almotamar.net News Yemen - SANAA-Deputy of the American ambassador to Yemen denied that a decision was issued fro the Millennium Account Fund concerning Yemen because Yemen has not applied anew to join it since the suspension of the millennium of accepting it in November 2005, confirming that America supports Yemen for getting significant assistance from the Gulf in London conference and that his country has talked with the Gulf states months ago about the importance of supporting Yemen by the Gulf. He said his country supports Yemen accession to the GCC and supports the establishment of any Gulf organizations through London conference with common cooperation for the implementation of the Yemeni reform program so that Yemen can benefit from that support and achieve its goals. Mr. Nabil Khouri told newsyemen site today,” I correct what has been mentioned in some newspapers in that Yemen’s request to join the millennium this year has been rejected.”

He said pursuant to suspension of Yemen last year there have been talks with American leadership of the millennium and the Yemeni ministry, the American embassy in Sana’a on how to rectify some matters more important is the implementation of reforms enabling Yemen to raise its position in the world indexes and then resuming the request again. Khouri also confirmed that Yemen’s delegation headed by the minister of planning and international cooperation Abdulkarim al-Arhabi visited Washington last Ramadan and discussed the subject of the millennium and America’s participation in the conference of donor countries in London, saying Yemen and the millennium organization have agreed to postpone the request of rejoining before next November until having technical data finished, which the Yemeni government said it in the process of finalization.

Khouri said the millennium board meets on 8 November every year to consider status of the member states and those applying to membership but does no9t discuss the situation of any country not having an official request for joining it. Regarding the recent talks in Washington the specialists in Washington appreciated the reforms applied in Yemen last months and there was recognition of the seriousness of the political administration demonstrated by President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the government on the importance of reforms. At the same time there was a specified discussion concerning the reforms that Yemen adopted of which the government has accomplished much of them, denying there were some technical demands such as endorsement of the law on fighting corruption that has been submitted to the parliament by the government or the formation of the national committee for tenders