[27/June/2009]
By: Mahmoud Assamiee

SANA'A, June, 27 (Saba)-The Ninth Meeting of Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) agreed on supporting Yemen's initiative to establish regional anti-piracy center in Yemen.

The IOR-ARC's week-long meetings discussed means of enhancing trade cooperation between member states and the association's action plan for the four years to come.

They also discussed combating piracy, signing treaties to enhance and protecting investments in the region and establishing regional fishing grounds in addition to quarantine, activating tourism and requirements of developments between member states.

The member states welcomed UAE's initiative to host headquarter for the international agency for renewable energy under the current conditions of global warming and climate change and the role of the agency to reduce effects of the phenomenon.

The association commenced its activities by holding the fifteenth meeting of IOR-ARC Academic Group last Saturday.

The meeting started by preliminary meeting of the Movable University (it is unreal university without no real location but working on exchange experiences between universities of countries overlooking the Indian Ocean). The meeting discussed issues related to cultural cooperation between the member states.

The meeting of the group comprising of delegates from India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Sultanate of Oman, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Yemen was chaired by Dr, Charandasi from India.

The meeting discussed the past report of the group held in Islamic Republic of Iran in 2008, amendments on the group's constitution, academic issues, cooperation between member states, natural disasters, marine transport, science and technology, protecting environment and issues relating to Indian Ocean.

While the Fifteenth Meeting of IOR-ARC held on Tuesday discussed four topics started by academic system, businessmen's forum, business group of trade and investment.

The meeting was chaired by Minister of Industry and Trade Yahya al-Mutawakel who said Yemen has raised piracy issue to be discussed in the association's agenda.

"The meeting has discussed difficulties and issues facing the region among of them epidemics. Yemen wanted by chairing this meeting to make use of role of small institutions to enhance economic growth, limit poverty and employment and creating work opportunities," said al-Mutawakel.

He said utilizing fishery wealth in the Indian Ocean, investments and trade and making use of encouraging investment between member countries are highlighted in the meeting. "There are treaties to be signed to encourage and protect investment."

Concerning piracy, al Mutawakel said sorrowfully this issue was not highlighted despite existing warships in Indian Ocean and the Arab Sea. "This problem does not only a threat to the immediate neighboring countries to the Gulf of Aden but a direct problem for all countries on the Indian Ocean rim," said al-Mutawakel.

He stated that the project of establishing a regional center for exchanging information on piracy in Yemen has been approved by countries overlooking the Indian Ocean.

Over question on Yemen's benefit of holding this conference here, al-Mutawakel said the regional groupings come to enhance trade and investment exchanging as well as limiting difficulties and obstacles created by globalization given that all countries included in the association are developing countries.

Meanwhile, IOR-ARC's Executive Director Murteza Sarmadi said these meetings highlighted issues related to trade and investment. In this context, we discussed how we can promote fisheries and how we can promote cooperation between member states. We can start implementation of some projects and create a momentum between member states to become more involved in trade between them.

The 11th meeting of senior officials from the member states of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) continued on Wednesday, with the participants discussing some proposals and initiatives including a Yemeni initiative to set up a regional maritime center, which will mainly contribute to combat piracy off Somalia.

The participating delegations announced their countries' support for Yemen's effort to tackle piracy, affirming the phenomenon is threatening the interests of all countries.

The meeting, chaired by Yemen, also dealt with other proposals including one suggesting that Foreign Ministers of the IOR-ARC meet on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The second was that senior officials from the IOR-ARC hold a second annual meeting ahead of the primary meeting.

The two proposals are aimed at enhancing the work of the organization to achieve its goals for the interest of the member states.

A sub-committee of finance of the IOR-ARC was raised at the meeting, with the participating delegations confirming their approval for the committee formation.

The committee comprises of Yemen, chair, and Iran, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and the Republic of Mauritius as members.

The participants also dealt with the request of Philippines concerning the accession to the association. They initially accepted the request, which was submitted during Iran's chairmanship, but they said Philippines should confirm its request.

In the meeting, the UAE delegation said their country is looking forward to looking into a wish to establish a regional renewable energy center in the United Arab Emirates.

