Al-Shoura [Archives:2003/638/Press Review]

25 May 2003
Main headlines:
– Al-Biedh and al-Attas to meet president Saleh in UAE
– Three students arrested in Sa'ada on charges of hostility to America
– Fears of big terrorist act targeting Americans in Yemen, expected
– Rally in solidarity with al-Mouayad and al-Heela
– A two-month truce between al-Hassan and Al-Nasser
– On Sana'a-Huseida road 1000 truck drivers on strike
Columnist Rasid al-Shadadi says in an article that since 1990 up till now the successive government have been raising the slogan of economic reform as a means for tackling structural failures and implementation of the financial and administrative program. When Bajamal's first government came in April 2001 and then his new government of last May, the premonition of improving the general economic performance remained far-fetched while the successive economic policies continued causing harm to people and the gross domestic product.
It is to be noted that accumulation of negative aspects of the economic and financial reform has led to the existence of hot economic files facing Bajammal's second government, the most outstanding of these files are:
– controlling price rates of commodities, consumer goods and imported goods and restoration of currency price stability,
– curbing the rate of inflation that exceeded 10% last year and expected to rise to 12% at the end of the present year,
– completing the building of what remains of the infrastructure of the free and industrial zone in Aden,
– treating the existing administrative and financial paralysis in the financial departments and controlling purchases items, stores and travels abroad,
– reducing the proportion of indebtedness and its interests and also to follow a policy of borrowing to tackle problems of floundering projects.
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