Attiyah said the GCC leaders were seeking to assist Yemen's development in order to prepare it to integrate with the Gulf economies. The GCC states are Yemen's top trading partner and a major destination for Yemeni labour, he said. Attiyah said the success of last November's international donor conference in London, during which 4.7 billion dollars in aid were pledged for Yemen up to 2010, shows the benefits of cooperation between Sanaa and the GCC, which took part in organising the parley. The pledges have since gone up to five billion dollars, he added. In December 2001, Yemen finally won GCC approval to join some of the affiliates of the council -- in the fields of education, social affairs, health and sports. The GCC is made up of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
