YSCC'S UPCOMING ROUND DUE ON SIDELINE OF THE RIYADH CONFERENCE ON AID TO YEMEN

By: Abdul-Malik al-Thawr

Edited into English by: Mahmoud Assamiee and Yahya Arhab

SANA'A, Feb. 24 (Saba)- Preparations for holding the 19th round of the Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council are going on to be held on the sideline of the Riyadh Conference on Aid to Yemen scheduled on February 27-28, in the Saudi Capital Riyadh.

The upcoming meeting of the Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council (YSCC) has unique significance as it coincides meetings assigned to help Yemen overcome its challenges.

The 1st round of the YSCC was held on August 04, 1975, upon Jeddah's announcement to establish the Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council (YSCC) when Saudi Crown Prince Fahd bin Abdul-Aziz and Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Ghani co-chaired the meeting.

The 2nd round was held on April 10, 1976 in Sana'a. The round was co-chaired by Yemeni Prime Minister Abul-Aziz Abdul-Ghani and Saudi Defense and Aviation Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz. The two parts discussed mutual cooperation relations between the two countries.

In 1977, the 3rd round was held in Riyadh and came out with a number of decisions and recommendations to enhance mutual relations and expanding cooperation between the two countries, in addition to assertion on supporting infrastructure projects in Yemen.

In 1978, the 4th round was held in Riyadh. The round also handled Yemeni-Saudi mutual relations and came out with completing main equipments of the projects and continuing Saudi support to these projects.

The 5th round was held in Riyadh in 1979 as a continuation to previous regular meetings of the council. The round came out with many results on brotherly cooperation in different fields and assertion on following up and carrying out road projects in Yemen.

The 6th round was held in Jeddah in 1981. The round was unique as it resulted in an agreement between the two sides on boosting joint cooperation between the interior ministries of the two countries. The final communiqué expressed the pleasure of the two parts over continuation of improving the mutual relations.

The 7th round was held on April 7, 1982 in the capital Sana'a. Prime Minister Abdul-Karim al-Iryani and Saudi Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz co-chaired the meeting.

The official announcement of the meeting confirmed the two countries' unified stance against the plots aiming at destabilizing the region. It also asserted on the two countries' firmed stance on supporting Palestinian people.

Concerning mutual relations, the two countries agreed on continuous support from the Saudi part to health, education and agriculture projects in Yemen.

The 8th round was held in 1983 in the Saudi Capital Riyadh and came out with important decisions focused on bilateral cooperation and keenness on supporting the cooperation relations of the two countries in all fields.

The 9th round was held in the Saudi largest western city of Jeddah. The meeting affirmed on giving priority to expand horizons of bilateral relations and on a new phase of fruitful and sincere cooperation through which coordination between the two countries to be enhanced.

The 10th round was held on July 6, 1978 in Sana'a. Prime Minister Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Ghani and Saudi Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz held the meeting. The meeting resulted in forming a joint committee of economic cooperation in the framework of the Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council.

The 11th round was held in August 1989 in Jeddah. The three-day meeting was co-chaired by Prime Minister Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Ghani and His Highness Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.

In the meeting, the two parts reviewed mutual bilateral relations and praised achievements realized in various domains of the brotherly cooperation. In the meeting's communiqué, the two sides expressed appreciation to the improvements in the two countries' relations in the fields of media. The official announcement affirmed on continuation of efforts in this field for the sake of deepening these relations and serving their supreme interests.

A week after holding the YSCC's meeting, the two parts agreed on holding the new round in Sana'a in August 1990. However, the Second Gulf War halted the council's agenda to 11 years ahead.

The 12th round was held on December 11, 2000 in the Saudi Holy City of Medina. Dr. Abdul-Karim al-Iryani, the Prime Minister of Yemen and Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz, Saudi Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense and Aviation, presided over the meeting.

The two parts agreed on holding the Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council's rounds every six months in both countries and on coordinating political efforts between them on regional and international issues with common concern.

Under the agreement, the Saudi side provided Yemen with USD 300 million as soft loans to help the country finance development projects and agreed on negotiating on reshuffling Yemeni late debts.

The Saudi side also agreed to enroll Yemeni students living in the kingdom public schools and deal with them as Saudis as well as enrolling 100 Yemeni students to study in Saudi higher education institutions.
Furthermore, the council discussed the two countries' cooperation in fields of oil, mineral, wealth, media, culture and youth and sport.

The 13th round held on June 22, 2001 and chaired by Prime Minister Abdul-Qader Ba Jammal and Saudi Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz in Sana'a. The meeting resulted in signing agreement between the finance miniseries in both countries. According the agreement, the Saudi part had to provide Yemen with USD 300 million to finance development projects agreed upon in a memo of understanding signed earlier by the two sides.

