EU COMMITTEE HOLDS SPECIAL SESSION ON YEMEN

BRUSSELS, Feb. 19 (Saba)- The Council of the European Union special committee on Yemen held on Friday a special session on Yemen for tackling situations development in Yemen within the Spanish presidency of the Council.

The session was attended by representatives of the 27 EU member states, as well as representatives from the European Commission and the Council of Europe, in addition to Yemen ambassador to the EU and the Kingdom of Belgium Abdul-Wahab al-Shawkani.

Al-Shawkani presented, during the session, a paper over the most important political and economic developments in the Yemeni arena in addition to London meeting, held late January, and the current preparations to hold Riyadh donor meeting late of current February.

He affirmed the importance of president Ali Abdullah Saleh's call for a comprehensive national dialogue within the framework of the Yemeni unity, the republican system, legislation and law to reach a consensus in the face of standing challenges and to agree on the coming steps on holding the parliamentary elections in 2011.

Al-Shawkani called the EU for more cooperation and coordination to solidly create a bigger partnership between the two sides in various fields, valuing support of the EU for Yemen's unity and its economic and political development and referred to the regional peace and stability based on the Yemeni unity.

AM/AM