almotamar.net - SANAA-Yemen�s minister of planning and international cooperation said his country needs $ 48 billion to be able to reach goals of the third millennium of development, clarifying that the size of the financial gap to attain goals of the millennium amounts to $ 17 billion.

Minister Abdulkarim Ismael al-Arhabi said his country intends to renew soon its request to join the Third Millennium of Development Fund especially with emergence of positive indicators in the Fund�s attitude regarding application of accession and an American understanding he had felt during his talks in Washington.
In a press conference on sidelines of meetings of the Yemeni-Gulf Technical Committee for the donors conference held in Sana�a Saturday, the minister said the volume of the financial gap pertaining the implementation of the investment program in the plan of economic and social development for poverty alleviation 2006-2010 is not more than $ 10.10 billion, especially under decline of poverty indicators by 35.5% compared to recession by 11.81% in the previous years.
According to the minister of planning the volume investment program amounts to $ 25 billion, $ 16 billion of which for building new projects, in reference to estimates pertaining to size of the financial gap that would be asked from the London donors conference to fill.
The Yemeni-Gulf Technical Committee has since last May held a number of working sessions in Sana�a and Riyadh devoted to discuss frameworks of joint cooperation for the preparation for arrangements related to holding London conference of donors, in addition to discussion of executive plans and programs related to qualification of the Yemeni economy for the integration with economies of the GCC states.