The Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council reaffirmed that the meeting of the GCC foreign ministers with Yemen's foreign minister Dr. Abu-Bakr Abdullah Algirbi came within the distinguished fraternal relations and the deep-rooted ties binding the GCC member countries and neighboring Yemen. In a statement following the meeting, which took place earlier today, the Secretariat General said the ministers were briefed by the GCC Secretary General Abdulrahman bin Hamad Alatiyyah on the achievements in different fields between GCC states and Yemen. The ministers also listened to a report submitted by their Yemeni counterpart on the trade exchange between the two sides. Dr. Algirbi proposed the creation of additional mechanisms to finance the development projects in Yemen. On their part, the ministers promised to study the proposal and call for an international donor conference under the patronage of the GCC to forge strict plans and programs aiming at providing the necessary financing requirements for Yemen's economic, social and educational development. They underscored the importance of creating an appropriate environment to encourage local, GCC and international investment in Yemen. The ministers also urged the expansion of cooperation between Yemen and GCC, which currently covers education, health, labor, social affairs, sports and youth, to include standardization, and industrial consultations. A conference on investment in Yemen was proposed to take place sometime in the second half of 2006.
