This Week, President Saleh Starts His North America Tour [Archives:2000/12/Front Page]

President Ali Abdulla Saleh is scheduled to begin a tour of North America, the first leg of which will take him to Canada on March 26, 2000, while the United States of America will be his second leg. The president’s tour comes within his continued efforts for finding many sources for consolidating Yemen’s national economy and for expanding political and economic relations with friendly countries.
President Saleh’s visit to Canada will be the longest in his tour as it would last to the end of March, after which date he would begin his U.S. visit till the 4th of next April when he would meet president Bill Clinton.
President Ali Abdulla Saleh’s visit to the U.S. acquires particular significance. The visit is to open new horizons for the Yemeni-American relations and to cement the existing partnership of the two countries in addition to expanding scopes of their joint cooperation. There are now so many U.S. investments in Yemen ranging from oil, gas and minerals areas to those of energy and other various economic and trade fields. The president is also seeking to increase opportunities of cooperation and investment in Yemen.
During his stay in the U.S., president Saleh’s talks with president Clinton will focus on bilateral relations, joint cooperation at all levels and current regional and international issues, particularly the developments of the Mideast peace process.His talks are also to tackle with developments in the African Horn and Red Sea region and to acquaint president Clinton on latest developments of Yemeni-Saudi border issue.
Saleh-Clinton talks are also to deal with discussing many international affairs and exchange of viewpoints about them. President Saleh is also to hold meetings with American secretary of state, the committee of foreign relations and many other sides.
President Ali Abdulla Saleh will leave the U.S. for the Vatican state on a first visit of its kind since the establishment of diplomatic relations with it where he is to meet Pope John Paul II. During his stay in Italy president Saleh will on April 5, 2000 open the exhibition of Yemen’s ancient civilization to be held in Rome. The exhibition includes 800 Yemeni antiquities transferred from Germany and Yemen to be on show for the Italian people and European visitors as a promotion for tourism in Yemen.
In a statement to Yemen Times the minister of culture and tourism Abdul Malik Mansour said holding the exhibition in Rome coincides with a huge Christian pilgrimage where millions of pilgrims are expected to arrive in Rome and expected to visit the Yemeni ancient civilization exhibition. He added that we hope that this occasion would encourage the exhibition visitors to come to Yemen as tourists. The exhibition will be held in Rome for six months and will be permeated with conducting various Yemeni cultural folkloric activities.
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