BY M. BIN SALLAM
Yemen is about the receive the first batch of five patrol boats that are part of a package of US assistance, says the interior ministry.
The boats, which have good technology, are geared to supervise Yemeni coasts.
Yemen is to receive another nine boats later on.
The USA is to take part in the establishment of the operation room at the presidency of the Coast Guard Authority in Sana'a and other sub operation rooms in Aden.
The Americans are also to help train 1,600 person of different military ranks of the Coast Guard forces.
Meanwhile, the ministry has announced plans for a new electronic survillance project in Yemeni ports through the use of modern cameras and computers, of which six cameras are in Aden port. The survillance will be round the clock on ships and boats coming in or out of the Yemeni regional water, which will lead to high level of protection for vessels and tankers.
Yemeni coastal authorities are assisted by a large number of army and helicopters. It is believed authorities will fire on any ship or boat that may inter the Yemeni regional water without previous notice.
This measure follows the boat attack on the French oiltanker Limburg, while landing near Al Mukalla port in Hadramout.

A Cost Sharing Agreement in the amount of 330,000 EURO from the government of Italy will be signed Monday 11 November 2002, between UNDP and the Italian government during a signing ceremony to be held at the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referenda (SCER) in Sana'a.
This contribution represents an important step for the preparation of the 2003 parliamentary elections and for the UNDP Electoral Support Project that was officially launched in May 2002.
The Electoral Support Project, which is implemented by UNDP aims at developing and strengthening the capacity of the SCER to organize and deliver free, fair and participatory elections in 2003 and enhance the administration and management of the electoral process. The main objectives for the initial phase of the project are:
1)Provide expert technical assistance and advice to the SCER in the preparation and conduct of the 2003 Elections.
2)Support the professional development, institutional restructuring and decentralization processes of the SCER.
3)Expand democratic participation in the electoral process, particularly for under-represented segments of the Yemeni society.
4)Ensure greater public information and awareness on the elections.

The Cost Sharing Agreement will be signed from the Italian side by H.E. Giacomo Sanfelice di Monteforte, the Italian ambassador to Yemen and from the UNDP side by Mr. James W. Rawley, the UNDP Resident Representative. The signing ceremony was attended by the Chairman of the SCER, H.E. Khaled al-Sharfi, and representatives of the UNDP Electoral Support Team.

ADEN-Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh paid a visit to the Aden Free Zone on Nov 6.
The president was received by Mr. Derhim Noaman, head of Free Zone, the executive manager for Yeminvest Company, and officials in the containers port.
The president has ordered the government to take its measures and communicate with the insurance's companies and negotiate over new insurance fees on the vessels coming into Yemen.
He described the new fees list as unjustifiable, especially after the new procedures taken by the government to insure the safety of the ships and oil tankers in Yemeni ports.
The president and officials also discussed many issues related to the progression in the free zone, and how to bring more marine companies to the zone.
He heard a detailed explanation about the Free Zone activities, considered of the biggest economic projects in Yemen.

Security authorities in Aden are still holding for about two weeks Sheikh Naji bin Abdullah al-Shaef and twenty of his followers. The authorities had asked him to go there to discuss with him demands of Dahm tribes for the pieces of lands taken and annexed to Saudi territories in the wake of the Yemen-Saudi border demarcation agreement.
Last September Sheikh al-Shaef had massed up around twenty- thousand people from Dahm tribes following their destruction of some equipment used by the company entrusted with fixing border markings in al-Yatma area of al-Jawf governorate.

BY MUJAHED AL MUSSA'ABI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Harassment of Yemen's press continued last week when the editor of Athawri newspaper was sentenced to three months in jail, with a stay of execution.
The sentence, given at the court of southwest Sana'a on Nov. 3, falls against Khalid Salman. It was filed by Brig. Mohammed Saleh Al Ahmar, a pilot and Yemen Air Force leader.
Salman was charged after publishing the story of an armed forces plane that was downed last August. Along with the story, the paper published the photo of pilot, Mohammed Al Maqaleh, who died in the incident.
"The frequent verdicts against Athawri and its reporters, and continuing cases filed by the executive authority of the Ministry of Information and Publications Attorney, adds a new political taboo against publication of stories about armed institutions," said Salman, in a press release to the Times.
"Athawri had proved with evidence and pictures the validity of what has been published about the plane story," added Salman.
The verdict against Salman adds to the media's annoyance, as it already deals with frequent press violations and constrictions.
Salman is currently making an appeal but his position is very weak, as he was jailed and paid fines in a two cases filed by ministry of information.
Meanwhile, Al Wahdawi's newspaper staff, Ali Saqqaf, Hamdi Bukari, Ahmed Saeed and Abdul Aziz Ismael were summoned by the publication attorney on Nov. 5 in Sana'a to be investigated on publishing articles targeting Saudi-Yemeni relations in its last five issues.
Sources indicate that heavy pressure has been put on the Yemeni government by the Saudi Arabian embassy in Yemen to prosecute Wahdawi for how it has handled issues regarding Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
Two newspaper organs of the ruling PGC have accused Al Wahdawi of betraying the country, and of being part of a Zionist campaign against Saudi Arabia. Al Wahdawi's case was delayed to Nov. 9.

