Yemen, Saudi Arabia considering border economic city

RIYADH, June 25 (Saba) - Yemen and Saudi Arabia are considering the
establishment of an economic city at the al-Wade'a crossing on the
border between them.

The announcement was made during the recent meeting of the
Yemeni-Saudi Businessmen Council.

Earlier, Saudi Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz gave an order to
conduct a feasibility study for the project.

The idea first came to light in 2006 at a meeting of the
Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council.

The leaders of the two countries welcomed it, with each ordering the
relevant authorities in each country to start practical steps
including identifying the project site and providing infrastructure
and other requirements to bring the project into the light.

Attending the second meeting of the Yemeni-Saudi Businessmen in
Jeddah, minister of Industry and Trade Yahya al-Mutawakil and his
Saudi counterpart Abdullah Ahmed Zenel noted the meeting sought the
best ways to transform the idea into a concrete action.

The meeting also provided the businessmen of the two countries with
the opportunity to eliminate obstacles facing them and was deemed as
a great push to further business cooperation between the two
countries, Zenel said.

This month, a Saudi delegation arrived in Yemen for talks with
Yemeni officials to find ways to streamline the flow of goods
between the two neighbors.

In 2007, the volume of Yemeni-Saudi trade exchange amounted to $ 1
billion.