Almotamar.net - The British Foreign Secretary William Hague affirmed that meeting of the foreign minister of the Friends of Yemen Group in New York on Saturday shows the extent of broadness and depth of the international commitment to assist Yemen in facing the challenges, Yemen faces.

In a statement published yesterday evening by the British Foreign Office website, Hague said Yemen’s Friends agreed on taking directed arrangements displaying the support for the Yemeni government and its people in the endeavor for the achievement of stability, establishment of security and sustainable development.

The British Foreign Secretary also welcomed the Saudi offer to host another meeting in Riyadh, the beginning of 2011 to review what has been realised of progress.

The Friends of Yemen have renewed their pledge to work with Yemen’s government and the people to encounter the big challenges they are facing. The Friends Group agreed to meet again in Riyadh at the beginning of 2011 to assess what was realised of progress and launch the development plan for Yemen for the years 2011-2015.

According to what the British Foreign House website has published, the ministers of Yemen Friends Group have met in New York on 24 September 2010. The meeting assessed the progress achieved since London meeting last January and agreed on practical steps for offering future support to the reforms in Yemen and fixed the date of the second meeting in Riyadh.

The participants of the meeting welcomed Yemen’s commitment to implement programme of the International Monetary Fund IMF which has been approved recently , continuation for a lasting peace in Saada and engagement in a comprehensive national dialogue led by Yemen.

The British Foreign Secretary William Hague co-chaired the meting with the Yemeni foreign Minister Dr Abu Bakr al-Qirbi and the Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Turki.

The meeting was also attended by British minister for the Middle East Affairs Ulster Burt and minister Development Affairs Alan Duncan.

The closing communiqué of the meeting affirmed the Group’s support for Yemen’s unity security and stability and endorsed the principle of non-intervention in Yemen’s internal affairs.

The meeting praised the encouraging progress made in a number of important areas since the high-level meeting held in London last January , and agreement of the Yemeni government on the programme of the IMF as it leads to financial regulation in managing the big deficit I Yemen’s budget.

The communiqué expressed its support for arrangements aimed to carry out the IMF programme, including gradual reduction in levels of the government subsidy for fuel and realizing firm progress in negotiations of Yemen for accession to the World Trade Organisation, which they hope to be achieved by the end of 2010, announcement of ceasefire in Saada and launching the comprehensive national dialogue.

Yemen’s friends considered the national dialogue as a Yemeni process they encourage and support as it represents the best foundation for development of lasting security and stability and agreed on necessity of developing the dialogue quickly to serious discussion among the major political parties and others, tackling the issues that represented a source of conflict and difference in Yemen.

The communiqué clarified that the directed developmental plan with defined priorities for Yemen over the years 2011-2015 which goes in line with the national reform programme and planning of the government for the budget in general in the long-run, constituted necessary mechanism for channeling the donors’ contributions and allowing offering the financial support to Yemen effectively during the next five years and the meeting also welcomed the government’s commitment to making employment as an axis of its next development plan.

While the communiqué affirmed there would be big effect due to the necessary economic reforms on the poor, Yemen’s friends pledged to offer additional support to provide social protection and continuation in studying new long-term mechanisms for financing to back up Yemen’s development plan, including the establishment of Development Fund for Yemen.

Yemen’s Friends have approved establishment of an Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council states in Sana’a so that to help all donors plan, coordinate and offering assistance to Yemen more effectively and encouraged contribution to Gulf funding.

The Friends communiqué said the friends have to enhance assistance pressured to vocational and technical l training sector and supporting a programme for increasing participation of Yemeni skilled labour in the Gulf and other labour markets.

The communiqué announced the Group’s support for the Yemeni government commitment to implement the national strategy for waters and the operative law related to waters sector.

Regarding the axis of justice, security and sovereignty of the law, the meeting welcomed Qatar’s state efforts in supervising implementation of peaceful lasting settlement in Saada and that is in building on ceasefire declaration and the Doha agreement in 2008 and efforts of local peace committees.

The Friends of Yemen supported the Yemeni authority efforts in combating corruption and called for accelerating trials of corruption cases and demanded spread of justice to include all Yemeni citizens. The communiqué also welcomed commitment of the Yemeni government to continue application of recommendations of the periodical review of the council of human rights that was done in May 2009.

The communiqué said the antiterrorism strategy related to Yemen. It is a strategy including all government administrations announced in this meeting, saying it represents a strong foundation for tackling the economic, social and political reasons behind terror and extremism and that it forms a good basis for offering support by the partners and to efforts of the government for combating terror and extremism.

The communiqué considered Yemeni efforts for preparing a ten-year plan for the coast guard of Yemen and regarding the naval centre for information based in Sana’a as representing a very good example on effective cooperation between the Yemeni authority and donors and the Friends of Yemen pledged their support to enhance Yemeni security forces capabilities for protection of borders