Yemen welcomes Britain-called meeting

SANA'A, Jan. 02 (Saba) - Yemen has welcomed a
Britain-called meeting to discuss its crucial economic, political and security
issues that
should focus on bolstering Yemen's efforts to fight terrorism, almotamar.net
reported on Saturday.

An official source was cited as saying the call by Gordon
Brown, the UK
Prime Minister, was in the right track to rally international support for
development, poverty reduction and counterterrorism in Yemen. Poverty and soaring
unemployment in
the developing world provide are main factors for extremism, and with them many
youths are misled, the source said, adding the meeting expected to gather Britain
and its
international partners could help Yemen in the present time. On Friday, Brown called
for a Yemen meeting to address the country's economic, political and security
issues.
The meeting was said to take place in London late this month with counterterrorism
high on the agenda after the Christmas failed attack on a U.S. Detroit-bound
passenger
jet claimed by al-Qaeda in Yemen. Britain will work along with international
partners to assist Yemen to face al-Qaeda, Brown's office said. The call for a
meeting on January
28 has received applause from the While House and the European Union, the office
said, adding Brown will try in coming days to gain the support of Saudi Arabia and
other
Arabian Gulf states. FR