They also agreed to complete other accords in the field of customs, protecting investment and agreed on other cooperation programs in education and oil as well as coordination between the foreign ministries in the two countries.

The 14th round was held on June 15, 2002 in Jeddah and was under the chairmanship of Yemeni Prime Minster Abdul-Qader Ba Jammal and Saudi Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz.

The meeting resulted in signing six documents of treaties, cooperation programs and memos of understanding between the two countries. The documents included cooperation between Yemen and Saudi Arabia in the fields of culture, youth and sport, post, metrology and standards and transport.

The meeting also came out with signing a loan treaty, upon which Saudi Arabia provides Yemen with USD 50 million to finance projects of constructing technical and vocational training institutes and a loan treaty to fund road projects. It also came out with signing a memo of understanding for cooperation and coordination between the foreign ministries of the two countries and another memo in the field of protecting biological diversity.

The 15th round was held on July 06, 2003 in Sana’a and was under the chairmanship of Yemeni Prime Minster Abdul-Qader Ba Jammal and Saudi Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz.

In this round, they signed seven cooperation agreements and executive programs, including an executive program of a memo of understanding for cooperation and coordination, a USD38 million loan provided by the Saudi Fund for Development, a tourist cooperation agreement, an executive program for educational cooperation, an agreement on technical cooperation in the field of technical education and vocational training and an executive program for cooperation in the field of export promotion.

The two countries emphasized their keenness for enhancing security cooperation and fighting the terrorism in order to serve the security and stability of the two countries.

The 16th round was held on December 12, 2004 in the Saudi capital Riyadh and was co-chaired by Yemeni Prime Minster Abdul-Qader Ba Jammal and Saudi Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz.

At the end of the two-day round, they signed 11 agreements, memos of understanding, executive programs and protocols relating to issues of economic cooperation and its enhanced prospects and ways of pushing them towards an economic and investment partnership in the industrial, commercial and tourist fields for contributing to strengthening relations between the two countries.

They signed a SR 75 million loan to help finance the Social Fund for Development, an agreement of a special SR 50 million grant from the Saudi government to help finance the project of equipping and operating the General Hospital of Aden. They also signed an executive program of a cooperation agreement in the field of Youth and Sports, an executive program of an agreement of postal cooperation, a memo of understanding for cooperation in the field of petroleum and mineral wealth, a cooperation agreement in the field of maritime transport, an agreement of agricultural cooperation, a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of unsafe wastes, an executive program for cultural cooperation and a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of Islamic Affairs.

The two sides also agreed to further strengthen the security cooperation between the two countries under the security agreement signed early by Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

The 17th round was held on June 02, 2006 in the Yemeni city of Mukalla, Hadramout province.

Yemen and Saudi Arabia signed the final maps of the international border treaty, signed on June 12, 2000. They also exchanged the ratification documents of a memorandum of understanding on the conservation of biological diversity between the two countries.

They also signed a series of cooperation documents between the two fraternal countries, including three loan agreements to finance road projects. The first SR 90 million agreement was assigned to finance the project of the road of Haydan- Goma’h- al-Menzalah in Saada province. The second SR 26.2 million agreement was assigned to finance the road project of Magz-Gamr-
Razih in Saada. The third SR 118.7 million agreement was assigned to finance setting up highways in several areas of Yemen. In addition, a USD100 million agreement was signed to fund the implementation of a number of electric power plants in the country.

In this round, they also signed a cooperation agreement in the field of fisheries, a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of social affairs and a minute of the exchange of ratification documents of the agreement of customs cooperation between the two countries.

The 18th round was held on November 14, 2007 in the Saudi capital Riyadh. At the end of this round, the two countries signed a series of cooperation documents, including agreements, executive programs and memos of understanding.

Under a previous loan of USD 150 million, they signed a USD30 million agreement to finance the project of the central hospital of Hodiedah and a USD 12 million agreement for financing the project of Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty of Taiz University as well as the memo of a USD32 million grant to finance the project of Hadramout University’s hospital and a cancer center.

Under the $ 1 billion loan offered by Saudi Arabia to Yemen at the donors conference held in London in 2006, the two countries signed a memo of a USD 100 million grant for the project of the Marib gas-operated power plant. Under the same loan, they signed a USD 50 million agreement to equip technical institutes and vocational training centers in Yemen.

They also signed an cooperation agreement in the judicial field, an executive program of a memorandum of understanding in the area of the conservation of biological diversity as well as an executive program of a cooperation agreement in the field of fish wealth and an executive program of agricultural cooperation in the field of earth sciences.

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