Organized by the al-Khaleej and al-Jazeerah Studies Center in association with the Yemen Times, a one-day seminar on the challenges of Yemen-US relations was kicked off last Wednesday under the auspices of Foreign Minister Dr. Abubakr al-Qirbi. In his speech, Dr. al-Qirbi said the Arab and Muslim countries support for the US-led war against terrorism may become less active if the US strikes continue to target innocent Afghan civilians. He also said the US administration should heed the reaction of Arabs and Muslims against the use of 'smart' weapons in Afghanistan. "We must look for alternatives to crack down on terrorism, bringing countries that harbor terrorists back to the fold of the international community. He urged all countries to take their responsibilities in framing a safer and more peaceful world, warning against the negative impacts of the war against terrorism on democracy and human rights lest we should go back to totalitarianism.
Al-Qirbi stressed the deep-rootedness of the Yemeni-US relationship, adding that it is based on transparency and understanding of each other's interests.
He said the USA is keen in the role Yemen can play for the security and stability of the region owing to its strategic location. He pointed out that by having a good relationship with the USA, Yemen ensures good support from donor countries and the World Bank, in addition to being close to the US decision makers. Al-Qirbi stressed the importance of sorting out the Palestinian issue, which represents a key element to relieving the tension in the Mideast, leaving no justification for terrorists who misuse the Palestinian issue to carry out their barbaric acts. He said the USA along with Russia and the EU can exercise pressure on Israel to implement international resolutions.
On his part, US ambassador to Yemen, Edmund J. Hull stressed that "Without security we cannot have development and vice versa." He said that the victims of the September 11 infamy were not merely Americans but also Yemenis, highlighting the negative impacts of the attacks on the world economy, including Yemen's. He also stressed the importance of US aid to Yemen in the field of development.
Mr. Walid al-Saqqaf, Yemen Times Editor-in-chief and Ahmad Abdulghani GM of the al-Khaleej and al-Jazeerah Studies Center delivered speeches highlighting the importance of holding such a seminar.
The seminar discussed four research papers on the history of the Yemeni-US relationship, the regional dimension of this relation, what Yemen needs from US and vice versa, and the impact of the attacks on USA and Yemeni immigrants. These papers were highlighted by the participants in the seminar.


Mohammed Hatem al-Qadhi
Yemen Times

People suspected of carrying out bombings during the President's participation in the 38th anniversary of the October Revolution in Aden have been arrested, official sources said. They added that the place where the explosives, "two pieces of T.N.T," were prepared, as well as the newsshop where the explosives were kept before the operation had been identified. However, the sources have not disclosed names of the bombers and their motives. Some sources believe bombers are elements of the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army which the government claims to no longer exists.
At another level, official sources said that police in Aden have arrested a group of people charged with attempting to smuggle a shipment of 1.5 tons of drugs to Saudi Arabia via Yemeni borders. The sources added that six suspects were being interrogated. The shipment was brought in a container on a Singaporean vessel form Pakistan to Dubai and then to Aden. They said the container was brought up under the name of a phantom company in Aden, adding that raw material was imported from Afghanistan at the cost of about $ 1 billion.
The shipment has been transferred to Sana'a, and among the arrests are owners of the company.

It is certain that the terrorist attacks against Washington and New York on September 11 caused massive damage to the world economy. 411 countries have been hit by the infamy. Yemen is no exception; official sources in the Ministry of Tourism and Environment disclosed that the continuing effects of these attacks have strongly affected the tourist sector in the country. Reservations for around 60,000 tourists expected to visit Yemen during the period of September until December have been called off, making activities of tourist hotels go down to 10% only. Around 20,000 persons working in this area are now jobless. Around 2500 cars working in this sector have stopped. Over 200 handicrafts shops are not functioning.
The flights of Yemenia decreased 50%. Sources at the Ministry of Tourism said they are now looking for alternatives, such as the opportunity to have tourists from Southeast Asian countries, as well as encouraging domestic tourism. The oil sector of Yemen was also affected because of the remarkable decrease in the oil price to $19 per barrel. Yemen's revenue from oil constitutes 90% of the total national income.
Economists put the total damage to the economy due to the recent events at YR 9 billion. President Saleh previously said Yemen had lost over YR500 million. Therefore, economists believe the government should undertake a new policy to account for ongoing events.

Polish Counselor and UN representatives held a press conference at the Polish embassy building in Sana'a, Yemen on Saturday, November 3, 2001. A number of journalists and representatives of Arab and foreign news agencies and those interested in the Yemeni islands, specifically Socotra Island, attended the conference. The attendants discussed the environmental biodiversity of the island and the necessity of preserving this island, it being a strategic and wild life sanctuaries in the Republic of Yemen. The Coordinator of the United Nations, Eduardo Zandki, pointed out that the island was in dire need of infrastructure. He placed much stress on the strategic location of the island, considering it a rare area. He added that the island lacked the simplest and most basic essentials.
On July 23, 2001, an agreement was signed between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the United Nations Development Program for the provision of generators to support the "Environment, Natural Resources and Poverty Alleviation for the Population of Socotra Island in Yemen."
In accordance with this agreement, Poland will donate ten electrical generator sets to Socotra. The Polish government will also cover other expenses including supplementary equipment shipping to Socotra, on-site installation of generator rooms, training of local operators, and a one-year period of service and maintenance. The total cost of this project is reaches US$130,000.
It needs to be emphasized that for the past ten years the Republic of Poland has itself been a major recipient of international financial assistance. However, with years of successful socio-political transformations and economic reforms, as well as noticeable progress in terms of Poland's integration with the biggest European and international institutions (i.e. the European Union and the Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development), the country was able to start implementing its own, independent assistance programs addressed towards developing countries such as Yemen.

H.E. Mr. Edmund Hull, the US Ambassador to Yemen, paid a visit to the Yemen Times premises on Wednesday and toured the different departments of the newspaper.
Accompanied by the Editor-in-Chief of Yemen Times, Mr. Hull expressed his delight to be at the Yemen Times and expressed his willingness for future cooperation. The Ambassador toured the Technical, Editorial, and Translation Departments. He was given a brief description of the foundation of the newspaper and the newspaper's future ambitions.

Last week, the Yemeni government approved decisions adopted by the Supreme Yemeni Council for the Civil Service government in which 17 thousand government posts were cancelled within the framework of comprehensive administrative reforms. This reform of the facets of the administration has been being carried out by the civil service since 1990. The decisions are pertaining to 17,251 employees who receive salaries from different institutions which are against law. The government has executed its administrative reforms with regard to moonlighting. The International Bank and International Monetary Fund have supported this program since 1990.