Sana'a, (SANA) – Meetings of the Syrian-Yemeni Joint Higher Committee kicked off on Saturday, co-chaired by Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Ottri and his Yemeni counterpart Dr. Ali Mohammad Mujawar.

In a speech, Prime Minister Ottri affirmed that both sides look forward to improve Syrian-Yemeni cooperation relations in fields of development, economy, trade, culture, services and more.

Ottri stressed that the bonds between the two countries motivate them to work hard and take the necessary steps to achieve economic coordination and integration, increase trade exchange, improve the role of the businessmen council, and encourage investors to establish development and investment projects in both countries.

Ottri pointed out to the regional situation, affirming that Syria adheres to its national stances and calls for dialogue as means to solve disputes. He renewed Syria's support of the Yemeni Initiative for Palestinian national reconciliation. He also touched on the situation in Iraq, stressing the need to preserve its identity and integrity of land and people, in addition to underlining Syria's commitment to achieving consensus in Lebanon through dialogue and the Arab League initiative.

The Prime Minister pointed out to the developments in bilateral cooperation between Syria and Yemen that were achieved by the previous meeting of the Joint Higher Committee in 2007, and that the current meeting in Sana'a will continue discussing important issues and review aspects of cooperation between the two countries.

Ottri concluded by underlining the need to carry out signed agreements and signing new agreements in the fields of economy, trade, irrigation, agriculture, health, environment, tourism, roadwork, transport, finances, banking, customs, education, media, sport, petroleum, gas, electric energy and other fields.

For his part, Yemeni Premier Mujawar pointed out that the possibilities of cooperation between the two countries are big and diverse and that regional and international circumstances call for intensifying cooperation and common work. He stressed that the meeting of the Higher Council show the development of bilateral relation between the two countries.

Mujawar affirmed the need for regular meetings to bolster cooperation, underlining the importance of the private sector's participation through establishing joint trade and investment companies. He also stressed the importance of establishing a marine transport line between Yemen, Syria, Jordan and other countries in the region.

In closing, Mujawar added that there is agreement between Yemeni and Syrian viewpoints regarding Arab, regional and international issues, and that Yemen supports all efforts for establishing security and peace in the Middle East.

Later, heads of the Preliminary Committee reviewed issues and subjects which were discussed during the Committee's earlier meetings and the meetings of related specialized committees which evaluated cooperation relations and discussed means to develop them and overcome difficulties. They also reviewed documents, projects, agreements and memos that were prepared in order to be signed at the end of the Joint Higher Committee's meetings.

The two sides then discussed cooperation relations between the two countries, stressing the need to bolster these relations through meetings of follow-up committees every three months. They discussed the need to increase trade exchange of food, medical, industrial and agricultural goods and the required developments in transport services for this. They also affirmed the importance of participating in expos and exchanging expertise, in addition to discussing the possibility of Syrian companies participating in the construction process and development project in Yemen.

H. Sabbagh / Ghossoun