SANAA, 21 June — Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, held talks here yesterday with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on strengthening bilateral relations as well as on major Arab and global issues, including the Middle East situation.
Speaking to reporters on arrival, Prince Sultan said he was “on a working visit to put the directives of the two leaderships into practice.” He highlighted the strong Saudi-Yemeni relations and said the two countries would work jointly in political, economic and other areas.
He said the Saudi-Yemeni Coordination Council would explore ways of promoting cooperation between the two neighbors. Prince Sultan, who is leading a high-level delegation including 14 ministers, was on his first visit to Yemen after the two countries signed a historic border treaty last June.
Prince Sultan and President Saleh will jointly inaugurate a Saudi industrial exhibition in Sanaa today. They will also attend the first meeting of the Saudi-Yemeni Business Council formed recently. A 30-member Saudi business delegation has arrived in Sanaa for talks with Yemeni businessmen on joint ventures.
Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul Qader Bajammal welcomed Prince Sultan and said his country was looking forward to establishing a partnership relation with Saudi Arabia. “I am confident, as is Prince Sultan, that we can reach full partnership,” he added. Bajammal said the border treaty had ushered in a new era in bilateral ties.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakar Al-Qurbi said the two countries maintained similar views on bilateral relations and Arab and regional issues. Referring to the issue of Yemeni labor force, he said: “We take into account the Kingdom’s current economic situation and the type of work force it requires.” However, he hoped that the Kingdom would give preference to Yemeni workers.
