The kidnappers told Yemen Times that they would not release the hostage unless the six tribesmen are released or unless guarantees for their immediate release are given. They claim that Faisal himself has given up his contention in the case and has forgiven the kidnappers, who have a written document to prove this. This led to the kidnap of Carl in what is called in tribal terms "tribal complaint".

Yemen Times met with the victim and took his photos in the area where he was kidnapped and delivered two letters he wrote, one to the German Ambassador to Sana'a and the other to his family in Germany (both shown). He seemed to be in excellent health. When asked how he was kidnapped, Carl said, "at around 5:15 pm when I was walking along the street in Sana'a, five armed tribesmen attacked me and took me to their vehicle and drove extremely fast on bumpy roads to what seems to be a remote area. I am currently in good health and would like to assure my friends at the institute that I am OK and will come back safely very soon."
When asked about the length of his stay in Yemen, he said. "This is my fifth month in Yemen where I teach English and study Arabic as well."Carl added, "I do wish that my family doesn't know that I have been kidnapped, and in my letter to them I have not mentioned that I have been kidnapped."Security forces sprung to action yesterday morning to surround the area where the victim is supposed to be kept in confinement.
It is worth noting that the 5 kidnapped Yemeni teenagers (see issue no. 20), who were kidnapped three weeks ago are still held hostage in an area near the village where the German national is supposed to be kept a hostage.

Sheikh Zaid al-Nahyan to Fund the Second Phase of Mareb Dam

Sheikh Zaid bin Sultan al-Nahyan, President of the UAE gave his directives to Abu Dhabi National Fund to finance the second phase of Mareb Dam which consists of main and branch irrigation canals. The second phase of the damp is scheduled to be kicked off in the near future. The Yemeni ambassador to UAE, Dhaifallah Shumailah indicated that Sheikh Zaid's directives also included constructing and funding.

King Abdullah Attends Military Graduation Ceremony Today in Sanaa

King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein of Jordan arrived in Sana'a yesterday. He had official talks with President Ali Abdullah Saleh on bilateral relations between Yemen and Jordan. They also discussed the developments in the Palestinian occupied territories in the light of the Israeli aggressions and atrocities against Palestinians as well as the Jordanian and Egyptian initiative to sort out the differences, bringing the two sides to the negotiating table.
King Abdullah is expected to attend a graduation ceremony of the first batch of the Special Forces being trained by Jordanian military experts under the command of Colonel Ahmad Ali Abdullah Saleh, the eldest son of President Saleh. Colonel Ahmad who is now commander of the Republican Guards has an amiable relationship with the King of Jordan as he graduated from the Jordan Military College which was then run by King Abdullah. This batch of the Special Forces will be highly qualified under the supervision of the President's son who aims at creating a well-qualified and modernized army.
King Abdullah who delayed his visit to Sanaa for 24 hours due to the developments in the Middle East is expected to fly tomorrow with President Saleh to Saudi Arabia to garner support for the initiative on the Middle East crisis. They are also expected to begin new initiatives concerning the Kuwaiti hostages in Iraq since the second Gulf war in an attempt to settle the differences between Kuwait and Iraq over this problem as well as to promote Arab solidarity at large.
Military forces have been deployed in the capital city and have taken strict measures to prevent any unlawful eventuality.

The Yemen press received last week three circulars in two successive days issued by the Ministry of Information prohibiting publication of information or news pertaining to the armed forces before consulting the competent authorities in the Defense Ministry. The second and third circulars prohibit publication of advertisements for private hospitals and on Hajj and Umra without having prior official permission from the ministries of Health and Endowments.
The circulars mentioned that these decisions were in response to demands from the respective ministries.
Observers consider the Information Ministry circulars as a new measure aimed at muffling freedom of press and imposing financial restrictions on independent newspapers.

Yemeni official sources disclosed that Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Defense Minister, will be heading the Saudi delegation to the Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council(YSCC) scheduled for June 12 in Sanaa. In the meeting that will be attended by some ministers from both the sides, several agreements in different fields will be signed to further the cooperation between the two countries.
The YSCC resumed its activities last December in Saudi Arabia after being dormant for over 10 years. During the latest the two sides signed several agreements, including rescheduling Yemen's loans to Saudi Development Fund estimated around $500 million. The Saudi Fund also agreed to grant Yemen another loan of $300 million to finance development projects. It was also agreed that Yemeni students in Saudi Arabia will be granted the same privileges and facilities as their Saudi counterparts.

"Yemen Times" Pays Homage to its Founder

On the occasion of the Second Death Anniversary of Prof. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf, the founder of Yemen Times, there will be a brief memorial function at the Yemen Times Premises to pay homage to the departed leader and to remember his glorious contributions.
Prof. Al-Saqqaf was killed in a tragic traffic accident in Sana'a in June 2, 1999