we speak is speaking at the University of California in Berkley, to attend last years' function at the Four Seasons in Amman, and I remember how much we enjoyed it.

I would just like to say for those of your who are wondering who this gorgeous young lady sitting to my right is, she is her mother's daughter, my daughter Zein AlSharaf, who is my date for the evening and who, I am sure, her mother is as proud of as I am. Who is representing her mother's impeccable taste and her mother's standards to the best of their abilities.

It is a real pleasure to be here this evening, it's an excellent evening. I support our Minister of Tourism, I hope that everybody here will support Jordanian tourism. I think Jordan has showed tonight what Jordan can do. And together with our Lebanese brethren we will do even better. I'll stop here as I have awards to present, so I'll be coming back to you in a little while.