Yemen's President, Ali Abdullah Saleh left Tuesday for an official visit to Riyadh. The official news agency, SABA reported that "during the visit he will discuss with Saudi senior officials the bilateral relations and cooperation aspects."
A Saudi newspaper reported on Tuesday that Saleh's talks with Crown Prince Abdullah came in a bid to calm tension over a Saudi border screen.
According to Arab News, the talks follow last week’s meetings that brought together Yemeni and Saudi border and security officials for discussions over the fence, which Yemen claims is being built in a common area designated by a 2000 border treaty as a free grazing area.
Yemeni officials said the barrier violates the 2000 Jeddah treaty, which stipulates that an area of 20 kilometers along the line of the border be allocated for pasturing activities from both sides of the border.
However, Lt. Gen. Talal Angawi, director general of the Saudi Border Guard, said in remarks last week that the concrete-filled pipeline, was being laid inside the Saudi territory. He said the fence aimed to curb infiltration and arms smuggling operations across the borders into Saudi territory.
Angawi also dismissed comparisons in some Yemeni opposition newspapers between the Saudi barrier and Israel’s barrier through the West Bank.
“What is being built inside our borders with Yemen is a sort of screen...which aims to prevent infiltration and smuggling,” Anqawi told Asharq Al-Awsat. “It does not resemble a wall in any way.” (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
