President slams hardliners against family planning

SANA’A, Dec 16 (Saba)- President Ali Abdullah Saleh slammed on Thursday “some extremist who insist on labeling family planning Haram (taboo)” because of their skepticism of birth control. Speaking in al-Shawkani Hall in Sana’a in the inauguration of the Census Night, scheduled to begin at 12:00 pm on Thursday, President Saleh said “a father of two will definitely be able to feed, cloth and educate his kids than another with so many children going astray in the streets”. “We are not beasts, but human beings. Determine the number pf your children and well-educate your children. Scholars and preachers have to raise the awareness of the public in this direction.” The census, Saleh says, will undoubtedly provide a database that determines the services programs and help the service-provider ministries to ensure that their projects are supplied according to population density The President warned that population explosion is resulting in mass consumption of resources and nurturing corruption. He cited the “successful experience of the Islamic Republic of Iran in this respect” saying Yemen needs to follow suit to preserve its remaining resources. “The underground waters that have been accumulating for hundreds and even thousands of years are now depleting. The basins of Sana’a, Saaada and other regions have seemed to run out of water due to the extravagant consumption over the past thirty years.” Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Ahmed Sofan had said that arrangements for the census began two years and a half ago. He said the census is being the largest Yemen ever organizes. AA/AA SABA