Saleh directs Govt to continue in austerity policy

ADEN,Dec.14(Saba)-President Ali Abdullah Saleh directed the government on Tuesday to continue the policy of austerity and rationalization of expenditure and to correct any administrative or financial defects. Chairing the meeting of the Cabinet and leaderships of the local authority in the provinces of Aden, Abyan and Lahj, President Saleh emphasized the government to tighten control over the institutions of financial and administrative independence through the continuous assessment. In the meeting, Saleh listened to a number of reports related to the government’s performance and issues listed in the meeting’s agenda, topped by the preparation for the next meeting of the Group of Yemen Friends to be held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. In addition, Saleh was briefed on the level of the implementation of service and development projects in the three provinces and the evaluation of performance during the 20th Gulf Cup tournament recently hosted by Yemen, and plans to run the sports and service facilities and infrastructure projects that have been created within the preparations for hosting the 20th Gulf. Presented Saleh pointed to the importance of this meeting, which came after the success of the 20th Gulf Cup, especially with the great infrastructure achieved in the sports facilities in the three provinces. He affirmed the need to maintain those facilities and to take advantage of them in the development of the sports activities and talents. The government should pay special attention to the activation of the sports movement and to the good preparation of sports teams on modern scientific and professional bases, he said. Moreover, the President directed to complete the projects under implementation, which the work has started in them within the preparations for the 20th Gulf Cup and have not been accomplished during the last period. Saleh dealt with the coming Riyadh meeting of Friends of Yemen, instructing the government to prepare well for the development priorities, which will be displayed in this meeting. He urged the government to focus mainly on the energy sector, in addition to the development of the industrial zone’s infrastructure in Aden Free Zone, the modernization of Aden Refinery, the desalination of sea water to supply water to the capital Sana’a, Taiz and Ibb, and the implementation of railway project along the Yemeni coast and the Safer –Mabar gas pipeline. He also urged the government to pay attention to the rehabilitation of Yemeni labor and the provision of job opportunities both internally and externally, as well as the establishment of a refinery in Ras Issa area and the creation of more housing cities for low income people and to speed up the fitting of the Engineering Faculty in the University of Aden. “The government should work diligently with professional, administrative and political vision to accomplish its programs and tasks to achieve all desired goals”, he said. After that, the Cabinet continued its meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Ali Mujawar, touching upon a number of reports. BA Saba