SANAA, 8 March 2005 — Yemen reiterated yesterday its wish to join the Gulf Cooperation Council saying it’s qualified for the GCC membership.
“A full membership for Yemen in the GCC will reflect the historical ties that links it with Arab Gulf countries,” Yemen’s Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qerbi said during talks with GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiya here.
Al-Qerbi, however, acknowledged that “there are many dissimilarities between Yemen and its Gulf neighbors,” but he said discussions over those aspects should be based on “transparency and trust.”
“We realize that we face a set of obstacles that we must overcome to gain membership,” he said.
Yemen has been trying since 1996 to join the Gulf Arab forum that was established in 1981 and groups Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Yemen, located at the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is making progress in improving relations with the Gulf countries that deteriorated after Yemen backed Iraq during the invasion of Kuwait.
The GCC secretary-general told Yemeni leaders yesterday that their country should make economic legislations similar to those enforced in other Gulf countries.
At a meeting with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Attiya also asked Yemen to join the Gulf Arab Free Trade Zone and other Gulf economic bodies.
According to Yemen’s state-run Saba news agency, Saleh has instructed his government to accelerate work on making the Yemeni legislation compatible with that of other Gulf states.
