Yemen and Lebanon inked 11 bilateral economic cooperation agreements on Sunday at the conclusion of a two-day visit to Sana'a by Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, according to dpa. The pacts covered cooperation on trade, education, vocational training, fisheries, sport, tourism, labour affairs, banking and legal affairs, Yemen's official Saba news agency reported. Saba said the two countries also agreed to set up a joint ministerial committee to facilitate trade and investment cooperation, and a council for Yemeni and Lebanese businessmen. Siniora held talks with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Prime Minister Ali Mujawar centred on strengthening economic ties between the two countries, the agency said. In remarks after talks with his Yemeni counterpart, the Lebanese premier highlighted the need to further facilitate the bilateral trade exchange that stands at around 15 million dollars. "We need to facilitate mutual trade and to predict import and export opportunities as well as industrial potentials between our two countries," Siniora said. On his part, Mujawar underlined his government's drive to expand the role of private sector in bolstering trade cooperation. "The private sector has to play a key role in boosting bilateral economic and investment relations," Mujawar said. During the visit, Siniora was accompanied by ministers of foreign affairs, health and tourism, alongside with a business delegation.
