Saleh reveals different views at pentagonal meeting

MOSCOW, July 01 (Saba) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Thursday there were different viewpoints when the pentagonal committee on advancing the Arab common work met this week in Libya and discussed activating the Arab action and the Yemeni proposal for replacing the Arab League with an Arab state union. In an interview with the Russia Today Channel during his visit to Russia, Saleh said the committee was formed during the last Arab summit, held in the Libyan Sirt city in March, to replace the Secretariat General of the league to cope with changes that required a developed mechanism for advancing the Arab action amid the latest developments. He said the committee had thrashed out the topic and initiatives and proposals for improving the Arab common work and reached recommendations for improving the mechanisms for and bodies on boosting the Arab action and trade cooperation. On Yemen-Russia ties, President Saleh said they are deep-rooted and developing over time. Russia is a main partner of Yemen in all areas including the military field, he said, noting that Yemen is one of Russian various arms clients. Regarding the efforts in combating maritime piracy, he affirmed that Yemen is an important ally of the international community in the fight against pirates in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia’s coast. Yemen has good coordination and good understanding with Russia, Germany, the U.S. and France over the issue, he said. In reply to a question about if there is a danger threatening the Yemeni unity, the President said the national unity of Yemen is the choice of all the Yemeni people and there are no dangers threatening it. What we hear about threats to the unity remain media propagandas and exaggeration, hampering investment in Yemen but there should not be fears for the unity, he made clear. Saleh also pointed out that Yemen had obtained reliable information about the involvement of some Iranian hawzats and other groups, mainly satellite channels, in Yemen’s affairs. He highlighted the Iranian role in the region saying it is exaggerated. Iran’s role may be strengthened in its neighbor, Iraq, but not in the entire region, he said. FRSaba