All the proposals would be submitted the 9th meeting of Foreign Ministers of the members states of IOR-ARC which would be held on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the meeting discussed reports prepared during the previous proceedings focusing on mechanisms to promote cooperation among the member states.

The reports emphasized on areas such as information, education, fish, trade exchange, and transport as well as combating piracy off Somalia.

The countries also agreed to share information about the H1N1 pandemic in addition to swapping expertise in various fields.

During the meeting, Yemen was handed over the chairmanship of the session from Iran which held the rotating presidency for the last three years.

For his part, First Deputy Foreign Minister Muhyiadding Adhubi said meetings of senior officials have discussed all studies, recommendations and reports issued specialized committees of investments, academics and other working groups.

These recommendations have been presented and suitable decisions regarding them have been taken. All member states affirmed activating role and activities of the association to serve its member states. Yemen presented a paper on piracy and all member states have agreed on supporting Yemen's efforts in fighting piracy and establishing a regional center in Yemen for this regard.

Among other topics discussed in the meeting are activating important studies in many fields like tourism, marine transport between these countries and activating them to serve economic cooperation.

On Thursday June 25, Prime Minister Ali Mujawar inaugurated activities of the Ninth Ministerial Meeting of Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC).

Mujawar, who expressed happiness to open this conference, argued participants to come out with treaty of trade between member states in the association and a treaty to establish a council for cooperation in field of marine transport and establishing a center for technological exchange between the countries in the region as well as a center for studying fishery wealth.

"Delaying or slowdown in carrying out cooperation projects and partnership will cost you precious time to enhance cooperation and partnership between them," he said, calling to make Sana'a meeting an embarking point for joint work and real activation to the organization.

"This meeting… comes in a time during which the world is witnessing financial crises raging global economies and its effects reach every country. What is pleasing is that effects of the crisis (on our countries) are much lesser than on big industrial countries," Mujawar indicated.

He touched upon challenges facing states of the association because of piracy comes from Somali coasts and threatens marine lines in western Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the south of the Red Sea. It led to existence of warships from European and Asian countries to face piracy and protect trade ships.

He talked about Yemen's efforts, despite its limited potentials, in protecting marine lines and effort when thwarted a number of piracy's endeavors. He called the international community and member states of the IOR-ARC to support Yemen to build its coast guards and contribute of costs of receiving refugees via choosing Yemen as regional center for coordination efforts of combating piracy.

For his part, Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi reviewed role played by Ports of Mocha and Mukalla in receiving and exporting goods to different countries in the world. This encouraged Yemen to improve its ports overlooking the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.


"Yemen gives Aden Gulf and the Red Seas' security and stability special concern in its strategies to ensure easiness of marine trade activity," said al-Qirbi. " This imposed on Yemen to carry on shoulders responsibility to protect international maritime in the Arab Sea and the Gulf of Aden, combating piracy and working on restoring Somali peace and stability as the real solution to piracy."

He added that piracy and its effects on international trade require integration of regional and international efforts to eradicating it and coordination with regional countries not to affect fishermen and legal maritime.

He indicated that Yemen presented a project to establish a center to combat piracy in Aden, Mukalla and Hudeidah in purpose of coordinating efforts of combating piracy and directing information to ships could face pirates, affirming that Yemen depends on support of regional countries in this purpose.

For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, the outgoing chairman of the association's ministerial council talked about strategic locations of countries overlooking the Indian Ocean, promotion of economic and cultural cooperation and protecting the wealth of the Indian Ocean and utilizing it well.

He also reviewed his country's efforts while presiding over the association's eighth ministerial meeting last year. He also tackled about the efforts of the association for the past three years.

Then Iranian Foreign Minister handed over the presidency of the Ninth Ministerial Meeting of IOR-ARC to Yemen and chaired by Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi.

Al-Qirbi started the secession by standing for a minute of silence over the death of the head delegation of Sri Lanka who was found died in the hotel he was residing in during his participation in the conference. The meeting discussed comments and recommendations of the participating delegations.

The IOR- ARC was established in 1997 for boosting economic, scientific and cultural cooperation between states overlooking the Indian Ocean.

The Member states include Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, the Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. China, Egypt, France, Japan and the United Kingdom are dialogue partners, while the Indian Ocean Tourism Organization is an observer.