AL-ARHABI: RIYADH MEETING IMPORTANT STEP TO MARCH DONOR CONFERENCE

By Adel Assilwi

Edited into English by Mahmoud Assamiee

SANA'A, Feb. 16 (Saba)- Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdul-Karim al-Arhabi affirmed that London meeting held recently about Yemen has contributed in coming out with harmonious vision between the government and donors on diagnosing challenges facing Yemen.

In interview with Saba, he made it clear that this vision is based on helping Yemen to solve its problems itself without foreign interference provided that donors' role is only limited on giving support and assistance to the country.

He added that Yemen is preparing reform program in partnership with the International Monetary Fund, noting that Yemen is facing complicated challenges outdo its capabilities and hoped that donors would contribute with active role to help Yemen overcome these problems and challenges.

He explained that all problems facing Yemen " have economic and development roots", indicating that donors meeting to be held in Riyadh late this February will be assigned to discuss and handle preparations to hold Berlin conference to Yemen's group of friends which includes a number of industrial powers and GCC countries.

The following interview with Minster Al-Arhabi reveals more about results of London meeting, challenges facing Yemen and donor's future support to Yemen to overcome these challenges.

Q: What are your assessments to results of London Meeting?
A: London Meeting has been a chance to Yemen to present great challenges it faces and allocating international support to help Yemen overcome problems it suffers from. The meeting has come out with a number of results, the most important of which, is coming out with unified consistent vision between Yemen and donors to diagnose challenges facing Yemen and coming out with joint and unified analysis to these challenges and how to solve them. Yemeni government has presented a work paper about the nature of Yemen's problem. The meeting also came out with announcing the Yemen's group of friends initiated by Italian foreign minister. This group includes great industrial powers and GCC countries that showed readiness to support Yemen financially and technically. But I believe that the most important result of the conference is diagnosing challenges facing Yemen from the prospect of building state and supporting the country to fulfill its commitments to improve education, eradication poverty, creating work opportunities to young people and providing basic services.

Q: During holding the meeting, some evoked circulations that the meeting would come out with imposing international custody on Yemen and direct foreign interference in the country's internal affairs, what can you say about this?

A: The most important results of the meeting are agreement and consistence between the government and donors that Yemen has to solve its problems itself but direct interferences in the country's internal affairs has not mentioned because such things are totally refused.

Q: Some economists expected that donors would provide in London meeting generous financial support to Yemen but there was no announcement about such support, what is the reality of this?
A: London meeting has been focused to analyze challenges Yemen faces, consistence over diagnosing them and means of solving them besides supporting Yemen to consume resources committed by donors in London 2006 conference and post-London conference. Italian foreign ministers initiated suggestion to establish a development fund to finance projects in Yemen a matter we support and trust.

Q: By the end of this month, Riyadh hosts another meeting to Yemen's donors and government, did London meeting imposed referring some files to nearest conference in Riyadh? What is the agenda of this conference?
A: Riyadh meeting will be technical to discuss preparations for Yemen's friend meeting to be held next march in Berlin.

Q: What about donors' assessment on reforms Yemen has achieved during the past few years?
A: What has been achieved in Yemen during the past years, particularly since 2006, has been appreciated by donors. Many reforms have affirmed Yemen's political leadership willingness to achieve reforms. The government, for example, has reformed tenders' law, which is considered one of the very complicated systems applauded internationally.

Q: How do you asses Yemen's challenges, especially under security problems in the north and the south and the growing threat of Al- Qaeda?
A: In fact, Yemen is facing complicated challenges are beyond its capabilities and potentials to face them; we look forward active role from donors to help Yemen overcome these problems and challenges. I believe that all problems facing Yemen are economic and developmental including the south issue. Yemen is a poor country with limited resources suffers from heavy population growth with annual rate estimated at 3 percent, which means 700,000 births every year. This poses a great challenge to the country because this population growth consumes resources. So that we see that any support to Yemen has to be focused on improving living standards and creating work opportunities to youth to prevent them return to extremism and then terrorism as a result of frustration.

Q: Are you satisfied with Gulf support to Yemen to face the challenges?
A: There is significant progress in Yemeni-Gulf relations. GCC countries are the main trade partner to Yemen and we look forward Yemen joins GCC economically because Yemen is facing great challenges surpass its capabilities to face and curing them. Without integration with GCC, we will not be able to face such challenges and that Yemen stability is part of the stability of the whole region.

Q: Do you depend on Yemen's integration economically with GCC to solve the problems of the country?
A: Yes, no doubt that Yemen's integration economically with Gulf Cooperation Council and opening Gulf markets to Yemeni labor would contribute much in stabilizing Yemen because most of the country's problems have poverty roots and limited work opportunities are also a main part of these problems. When Yemeni youth find work opportunity in Gulf markets, they will be away of extremism, violence and vulnerability to terrorism.

Q: But, what will GCC countries benefit from including Yemen in the organization, given that the country is facing complicated problems?
A: Yemen is a country exporting labor force and a gate to Saudi Arabia and the rest of GCC countries. Yemeni labors are closer to social component of GCC society. Gulf countries will benefit from joining Yemen to their council because Yemen is a market to their products and the stability of Yemen is important issue the stability of Gulf countries.

Q: How do you see the future of Yemen?
A: Yemen has the opportunities to overcome challenges it faces and I am optimist about the future of Yemen. Yemen's stability is a national responsibility on all Yemenis; whether in the authority or in the opposition because stabilized Yemen is the interest of every Yemeni.