[23 October 2008]

SANA'A, Oct. 23 (Saba) - President Ali Abdullah Saleh has revealed that the arrested terrorist cell approved to be linked to Israeli inelegance contacted with the Israeli former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office.

In a conversation with Egyptian TV made during his last visit to Cairo after Eid al-Fitr vacation and aired late on Wednesday, president Saleh renewed the country's attitude as a primary partner with the International community in combating terrorism.

Concerning the foreign existence in the Red Sea, Saleh disclose that Yemen holds talks with U.S., European Union, Malaysia and some countries affected by the piracy phenomenon in order to convene a conference for the countries overlooking on the Red Sea to discuss cooperation to ensure the Red Sea security and safety in addition to discuss how the international community, corporations and Arab and African leagues could contribute to reconstruct Somali state institutions.

He highlighted that the direct reason of the piracy phenomenon is disintegration of the Somali State, calling on the international institutions to contribute to restructuring Somali institutions.

"The foreign existence in the Red Sea will make nothing" the president said, "German, U.S. Dutch and French warships have been there and could not prevent pirates" he added. If the international community does not work on rebuilding Somalia, it will remain the one of the worst spots in the Horn of Africa.

On the other hand, President Saleh emphasized the deep-rooted brotherly relations between Egypt and Yemen, indicating to the Yemeni-Egyptian efforts to heal the rift among the Palestinian bothers and focusing on dialogue principle.

He also talked about the Yemeni vision to how to activate the Arab joint action and its project for an Arab Union alike to the European Union.

Regarding the Yemeni-Gulf relations, he affirmed that Yemen is a part of the Gulf Group and has already joined to some of its institutions, asserting that most of the Gulf Cooperation Council's leaders are interested in Yemen's accession to the GCC.

AF/AF


Saba