[21 September 2007]

SANA'A,  (Saba)- Deputy Premier for Economic Affairs, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdul-Karim al-Arhabi met on Thursday with the European Union ambassador to Jordan Patrick Renauld and reviewed with him the existing cooperation aspects between Yemen and the EU and means of boosting and cementing them to achieve joint aspirations, expressed in the results of the Yemeni-European committee meetings which were held at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels in the end of 2006.

He hailed the EU's interest to strengthen and improve its existing and future ties with Yemen.

Al-Arhabi expressed the government appreciation for the European Union and Commission's initiative to start a full diplomatic representation in Yemen next year.

He also praised the EU concern to support Yemeni unabated efforts to merge with the Gulf Cooperation Council by 2015.

On the other hand, al-Arhabi met with each of UNDP representative to Sana'a, Flavia Pansieri, and director of World Bank Office in Sana'a, Mustafa Rones, in which talks were centered over a number of issues concerning the existing cooperation relations between Yemen and the UNDP and WB.

The meeting dealt with developments related to implementation of the Third Five Year Development Plan (TFYDP) and following-up allocations pledged by the donors in London Donors Conference, held in November 2006.

Al-Arhabi stressed the importance of donor countries' commitment to fulfilling their promised financial allocations by the deadline of December 2007 to enable the Yemeni government to implement developmental projects included in the TFYDP.

NN/AM

Saba