President Saleh receives French defense minister

SANA’A, Feb 27 (Saba)- President Ali Abdullah Saleh welcomed to Sana’a on Sunday the French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie who arrived in an official two-day visit to Yemen today. President Saleh and the French minister discussed the bilateral cooperation in military fields mainly coast guard training and combating terrorism. They also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East region and the Horn of Africa mainly Somalia. President Saleh highlighted the imperative of the French and American role in supporting the new Somali Government to maintain the stability of its country. After that, they discussed the reformation of the United Nations Organization to make it better control world peace. On her part, the French minister hailed the Yemeni-French partnership in different spheres and touted Yemen’s contribution to the international community’s battle against terrorism. Alliot-Marie thanked Yemen for its stance toward the two French journalists who were arrested in Iraq. President Saleh however said the Franco-Yemeni relations are deeply rooted speaking highly of French military assistance to Yemen. President Saleh asked the French defense minister to convey his greetings to his French counterpart Jacques Chirac. AA/NS SABA