[24 September 2007]

SANA'A, (Saba)- President Ali Abdullah Saleh convened Monday with leaders of the political parties and organizations calling them for an open and frank dialogue over all national issues and requirements of the current period in areas of policy, economy, society and development.

During the meeting, he announced an initiative to improve the political and democratic system of the country to step local authority system up to a local governance system. The initiative is represented with the following:

- Political system of governance to be entirely presidential.
- Presidency period to be five years.
- Legislative authority constitutes of two legislative rooms: the Parliament and Shura Council.
- Parliament election takes place every four years.
- Shura Council election takes place every four years.
- Local authority to be named local governing.
- Forming local police in every governorate and a general central security forces equal to arms forces.
- Taxes and internal resources to be a part of the work of local councils.
- The Supreme Commission for Elections and Referenda (SCER) to be formed according to nomination of the Higher Judiciary Council for 14 honest and competent judges to select seven out of them by the president.
- Fifteen percent of the parliamentary seats to be allocated for women.


President Saleh underlined the importance of the participation of all to present their suggestion and enrich the initiative. "We welcome all opinions and visions and what we care of is, firs and last, the interest of the country," Saleh said.

Attendance of the meeting highly valued call of President Saleh for dialogue to include all parties of the political process and civil society organizations.

They expressed discontentment with absence of the Joint Meeting Party (JMP) in the meeting and rejection of Saleh's call for dialogue for they are a part of the political system of the country which is grounded on pluralism.

The political parties and organizations leaders praised the taken procedures by the government to halt phenomenon of weapons carrying in cities and the governorates' capitals.

AM/AM

Saba