SANA'A, March 15 (Saba) – Minister of Industry and Trade Yahya al-Mutawakil affirmed on Monday that Yemen has reached an advanced stage in the completion of requirements of accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

At a meeting of the National Committee for negotiation with the WTO, attended by Head of the working team on Yemen accession to the WTO and Head of Joining Department at the WTO, al-Mutawakil noted the strategic dimension of Yemen joining to the WTO.

He confirmed Yemen's keenness to benefit from the privileges and facilities granted by the organization for the least developed countries.

Meanwhile ,al-Mutawakil stressed on the importance of availing, during this stage, from the clear international support to accelerate the accession of Yemen to the WTO, especially as the negotiations gaps have become limited in a small scale.

For his part, Head of the working team on Yemen accession to the WTO renewed his keenness on Yemen joining to the WTO in the near future.

In this regard, he pointed to the attention of many countries to the accession of Yemen to the organization, which was clearly evident at the 7th meeting of the working team on Yemen accession to the WTO, held last January in Geneva.

He considered Yemen's accession an important indication of the compatibility of its legislations with the 153 WTO member countries, a matter which would contribute to attracting investments and enhancing the confidence of investors in Yemen trade system.

The National Committee members presented, during the meeting, a number of inquiries and observations on the accession, and the technical assistance provided to Yemen as one of the least developed countries, in addition to the transitional period, which Yemen will get after the accession.

BA