A fieldwork has confirmed that round 3000 fishermen have been negatively affected by the latest incident of the French Oil supertanker, Limburg on 6 October.
Information resources said that the overall operating boats and vessels along the coastlines extended from the Thaghr Shehr to al-Maghalla in Hadhramout governorate have been totaling 1794.
These boats have become incapable of fishing due to the buoyant oil, which have been still floating on the seawaters. The catastrophe has killed so many of the sea animals including fish, which is considered to be one the main subsistence of the fishermen there.
The fishermen have bitterly complained about the ignorance of the bodies concerned in getting rid of the oil-contaminated waters. This has led to disappearance of the majority of the fish wealth.
According to 2001statistics that around 18 million kg. of different fish were produced at the cost of YR 800 million per a year.

Aden political security still have Sheik Ali Mutaher, a member of the Yemeni-German friendship organization, under detention.
He's been in detention for two weeks.
Mutaher was arrested while visiting Aden with his escorts and trying to meet the president.
Reasons for his arrest are still unknown.

TAIZ-The Egyptian Products Exhibition was opened in Taiz last Thursday by Taiz Deputy Governor Mohammed Al Haijem.
The exhibition is organized by Atawheed Company for exhibitions in co-operation with the Apollo international exhibitions from October 29 to November 9.
"The exhibition's purpose is to develop the trade exchange between Yemen and Egypt and inform Yemeni consumers about our products. I can tell you that the trade exchange has increased about 30 per cent from the last year, and we are interested in buying Yemeni products like fresh fish and canned fish," said Abdulwahab Mohammed, head of the commercial office in the Egyptian Embassy.
"Holding such exhibitions is geared to open new markets for the Egyptian products in Yemen. This is the first exhibition in Taiz with the participation of 36 Egyptian companies, and it includes household products, clothes, shoes, comics, electronics, and furnishings.
There is also some musical shows of Egyptian folklore performed by an Apollo band for Egyptian popular arts," said Adel Khaleel, of the Exhibition organizing company. It is worth mentioning that the first Egyptian exhibition held in Yemen was in 1995 and was duplicated every year.

BY FAHMIA AL FOTIH
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Helping Yemen, and the broader Arab world, get up to speed with 21st century information technology was the topic of a recent two-day conference.
"We live in a technology era in which everything is done quickly, especially information. We cannot deny that we live in a globalization age, so the information of this day will already be history tomorrow," said Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, the vice-president, who attended the conference.
In the opening session on Nov. 3, Hadi, gave speech in which he concentrated on the importance of having national strategy for information under the speedy development in information field. He pointed out that if we want to have an integrated information system, the ministries and institutions have to work together with the National Information Center.
Representatives from different ministries and governmental devices as well as various interested private companies and institutions participated in the conference.
Abdual Kareem Shamsan, chairman of the center, expressed his happiness for the good attendance from different sectors, and government support.
"Today we remember our first walk in the information field, that it's featured by President Ali Abduallah Saleh's vision which inspires us with confidence in success," he said.
"We are passing in important phase in which the information webs, electronics and latest developments are the essential trait at present. The information is a national heritage that we all have to cooperatively develop," he said.
He also warned not to blindly imitate some other countries experiences without looking at the technological differences. The next day a discussing session was opened to give participants a chance to comment on which participants they appreciated, to help move toward a national strategy.
Taking all comments and criticism into consideration, the National Information Center decided to improve and develop the contents of the National Strategy Version to definitely will be an essential base.
It decided the national center should form a committee representing all the interested and concerned sides.
And it also noted the importance of putting legislation in the information field, and seeking a unified Arabic information strategy.

