The U.S./Middle East Project has been asked by the Government of Qatar to assist in the planning of the 1997 Middle East/North Africa (MENA) Economic Summit. It is organizing six panels, including: 1. A session on the Palestinian economy examining the impact of border closings in Gaza and the West Bank and specific proposals to ameliorate tensions and improve the existing economic agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. 2. A third Regional Infrastructure Project Presentation Plenary in which senior officials from the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt propose one or two joint private sector projects, emphasizing cross-border benefits. 3. A panel on deepening economic relations between the Gulf countries and the rest of MENA. The Middle East Economic Strategy Group has commissioned experts on the Gulf economies to determine the benefits to the Gulf from deepening trade, labor and capital flows with the rest of the MENA countries. 4. A joint seminar with the IMF on economic reforms within the Gulf that focuses on financial markets and labor reforms that will make the Gulf a more attractive place for foreign investment and will better integrate the Gulf into the global economy. 5. A joint plenary session with the World Economic Forum on privatization, in which reform-oriented ministers and private sector leaders will engage in critical dialogue over the pace of privatization, the quality of the companies being privatized, how private capital can be accessed, how governments minimize social dislocation and mobilize popular support, and other reform and policy issues. 6. A joint panel with the World Economic Forum on water, emphasizing technological developments in the field of desalinization, conservation, and transport of water.