RIYADH, 15 November 2007 — Saudi Arabia and Yemen yesterday called for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff between Iran and the West. They also urged Tehran to comply with UN Security Council Resolutions 1696, 1737 and 1747 and cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In a final communiqué issued by the Saudi-Yemeni Coordination Council, the two countries emphasized that Israel must join the nuclear nonproliferation treaty and give international inspectors access to its nuclear facilities in order to keep the region free of weapons of mass destruction. The council’s 18th session in Riyadh saw the signing of several agreements to promote cooperation in education, health, fisheries, aviation and other vital areas. Saudi Arabia has agreed to finance projects worth $242 million in Yemen.
Crown Prince Sultan and Yemeni Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Mujawwar co-chaired the meeting. Sultan expressed his satisfaction over the expanding cooperation between the two countries in various fields. The meeting praised the security cooperation between the two Arab neighbors, especially in fighting terrorism and drugs. The Saudi Fund for Development has agreed to give SR375 million to finance Saudi exports to Yemen.
The Yemeni side praised Saudi Arabia for mobilizing international support for Yemen during the donors’ conference in London last November and providing generous aid of $1 billion. “This reflects the strong brotherly relations between the two countries,” the communiqué said.
Saudi Arabia has offered its support for Yemen’s accession to the World Trade Organization. The meeting also decided to remove the obstacles facing exports of one country to the other. Scholarships offered to Yemeni students at Saudi universities have been increased from 100 to 150. The council also agreed to increase the number of seats being provided to Yemeni expatriate students at Saudi universities from 20 to 50. Twenty-five Yemeni students will be given admission at Saudi technical and vocational training institutes.
The Saudi side has agreed to train Yemenis at the laboratories and research centers of the Agriculture Ministry and carry out joint surveys to combat locusts. The Kingdom has provided Yemen vehicles and equipment worth SR6 million to fight locusts. The communiqué called for joint efforts in association with UNICEF to prevent smuggling of Yemeni children to the Kingdom. Hundreds of Yemeni children are brought to Saudi Arabia by gangs in order to use them for begging.
Interior Minister Prince Naif, meanwhile, expressed the Kingdom’s readiness to employ a considerable number of Yemenis. “We’ll encourage businessmen and companies to recruit more skilled workers from Yemen,” he told reporters after a meeting with his Yemeni counterpart Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi.
Asked about infiltration of illegal aliens through the Yemeni border into the Kingdom, the prince said it was a problem for both countries. “We know that our Yemeni brothers are doing their best to end this phenomenon just as we are doing.”
Prince Naif denied press reports that there were problems on the Saudi-Yemeni border recently. “There is no problem between the two governments. Sometimes there will be problems between citizens of the two countries and it will be solved within no time.”
Prince Naif also disclosed that the investigation into a seven-member terror cell that planned to attack Ruwais prison in Jeddah was nearly completed, adding the cell included people of different nationalities.
