AMMAN - Jordan will host a third meeting of Nobel Laureates next month to discuss the fate of Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking and youth education, organizers said in a statement Wednesday.

Like the two previous meetings, the May 15-16 gathering will be held in the ancient city of Petra, according to the statement jointly issued by King Abdullah II Fund for Development and the New York-based Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity.

It said invitations were extended to around 40 Nobel prize recipients in six categories - peace, economics, literature, physics, chemistry as well as physiology and medicine. Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is among those invited.

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Prominent international figures to be named later will also attend, it added.

The focus on youth reflects a broader concern in the region to create systems and structures that can ensure a high quality of life and opportunities for the region's youth, said the statement.

At least half the Middle East's population is below the age of 18, it added.

Participants also will explore the possibility of establishing a Middle East science fund to advance regional scientific cooperation.

King Abdullah, the Jordanian monarch, was quoted by the statement as saying the conference's message is clear: "We can, and will continue to foster hope, innovation, and inspiration, in order to build a better world."

Elie Wiesel, a 1986 Nobel Prize winner for Peace, said in the statement: "This year we will explore practical steps to building a better world through partnerships involving Israelis and Palestinians and via cooperation between stakeholders across the Middle East."