Mr. Sultan Al-Barakani Comments on the LDC conference [Archives:2001/25/Law & Diplomacy]

Head of the Parliamentary Panel Mr. Sultan Al Barakani participated in the LDC III conference – Brussels. As representative of the Yemeni parliament he discussed parliamentary issues in the conference and brought the Yemeni experience into light; both its merits and demerits.
In an interview with the YemenTimes he explained that most of the parliamentary discussions in the LDC III conference were about mechanisms of money flow into the country and how to manage it under the supervision of the parliament.
There were sessions in which were discussed the issue of debts and foreign funding. Mr. Barakani, told YT that the international conference concluded that to overcome problems regarding debts and corruption in LDCs the money flow into these countries will be channeled in to projects as well as for direct investments in these countries. This way, the donors themselves can supervise the money management and direct benefits of employment and development of productivity can take place in Yemen.
“The emphasis this time was on the private sector and its role in enhancing the economic situation in Yemen through investments and small projects.” He said.
Asked about the precise role of the parliament, Mr. Barakani said that it is a huge responsibility. The parliament does not have to be a copy of the government neither does it have to be opposition. It has an approving or disapproving role. “Our job is to agree or disagree with the policies of the government, in our capacity as the executive power.”
As to Yemen’s gains from the conference, he said: “Other countries such as Bangladesh, of course, benefited much more than us because they followed the recommendations of the previous conference, and made use of the international experiences they have had. Do you know that during the past 10 years they decreased poverty from 60% to 30%? This due to the follow up of such projects. The Yemeni government should do the same. They should make use of the Bangladesh experience. We have communicated our remarks on the conference to the government and to the President as soon as we reached the country. And although they showed enthusiasm and full commitment to do something, but it is a time taking process. And so far nothing has been done. One of the main projects which was put forward was exporting agricultural products of Yemen to Europe. We hope that it is implemented soon.”


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