In order to support the reproductive health project in Dhamar, a $5 million agreement was signed last week between the government of Yemen represented by the Ministry of Public Health and Population and the government of Holland represented by the Dutch Embassy here in Sana'a.
The new project involves 4 districts, and will wind up in 2005. The new project will improve and enhance the activities of the reproductive health in the government along with raising awareness of health problems.
The signing ceremony was attended by Dr. Abdunnaser al-Munaiberi, the health minister, and the development program representative at the Dutch Embassy in Sana'a, Martin Diblamin.

About 100 attended the launch of the British Yemeni Alumni Association last week.
The new association includes Yemeni students who have graduated from UK universities. It's part of the Yemeni British Friendship Association.
The inauguration ceremony took place at the British ambassador residence in Sana'a in which memberships cards were issued. Films on Muslims in Britain and the Queen of Sheba were shown. The event was organized by the British Council and the British Embassy in Sana'a.

British Ambassador to Yemen Francis Guy has denied any change in her government's policy in treating Muslims or Arabs after the September 11 attacks.
They are enjoying their full freedom and rights, she said.
"Muslim students are shifting to study in Britain after America's stricter regulations on Muslims after the September 11 attacks," said Gay.
She also repeated her government's denial to hand over Abu Al Hamza Al Masri to the Yemeni authorities due to the British nationality he carries.
She said that he must be tried in front of the British judiciary on his possible participation in terrorist acts.
The statements of the ambassador came during her participation in the training of university students on human rights held in Taiz from Oct. 25 to 31.
Among the course activities was showing a documentary film on the 1.5 million Muslims in Britain.
The film showed that the first Muslim community arrived in Britain in the 18th century. It was a group of tradesmen, and the first mosque was established in 1930 by Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al Hakimi.
Many persons spoke in the film and denounced the distorted image of Muslims reflected in the Western media and the effect of Islamic art in Britain. It assures that the British library contains the best collection of Islamic manuscripts in the world. The film indicated that there is about 3,000 scripts and 150,000 books collected from all over the Islamic world.

BY MUJAHED AL MUSSA'ABI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
The Urban Cultural Heritage Program (UCHP) organized the closing ceremony of its two-month awareness campaign on November 3 at the Yemeni Cultural Center in Sana'a.
In the closing ceremony, speeches were delivered, including by En. Ali Oshaish, who announced the end of the closing the awareness campaign but not the awareness activities.
He pointed out that the UCHP has long term activities to raise the public awareness on the importance of the cultural heritage.
Another speech was delivered by Helmut Gosskreutz, director of the GTZ who assisted the UCHP in implementing awareness activities in Shibam, Sayoun, Tareem, Al-Qatn in Hadramout.
Hussein Al-Wali, deputy minister of public works and Urban development, stressed on the importance of the cooperation to best preserve the cultural heritage of Yemen.
The ceremony included a puppet show "the old house," religious singing from a group from Zabid, Al Ahqaf dancing group from Hadramout and dancing group from Sana'a.
The UCHP photo competition winners were also announced and prizes were delivered. The first prize was screened.
Second winner was Mr. Mohammed Ali Al -Simah, third winner was Mohammed Abdullah Al Junaid, forth winner was Nabil Ali Mansusor, fifth winner was Boris Allard, the sixth winner, Abdulkader Hussein Naji, seventh winner Khaled Ahmed Al Sufyani, eighth winner Mohammed Salem, ninth winner Mudad Ali Akhlan and the last winner was Sa'ad Suliman Haroon.

MOHAMMED BIN SALLAM
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Najat Abdu Al Zuheiri, chairwoman of the French organization Link, says Yemeni officials need to do a better job allowing humanitarian aid to help Yemen's children.
The French organization which is representing Najat has sent various medicines and aids as a gift to the Yemeni children, particularly for those disabled, who were provided with equipment such as that in Athawra Hospital in Sana'a.
But Najat claims that Air Yemeni has recently not co-operated.
She said she felt disappointed over Air Yemenia for refusing to carry these medicines to Yemen, in spite of the clear instructions given by Yemen's public health minister.
"We face a lot of difficulties. Firstly, we have to convince each citizen that Yemen is not a castle of terrorists, and secondly we have to draw the attention of the Yemenia and Embassy of Yemen to help their country," said Najat.
"Link will come on August 2003 to bring medicines to Aden, Sana'a and Mukalla and in the future, bring the Yemeni children for surgeries in France," she said.
It's been 10 years since Najat, of Yemeni origin, began helping the underprivileged people, and taken an interest in the Arab world.
Najat worked for the French cultural center in Yemen before the 11th of September. She went to Palestine twice for peace workshops with Israeli organizations and French minister.
She also worked in the Arabic World Institute in Paris in the Department of Meetings and Lectures.