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Mr. Jean-Louis Sarbib, World Bank’s Vice President for Middle East and North Africa will start a 4-day visit to Yemen on Tuesday, November 14. Sources at the WB told the Yemen Times that during his visit to get on hand information about what is going on in Yemen, Mr. Sarbib would meet the President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament, Minister of Planning and Development, parliamentarians, NGOs and press people. Mr. Sarbib is also likely to visit some projects like the Social Fund, Water Secretariat, Sana’a University Sewage project, Akhdam society and other donor countries representatives and see the areas they are working in. It is the first visit for Mr. Sarbib to Yemen but the second for WB vice president for the MENA region for Kamal Darwish paid a visit to the country two years back. Mr. Sarbib will hold a press conference on Wednesday, November 15 at the Taj Sheba Hotel. Yemen has been conducting an economic reform package program since 1995 which has agitated the anger of opposition parties which always question such partnership between Yemen and WB. The Post- Beijing Follow-up operations, Phase II and in coordination and collaboration with the Women National Committee held a primary meeting with some of the civil society organizations, on Wednesday 8 Nov. 2000. This meeting is the third meeting with these organizations, aiming at making them get along to establish a network for coordination between them. The meeting resulted in the creation of an active network which consists of members of WNC, NGOs, Political Parties and Media. This network was named CSND”(Civil Society Network for Development). More than 29 members gathered for the meeting which started with a briefing by Mrs. Huria Mashoor deputy of the WNC, in which she mentioned the aims and the efforts to achieve those aims by the WNC and cooperating organizations. She also said that a survey made during the last two months showed that the level of advancement, especially in the suburbs, is very poor. She urged for fair distribution of projects whether local or international in the region, stating that any kind of monopoly will take us backward only. Finally she suggested a network through which intellectuals and active members of the society communicate and put forward their views in order to rise with the society. Discussions proceeded in the gathering, and each one participated in it by reflecting their organizations views. The main focus was the follow up of the previous steps taken in this direction, presented by the first meeting titled “The Round Table Meeting for NGOs” which took place on the 3/8/99 and the second on the 28/11/99 to implement the network in order to accomplish the aimed tasks. The group was gathering into three groups, first was to decide the communication and organization mechanism, second was to set the aims of the network and the third was to provide an annually action plan which is to be implemented by the network during the next 8 months. The Network is to meet again soon, to start working on the action plan. And the project will continue to coordinate between the members until the end of its period. Flock to Hud Shrines Visitor who chance to see the annual gathering of Muslims visiting the Shrine of Hud, the prophet, in Hadhramaut will be amazed at the big number of visitors which reached 160,000 this year. The Shrine is located in a very simple and poor village that after the visitors leave looks half-deserted. Muslims from different countries call on Hud shrine every 8, 9 and 10 of Sha’aban. Despite the different rituals, procedures are the same in the beginning. All visitors perform the ablution in the small river, then go to pray at the mosque. Next they head for Al-Tosloom Well to say prayers for the souls of prophets. After that they go to Hud’s grave and al-Naqah Rock and prey for the soul of Hud. During the three-day gathering, Islamic scholars deliver speeches, lectures and sermons. Al-Shomu’ Newspaper On Wed. 8. 11, 2000, Yemeni Ministry of Information lodged two separate complaints against Al-Shomu’ independent weekly -Sana’a to the Press and Publication Prosecution. The first complaint related to an insult against Egyptian President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak in an article the newspaper published and the second related to the insult against officials in the State. Saif Al-Hadheri, Chief Editor of Al-Shomu’, told YT that he was surprised at the Ministry’s attitude. He said the Ministry had to hold those ministers responsible for corruption cases the newspaper had published. President Saleh received credentials of Mr. Abdullah Ben Hamad Al-Badi as a new Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to Yemen last week. The newly appointed ambassador is graduated with an MA in Business management and Diploma in Diplomatic studies from UK. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1986 and has participated in a number of regional and international conferences. About 3000 sacks of expired flour were seized by the supply prosecution in a merchant’s store in Demnat Khadir, Taiz. The said merchant used to forge the trade mark of these sacks. He used the Horse Mark which is famous. Moreover, he used to grind the expired flour and spray insecticides on them and then sell these sacks to the people. Storekeeper has admitted that after being arrested by the supply prosecution. The merchant is expected to be tried in the coming two weeks. “No Pressure Excercised on Yemen to Join WTO”, Ricupero says Rubens Ricupero, Secretary General of the UNCTAD denied any kind of pressures exercised on Yemen to join the WTO. In a press conference at the winding up of a seminar on “Trade and Investment” held in Sana’a during (6-8) November 2000, he said that Yemen had the option to join the organization in accordance to evaluating its trade, investment, customs, and export conditions. He promised to grant Yemen the technical assistance, like any other developing country, so as to develop its administrative and negotiating abilities in the coming period pertaining to Yemen’s joining the WTO. More information on page 6 The Computer Center at Aden University organizes on November 20-24, 2000 Aden 2nd Ex.Com Exhibition. Dr. Nawal Abdulla Salem, head of the Center said that the exhibition is part of the University interest in including computers in university teaching and demonstrating importance of computers in accessing information, etc. She added that the Aden University was planning to make of the exhibition an annual tradition. The West Capital Secretariat Court held on Sunday the first hearing sitting on a case filed by Dr. Abdulrahman al-Baidani, the PM after 26 revolution in 1962. The hearing was attended by plaintiff al-Baidani and lawyers of defendants from the 26 September Weekly newspaper. The case was filed against Abdulkarim Kasem Saeed, journalist and Ahmad Mohammed al-Jabali, Managing editor of 26 September newspaper, who charged him of being an illegitimate son. The Press and Publication Prosecution has referred the case to the court after finishing investigation with Brigadier General Ali Hassan al-Shater, chief editor, Managing Editor and the journalist. At the end of the hearing session Dr. al-Baidani presented to the jury of the court documents that prove his being a legitimate son of his father. The Polish Community and Embassy celebrate the 82nd anniversary of Independence. In a statement to Yemen Times, Mr. Kazimierz Romansky, the Polish Embassy advisor, said that the Yemeni-Polish relations were developing steadily in all aspects and that Polish companies and institutions were looking for Yemeni partners to work together specially in trade exchange in food manufacturing, farming equipment, electric appliances, medicines, vehicles, boats, marble, gas, petroleum and petroleum products and other fields. He concluded that the Yemeni-Polish relations were historical and were established more than 43 years in 1957 and that Poland strongly supported the Yemeni political and economic reforms and would continue doing so. Al-Haidary Trading Co., distributors of Sony Products in Yemen, on Nov. 11, 2000, announced the inauguration of its digital showrooms in Sana’a. The new showroom is exceptionally unique for it includes special sections dedicated to the display, demonstration and sales of the latest digital products by Sony. These sections were created to help Sony customers realize how the latest digital products can improve their life-style. The showroom is located in Gamal St. and the company has special sale in its all showrooms. |
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