[04/February/2008]

SANA'A, Feb. 04 (Saba)- Roadmap of Yemen's integration to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has highlighted five main trends to qualify Yemen to join the GCC member states according to a scientific insight to fulfill economic integration with the Gulf countries.

These five trends could be projected as follows:

Trend of Commercial Partnership:

The roadmap affirmed the importance of strengthening frameworks of commercial partnership between Yemen and the GCC affiliate countries through focusing on realizing goals represented by setting up a free trade zone shared by Yemen and the GCC states as an introduction to Yemen inclusion to the Gulf Joint Market. It noted the main obstacles facing this move which are the weak infrastructure in Yemen and neglecting development of domestic export.

The previous trend requires Aden to be a regional commercial center which
the roadmap showed that reinforcing commercial partnership with GCC members requires supporting Yemen's efforts to make use of the Aden Free Zone (AFZ) as a regional commercial center, noting to the nature of hampers in this regard such as deficiency in institutional administration of the zone and marketing weakness. It emphasized that the Yemeni government has to take viable political procedures to overcome such difficulties.

Trend of Investment Partnership:

It is so crucial to bolster investment partnership between Yemen and the Gulf states via achieving certain goals, most important of which is utilizing the various investment opportunities in the fruitful economic sectors in the country, noting to difficulties retarding this step such as incomplete infrastructure and the feeble business environment in Yemen.

Trend of Labor Force:

For a complete and harmonized inclusion with the Gulf economies, the Yemeni labor force needs to be a part of the Gulf market. The roadmap indicated to the unavailability of surveys to determine requirements of the Gulf market and the insufficient educational outcomes of Yemeni universities and technical institutes as hinders of this trend.

Trend of Supply:

The roadmap made assertion to fill the supply gap of Yemen and execute decision of the Higher Council of December 2005 which stipulates qualifying Yemen economy to reach the lower level of development in GCC member states to enable it to surpass shortages and problems encountering preparing feasibility studies for some projects and matching foreign aids with priorities of development in the country.

Trend of Institutional Formation:

The roadmap matrix confirmed the importance of fulfilling necessities of this trend by means of procedures and decisions to be taken by both sides, Yemen and Gulf states, to form a technical committee and another parliamentary committee assigned with accelerating and updating Yemeni legal legislations to adjust them to the Gulf legal legislations.

AM/AM