The Jordanian government on Tuesday launched an initiative to set "green" standards for the region's cities, touted as the first of its kind in the Arab world.

Environment Minister Khaled Irani said the drive will spell out minimum standards that cities have to abide by if they want to become environment friendly, including implementing more solar, wind and other alternative energy resources.

It also includes reducing carbon emissions, introducing legislation and setting "green" policies.

Irani said these issues will be discussed in an October conference at the Dead Sea - the venue of Jordan's most important ecological treasure.

More than 250 experts and officials from the United States, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and the Arab world are expected to attend the Oct. 18-20 "Eco-Cities of the Mediterranean Forum 2008" event.

"We are ready to start playing an important role in bringing the environmental agenda high up nationally and regionally, especially with cities," Irani told The Associated Press.

Jordan's environment efforts are relatively new, and Irani's ministry has been in place just for the past 5 years.

But the minister said Jordan, which last year hosted the World Economic Forumon the Middle East, and was ready to assume a leadership role in environment issues.

There have also been several initiatives to protect Jordan's own natural heritage, including the setting up of professionally run nature reserves. The country also has established public-private sector partnerships to manage medical waste and solid waste - a first such endeavor in the Arab world.

Jordan's King Abdullah II has set a target that renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, make up 10 percent of the country's energy production by 2020.

Irani said this was an "ambitious target" and that one of the motives behind the October conference was to learn from the Dutch and German experience in the field of renewable energy.

"Germany has a target of 95 percent renewable energy by 2050. We want to learn how they do it, what kind of incentives are there for the private sector," he added.

Environmental efforts are pathetically poor in the Arab world, where plastic bags litter streets and public parks, and leaded fuel spews out of cars at every turn.