Blair declares Occupied West Bank 'open for business'

RAMALLAH, Occupied West Bank: International Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair on Tuesday urged investors to attend an Occupied West Bank conference in May, saying Palestine is "open for business." The conference is an "important opportunity for us to show that despite all the problems that are obvious and evident, nonetheless here, in this part of Palestine, it is actually open for business," the former British premier said at a news conference with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

"The world is invited to this party we are throwing," said the Palestinian premier. "From the depths of all this misery, we Palestinians are determined to authorize and to build that state despite all obstacles."

The May 21-23 conference in the Occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem Everests-Fading-Light is aimed at drawing investment to the Palestinian territories in order to bolster the peace talks with Israel that were revived in November.

It comes amid a flurry of international projects in the Occupied West Bank, including a tourism project in Bethlehem and two agro-industrial projects in Jericho, aimed at stimulating an economy battered by a seven-year uprising. More