President Saleh opens local councils conference

SANA’A June 17 (Saba)- President Ali Abdullah Saleh along with Vice President Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadhi opened here on Sunday the 4th
conference of “theLocal Councils” in Sana’a entitled “Developing System of Decentralization to Enhance Society Participation in
Development”.

The three-day conference would focus on discussing and evaluating the system of the local authority in last five years and ways of
enhancingand developing the experience in addition to discussing suggested mechanisms to evaluate the economic and social advantages
of decentralization.

In the opening ceremony, President Saleh delivered speech in which he welcomed the participants in the conference. “We highly appreciate what have been achieved and successes obtained by the local authority
in lastperiod in spite of obstacles which local authority faced.

He confirmed his care to expand the public participation in decision-making, making it clear that 7000 employees of different
specifications are functioning in local councils in all governorates and districts.

Saleh announced that amending the tenders’ law that is being discussed by the Parliament would be effective soon, obligating the government tocommit to legal procedures to be approved.

For his part, Prime Minister Abdul-Qader Ba-Jammal confirmed that holding this conference in framework of the current arrangements for
the presidentialand local elections would without doubt enhance the democratic march in Yemen.

He made it clear that the administrative and financial decentralization is the soul of the local authority.

Ba-Jammal pointed out that the local authority will depend after the coming local elections upon new standards of evaluating the
performance of local councils administrations and members.

For his part, the general secretary of the Lahj local council Ali Haidarah Mater who delivered speech on behalf of all local councils
said that whathad been achieved during last five years was considered “great done” aslocal councils could overcame all obstacles.

He pointed out to efforts exerted on the local or central level to promote the experience and make success factors as available as
possible.

The Local Administration Minister Sadiq Ameen Abu Rass briefed a reporton the level of the performance of the local authority during
the past experience and efforts being put forth to tackle problems the local councils faced in addition to the future plans to developing the local authority and enhancing the decentralization.

NA/NS

SABA