The President’s Visit to Belgium and the European Commission: more Cooperation with Belgium and the EU promised [Archives:2000/06/Front Page]

President Ali Abdullah Saleh returned home on February 4 winding up a 4-day visit to the Kingdom of Belgium and to the European Commission. During his stay in Belgium, the President held talks with officials in Belgium and the European Commission that dealt with ways of cementing bilateral relations and exploring further areas of cooperation with Belgium and the European Union, in addition to continuing the support of the EU to development and democracy in Yemen.
Upon his arrival, President Saleh described his visit to Belgium and the European Commission as successful and fruitful, saying it opened new opportunities for developing Yemen’s relations and expanding areas of cooperation and opportunities of partnership with Belgium and the EU. The President also said that his talks dealt with all the topics related to confirming European strong support for Yemen to proceed in its democratic approach, development efforts and economic and structural reforms. President Saleh also asserted that the pluralistic democratic approach, based on the right to expression and freedom of the press and respect of human rights, encouragement of woman to take part in general and political life were received very well and seen as a hopeful sign that Yemen is following a realistic and modern orientation. Within this context, the President discussed the possibility of incorporating Yemen into one of the regional blocs in the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf or among the Mediterranean Sea countries within the framework of Barcelona, to get further access to support for the development programs in Yemen.
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