German Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Joschka Fischer arrives in Sanaa tomorrow, Tuesday 9th February, on a one-day official visit to Yemen. The visit is intended to further strengthen the strong and unique relations between the two countries.

This visit is expected to ensure that the latest kidnapping and violent incidents will not in any way affect the excellent relations between Yemen and Germany.
The German Foreign Minister will meet top ranking Yemeni officials including the Foreign Minister, Prime Minister, and the President to discuss matters of mutual interest. The Foreign Minister is also expected to discuss continued cooperation with Yemen in regards to the importance of the sustained commitment by the Sanaa authorities for democratization, press freedom, respect for human rights, and political pluralism.

Mr. Fischer, whose country now has the European presidency, is expected to bring up the present misunderstanding clouding UK-Yemeni relations. However, it is not clear how much deeper he will go into the issue.
The minister, who belongs to the Green Party, is also expected during his visit to emphasize on the need for responsible world policies in fighting pollution, refugees and drug-trafficking.

It is known that Germany is one of the top aid partners of the Republic of Yemen, donating an average annual aid package of over US$ 30 million. Besides its significant aid to Yemen, Germany is also a strong supporter of the democratic reforms Yemen has gone through in the last few years.

 

On a sad Sunday, King Hussein of Jordan left us for good. On this event, President Ali Abdullah Saleh immediately flew to Amman to attend the Funeral which will also be attended by at least 40 heads of states. King Hussein was among the most beloved Arab leaders in modern time. His influence on peace in the Middle East was significant, and his efforts were tremendous. H.M. King Abdullah, the elder son of King Hussein will succeed his father in ruling the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
As the Yemen Times, with all regret and sorrow we present our condolence to the Royal Hashemite Jordanian Family, to the Jordanian people, to all Arabs, and to the whole world on the death of the beloved King Hussein, who will always stay in our hearts..

 

On February 2nd, 1999, in response to a joint effort by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and the Yemen Times, 62 representatives of the tourist industry in Yemen met to discuss the present predicament of the sector, and what can be done. The group representing the airlines, tour operators, hotels, restaurants, artisans, etc., took decisions to shore up the business.

The most important among these is the establishment of a Tourism Promotion Board. The board is chaired by the minister. In its membership are included five representatives of government bodies concerned with tourism. Also included are 21 representatives of private businesses.
Another important decision has to do with the establishment of a Tourism Promotion Fund. The Fund, which is expected to spend US$ 2.5 million during 1999 alone, has approved a budget for its plan which includes the following foreign-oriented activities
1. Allocation of YR 105 million to participate in international fairs.
2. YR 30 million to produce a touristic film on Yemen.
3. YR 18 million for media campaigns to counter negative reporting.
4. YR 14 million to participate in regional and international tourism conferences and gatherings.
5.YR 11 million to invite tour operators, travel editors and other relevant professionals from Australia, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands.
6. YR 7 million to issue brochures and other booklets on Yemen in 5 languages.
7. YR 4.2 million to sponsor Yemen Weeks in Britain, France, Germany and Italy.
8. YR 4.2 million to organize seminars and talks on Yemen in the tourists' home countries.
9.The Board has also initiated a number of actions within Yemen to help improve security, cleanliness, and general public awareness of the benefits of tourism.
The sudden alliance between the media, business and NGOs - as a result of the Yemen Times initiative - has brought pressure to bear on the authorities to shape and regain leadership in finding solutions to the deterioration in the tourism industry.

 

Mr. Keith Vaz, Member of the House of Commons, arrives in Yemen today, February 8th, in a damage control bid to limit the fallout which resulted from the recent terrorist activities purported by UK nationals as alleged by the Yemeni authorities. Tension between London and Sanaa is already high.
Mr. Vaz is most suitable for the job for many reasons. Firstly, having been born in Aden, he has a certain affinity and feeling for the place. Secondly, he has already visited Yemen several times in an effort to promote Yemeni-UK ties and cooperation. Thirdly, he has a large oriental bloc in his Leicester East constituency which demands that he intervene on behalf of the five Britons.
His visit program calls for meetings with senior Yemeni officials and opinion-makers.