Symposium on “Yemen: From Cooperation to Partnership” concludes [Archives:2006/946/Front Page]
By:Mohamed bin Sallam
SANA'A, May 14 ) The 26 September weekly organized Sunday a symposium on “Yemen: From Cooperation to Partnership” at the Newspaper's premises. The event was held under the patronage of Dr. Abdukarim Al-Iryani and in the presence of more than 20 ministers and foreign ambassadors to Yemen.
Inaugurating the symposium, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi affirmed the Yemeni diplomacy led by President Ali Abdullah Saleh for the past 28 years reached commendable achievements at the Arab and Islamic levels.
Political Advisor to President of the Republic Dr. Abdulkarim Al-Eryani emphasized what has been achieved by Yemen in improving its external relations and shifting from cooperation into partnership made of its external policy a typical example for other countries in the region and worldwide.
“Agreements Yemen signed with many countries transforming relations from cooperation into real partnership in economic, cultural and political areas without any beforehand conditions are the most prominent evidence of Yemen's successful policies,” Al-Eryani said.
He mentioned the 26 September weekly selected a good title for this year's symposium in line with the strategic goal of Yemeni partnership reflected by the country's moves toward GCC entry. The goal gained more significance following the historic decision reached by the latest Gulf Summit concerning Yemen's admission to the GCC.
“Qualifying Yemen for GCC admission encourages us to improve our systems to be like those of the other Arab countries without any harm to the national interest as the partnership is based on joint interests,” Al-Eryani stated. “So we have to form the technical and legal committees to make any necessary amendments prior to Yemen's admission to the GCC to avoid any expected confusions.”
According to Al-Qirbi, the Yemeni diplomacy tackled many infringements and violations and made available a register of successful accomplishments at the national level and internationally.
Al-Qirbi pointed out that Yemen reached good achievements in settling border disputes with its neighbors and transforming borders into bridges of love, peace, cooperation and partnership via its wise policies.
“Evidence and facts of Yemen's accomplishments, even after the 11/9 Terrorist Attack on the U.S., helped the country's external policies to score success. Such policies proved that they are able to settle any issues and help the country avoid any problems and be a primary ally in fighting terrorism. Yemen's external policies enhanced the country's stance when it opposed the U.S.-led war against Iraq,” Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates added.
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He said Yemen took the initiative to create partnership with the neighboring countries and progressed toward Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) entry. “Yemen's wise policies helped it to establish the Sana'a Congregation and leave certifiable fingerprints in reforming the Arab League,” the official noted.
Chaired by Minister of Information Hassan Al-Lawzi, the symposium discussed various themes including “Yemeni diplomacy: transformations and successes over the past 16 years”, as well as Yemen's efforts to enhance the joint Arab solidarity.
The third and fourth themes concentrated on Yemen and the GCC and Sana'a Congregation for cooperation as an important step toward stability in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. Themes No. 5 and 6 discussed Yemen and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and Yemen's political system's development and its relation with security and stability.
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