November 3, 2006

AHEAD OF THE DONORS CONFERENCE IN LONDON: A JOINT MEETING OF THE GCC FOREIGN AND FINANCE MINISTERS DISCUSSES WAYS OF SUPPORTING DEVELOPMENT IN YEMEN. PRESIDENT SALEH CALLS FOR THE SET UP OF A FUND FOR THE SUPPORT OF YEMEN'S STRATEGIC, DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT PROJECTS. THE SAUDI MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIPS OF THE GCC AND YEMEN EXERT ALL EFFORTS TO HELP YEMEN'S ECONOMY SO AS TO TAKE ITS NORMAL PLACE AND ACTIVE ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT MARCH IN THE REGION. President Ali Abdullah Salih of Yemen received at his office in Sanaa Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Atiyyah, Secretary General of the Riyadh-based Gulf Cooperation Council, and ministers of foreign affairs and finance of the GCC countries who were currently visiting Yemen to take part in the joint ministerial meeting of the GCC foreign ministers and Yemen's minister of foreign and expatriates affairs. They briefed President Saleh on the outcomes of the Yemeni-Gulf Technical Committee regarding the preparations for the Donors' Conference to be in London next month. President Saleh welcomed the GCC officials, confirming that the Yemeni-Gulf relations are remarkable and unique and expressed hopes that the conference would come out with good results to support the development in Yemen, enhance Yemen's economy to qualify it merging in the GCC states economies. President Saleh conveyed his greetings to the leaders of the member countries of the GCC , wishing them continuous health and happiness and their peoples steady progress and prosperity. The President called for the set up of a fund to serve as a treasury for all the funds to be paid by the GCC member states for the support of Yemen and as a financer for the developmental and service projects agreed upon. "We don't want anything from this fund, we don't like it to enter in the treasury, but what we want is to implement all the strategic and investment projects under the supervision of fund in coordination with the Yemeni government to achieve the entire benefit for Yemeni people. " President Saleh said. He pointed out the significant role of the GCC support for bringing success to the Donors' Conference, confirming that Yemen is the geographical intensity for the Gulf countries. On their part, the ministers conveyed to President Saleh the greetings of the leaders of the GCC member countries, vowing to provide the required support for Yemen to make the London-based donors conference in mid-November a success. The GCC officials expressed their thanks for the president, confirming that the Yemeni-Gulf relations are strong and confirming that their countries are ready to offer the essential support to enhance the development march in Yemen. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Nizar Obaid Madani arrived in Sanaa to participate in the meeting of GCC foreign ministers with their Yemeni counterpart Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi. The meeting comes within the framework of the ongoing preparations for the donors conference, due to be held next month in London. Dr. Nizar Madani reiterated the keenness of Saudi Arabia on making the conference successful. The delegations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC ) member states have arrived in Sanaa to take part in the second ministerial joint-meeting of the GCC and Yemen to be held in Sanaa. The delegations headed by minister of state for foreign affairs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Nizar Bin Obeid Madani, the Kuwaiti Minister of Finance, Badr Mashari Al-Humaidha, minister of state for foreign affairs in the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Bin Hussein Al-Sha'aly, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the state of Qatar, Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Al-Jabr and the Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs in the Sultanate of Oman, Yousif Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah. The Saudi minister of state Dr. Nizar Madani told Saba that "the GCC 's foreign ministers meeting with their Yemeni counterpart came within efforts being made by the political leaderships of the GCC and Yemen to qualify Yemen's economy so as to take its normal place and active role in the development march in the region". "This meeting also aims to show efforts and stances regarding the donors conference in London to be held by the mid this month", he said. The joint ministerial meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council for Arab Gulf Countries (GCC ) and Yemen commenced its activities in Sana'a to follow-up resolutions of the1st meeting of GCC and Yemen held in the last March regarding the arrangements for the Donors Conference to be held in London next month. The meeting aims to activate the implementation mechanism of King Fahd's summit held in Abu Dhabi in December 2005 that call for supporting Yemen economy to enable it merge with GCC Economies. The meeting reviewed and evaluated the arrangements agenda for London Donors Conference concerning the support of development in Yemen, as well as discussed and reviewed the final report submitted to the meeting from Yemeni-GCC technical committee. The report includes explanations for accomplishments implemented in the last years and the technical arrangements, programs, projects and developmental requirements for Yemen that expected to be submitted in the meeting of Donors Conference in London. Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul Qader Ba Jammal delivered speech in which he welcomed the GCC Ministers, ambassadors and all guests who participate in this meeting. "I am happy of your attendance in this great meeting being held in Sanaa which carrying significant meaning and a significant sign in the Yemeni-Gulf relations and it is a honor to me to launch the activities of the meeting due to the President Saleh's authorization who is very interested of this meeting." Ba Jammal said. He added that "The Yemeni Government in cooperation with your council and your general secretariat and the coordination of Yemen's partners of the fraternal and friendly countries, international and regional organizations are going to prepare an assessment report for the required resources of the forthcoming decade, which the government is intending to implement it to overcome the current obstacles to reach the acceptable levels of economic, social and cultural development." On the opening of the meeting the Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jaber Al Thani delivered a speech in which he said that the State of Qatar will greatly contributed politically, financially in the Fund that will support Yemen and qualify its economy to