Almotamar.net - The Session 11 of the Regional Organisation for Protection of the Red Sea and Aden Gulf Environment Council honoured in the city of Mukalla Thursday Mr Abdulqader Bajammal, advisor to the President of the Republic, the Secretary General of the General People's Congress (GPC) and Dr Balqis Uthman al-Ashaa, Senior Researcher in the Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources in Sudan for winning the international award of Earth Champions for the year 2008, among seven international personalities who had their tangible imprints on environment protection.

The 11th ministerial meting of the organisation began its opening session Thursday, chaired by Eng. Faris al-Junaidi, Secretary General at the Environment Ministry of Jordan on behalf of Eng. Khalid al-Irani from Jordan.

Abdulqader Bajammal praised the role played by the Regional Organisation for Protection of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Environment, expressing of his pride for his being granted the Earth Champions Award and said," This award, as much as it is an honour for my country and a great honour for me, it is an honour for all who take part in the work for the protection of the environment and raise its status and importance in Yemen, particularly that Yemen occupies an important position in the environmental course because in its geographical situation it embraces the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea." He added that this great responsibility makes Yemen and its people shoulder a regional responsibility and major role besides all the members in this organisation.

Mr Bajammal pointed out that Yemen has observed the importance of environment when the border problem with Eritrea was provoked especially that he two countries are situated on am important waterway for transporting oil shipments to Europe and America and therefore Yemen did not behave according to reaction but there was a resorting to the international arbitration to stave off a big pollution that could have happened if the war had erupted between the two countries.

He said the Yemeni coasts extending from the Saudi sea borders to the borders of Oman Sultanate have been secured through signing two border demarcation treaties and securing the coasts with Saudi Arabia and Oman and at the present time Yemen is working for securing the coasts with the Republic of Djibouti.

On his part, Eng. Abdulranman Fadhl al-Eryany, Yemen's minister of waters and environment, affirmed that the meeting would contribute to enhance the regional cooperation and the importance of the environment role in cementing the Arab ties and the ever endeavour towards the achievement of the strategy of the regional security for the countries of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Council of the Regional Organisation for Protection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden Environment announced the declaration of the Red Sea a special region and commitment of the Council members; Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Somalia and Djibouti, to continue efforts and regional cooperation and adoption of the necessary resolutions for the activation of the Declaration of the Red Sea as a Special Region.

The closing statement of the meeting gave prominence to the special status of the Red Sea as an important reservoir of biodiversity in the world.