By: Nabil Abdul-Rab - SANA'A, (Almotamar.net) - Following a discussion involving notes in the presence of government, the Parliament-Shoura joint meeting held today has approved the third Five-Year Development Plan for 2006-2010.

Abdul-Qader Bajammal, who chaired the meeting, denied that reviewing the Plan would serve publicity purposes as alleged by opposition member MP Sultan al-Otwani. Bajammal made it clear implementing the Plan entails public efforts at the economic, social, cultural, and political levels.

The industrial growth, on which the Plan is based, can direct development nowadays, and that there are still agricultural obstacles due to water shortage in the country, Bajammal added.

Bajammal further noted that the Plan aims to increase the growth rate by 7.1 percent, but the increase in deposit account gives more opportunities for financing the Plan, in addition to gas and oil revenues expected to see a rise in prices during 2006-2010.

Other members expressed their views on the Plan. Shoura Council member Fatima Mohammed said the Plan didn't tackle steps of surmounting obstacles that hinder women participation in various fields. Women are no longer satisfied with the current situation, and that they will represent 55 percent of the population by the end of the Plan, she noted.

Former MP and Minister Ahmed Sufan objected to the Shoura-Parliament recommendation that obligates the government to present annual report on the Plan's achievements, which violates the constitutional specializations of the Shoura-Parliament joint meeting.

According to Sufan, the Parliament can review the Plan and evaluate it through the State's annual budget, which is one of tools to implement the Plan.
Some members of the Parliament and Shoura Council criticized the Plan didn't not care adequately for tourism sector and vocational and technical education.

Opposition member MP Abdul-Karim Shaiban said the Plan has not been based on the local reality. His colleague Mohammed al-Qubati added the Plan has ignored issues related to unemployment, poverty, corruption, and that the last Plan failed to reduce such phenomena.