SANAA, 14 August 2003 — Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday said his country’s exports to Saudi Arabia have been at a standstill due to problems caused mainly by unfair coverage of Saudi-Yemeni affairs in the Yemeni press.
In a speech before officials of the Agricultural Associations Federation, Saleh said: “Some of our products are being prevented from entering some of the neighboring countries (but) those countries have nothing to do with that.”
“Unfortunately, the problem is internal. Some careless (Yemeni) journalists, either in the official or independent press, are harming Yemen’s interests,” he added in the speech, which was broadcast on state-run television.
“Our products are being prevented from entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. That was a result of biased coverage by the (official) Ath-Thawra newspaper and some of the partisan newspapers,” Saleh said.
He condemned the “careless writers who cannot handle their responsibility and damage their country’s interests.”
Saleh did not give further details.
Senior Yemeni officials told Arab News yesterday that a separate section at the General Investment Authority had been set up to solve the problems of exports to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi-Yemeni bilateral trade stood at 57.8 billion Yemeni rials ($324.7 million) in 2002. Saudi exports to Yemen totaled 36.5 billion Yemeni rials ($205 million) in the same year, while Yemen’s deficit from trade with Saudi Arabia was estimated at 15.2 billion Yemeni rials ($85.4 million).
