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| Saudis halt fence work after Yemen agrees to joint patrols |
| 2004-02-20 |
| Saudi Arabia decided to halt the construction of a barrier on its frontier with Yemen after Sanaa agreed that the two sides would conduct joint patrols to curb cross-border smuggling and infiltration, an official said yesterday. âSaudi Arabiaâs main concern is to control its borders with neighbouring countries, including Yemen, by whatever means possible. If the joint security measures agreed with Yemen can ensure border security, then there is no need for sandbags,â the Saudi official said, requesting anonymity. But Saudi Arabia doesnât seem to be doing so well on control of its border with iraq. Word that Riyadh was calling off construction of the controversial barrier, which began last fall, first came from Sanaa on Wednesday at the close of a visit to Riyadh by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Yemenâs official news agency Saba quoted Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al Kurbi as saying Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz had âgiven instructions to stop construction of the barrier on the Saudi side of the borderâ. Seems to be conflicting reports as to which side of the border the wall was actually built. A joint Saudi-Yemeni statement said the two sides had agreed on a series of measures to tighten border controls without mentioning the barrier, which Sanaa considered an infringement of a June 2000 agreement that ended a decades-long territorial dispute between the two Arab neighbours. The Daily Times (Pakistan) is reporting that Saudi Arabia agreed on Wednesday to dismantle the recently begun fence - which Yemen says already extends around 75 kilometres - after complaints from Yemen that it violated their border treaty, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi said. |
| Posted by:GK |
| #3 When you're paying the bills, you can pretty much decide who goes where. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2004-2-20 3:25:29 PM |
| #2 Why would you need to consult the hired help? |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-2-20 3:25:15 PM |
| #1 Don't the Saudis need Pakistan approval for any type of change to miltary assignment for their troops? |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-2-20 11:53:16 AM |