merge with GCC economy. The Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Affairs also delivered a speech as well as Secretary General of GCC Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah. The second joint meeting between the foreign ministers of the member states of the gulf cooperation council and Yemen's minister of foreign and expatriates affairs Dr. Abu-Bakr Abdullah Al-Qirbi began in Sanaa. The meeting was attended by Yemen's Prime Minister Abdul Qader Ba Jammal and GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Atiyyah. Dr. Nizar Bin Obeid Madani, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, led Saudi Arabia's delegation to the meeting. In a key address, Al-Qirbi said the meeting is an important turning point and a step further in the relations of Yemen with GCC countries. He said the meeting could form a kick off of ties that would lead the Arab peninsula to form a more strong and effective political and economic gathering. He said the London donors conference should reflect the political will of the GCC leaders to boost Yemen's economy to enable it integrate in the GCC economies. The second joint meeting of foreign ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council and Yemen was held discuss the final preparations of donor conference with Yemen's development partners. The consultative conference will be held mid November in London. Deputy Minister of foreign affairs, Mohayyadin Al-Dhabi said that the meeting came due to the Yemeni-Gulf political leaderships that aim to develop Yemen's economy. Al-Dhabi said that meeting would determine required funds to carry out the economic and social development plan 2006-2010 for poverty reduction. "The plan will be reviewed in London meeting, and the support would be used to implement projects to realize goals of the plan which aim at improving economy of Yemen." al-Dhabi said. Talks between Yemen and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC ) to prepare for the London donors conference resumed to work out Yemen's developmental requirements. Yemen's Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdul Kareem Al-Arhabi, who led his country's delegation to the third meeting of the technical committee and joint task team, addressed the opening session, lauding the efforts exerted by the committee over the last six months to put the last touches for convening the conference scheduled for London in mid November 2006. The conference was designed to qualify Yemen's economy to match with its neighbouring GCC economies to pave the way for its integration with it. On his part, the GCC delegation leader Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Owaisheq underscored the importance of forging a concerted vision for the London conference to be presented to the GCC foreign ministers meeting which held early November. The second joint meeting between the foreign ministers of the member states of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council and Yemen's Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Dr. Abu-Baker Al-Girbi concluded. After the meeting, a closing statement was issued and read by GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Atiyyah. Under the directives of the leaders of GCC countries and in completion of what was agreed upon during the first joint meeting as regards studying the developmental needs of Yemen as well as preparing a donors conference, the statement said the GCC foreign ministers and Yemen's minister for foreign and expatiates affairs held their second meeting in Sana'a on November 1, 2006 to discuss the final arrangements for the donors conference to be held in London on 15-16 November, 2006 under the patronage of the GCC . At the opening session, the ministers listened to a speech delivered by Yemen's Prime Minister Abdul Qadir Ba Jammal in which he asserted the need to enhance the relations between the GCC countries and Yemen in order to achieve security and stability in the region. The GCC is made up of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. On his part, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Dr. Nizar Madani stressed on the need to promote cooperation to ensure success for the donors conference, asserting that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia will make every effort to contribute in achieving the expected goals in order to raise Yemen's economy to keep up with the economies in the region. The current chairman of the GCC ministerial council, UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al Sha'ali, as well as Kuwait's financial minister Bader Al-Homaidhi spoke on this occasion, reaffirming GCC efforts to support Yemen in all fields. The GCC Secretary General also pointed out what has been achieved by the joint technical committee and the working team which will be presented at the donors conference. The ministers, then, listened to reports presented by the GCC General Secretariat, Yemen's ministry of planning and international cooperation, world bank, ministry of international development in UK. These reports were about the preparations for the donors conference as well as other related issues. The GCC ministers stressed on the work continuity of the joint technical committee to follow up the results of the donors conference, the completion of studying the developmental needs for Yemen and the continuity of coordination and consultation. Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Dr. Nizar Madani left Yemen after heading the Saudi delegation at the second joint meeting between the GCC foreign ministers along with their Yemeni counterpart, which was convened in Sana'a to prepare for the donors conference in London during this month. On departure, he was seen off at Sana'a airport by Saudi ambassador to Yemen Ali Bin Mohammed Al-Hamden and a number of senior officials. The Secretary General of Gulf Cooperation Council Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah met with ambassadors of GCC countries to Yemen. During the meeting, they discussed issues of common interest. Al-attiyah is currently visiting Yemen to participate in a meeting between the foreign minister of Yemen and GCC countries' foreign ministers. Omani minister of foreign affairs, Yusif bin Alawi, described the results of the second meeting of foreign ministers of GCC and Yemen in Sana'a as "successful more than expected". Omani minister told Saba upon leaving Yemen that the meeting was a new beginning for the Yemeni-Gulf joint work. "The meeting with President Ali Abdullah Saleh was a clear signal of joint determination to go the same direction of cooperation," said Alawi. Alawi was seen off by minister of foreign affairs Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi and Omani ambassador to Yemen.