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President Ali Abdullah Saleh expressed his strong support for the NGO movement as he re-iterated his patronage for the First General Conference of NGOs scheduled for 16-18 June 1998. The President is also expected to kick off the meeting that will bring together 400 Yemeni and international NGOs.

At another level, many international NGOs and government officials working with them have confirmed their arrival schedules. A six-person Canadian team will arrive on June 13. It is headed by Dr. Norman Cook, Director General of NGOs and Special Projects at the Canadian International Development Agency. A 4-person French team, headed by Mr. Michel Doucin, Minister Plenipotentiary in charge of NGOs at the Foreign Ministry in Paris, arrives on June 14th. A 6-person Italian team, also headed by a foreign ministry official, arrives on June 15th. Delegates from the US, UK, Denmark, etc. are also flying in around the same time.

The program of the First General Conference of NGOs (16-18 June) calls for 3 plenary sessions and ten afternoon workshops which are held simultaneously over two days.
On the first day, following the inauguration session, the local and international delegates will discuss the draft of the NGO law as approved by the conference sponsored by the Ministry of Social Affairs. "I am happy to say that a thorough job has been been done in most cases. Our job has thus been made easier. If there are any serious reservations or meaningful feedback, we will communicate the same to the Ministry," explained Professor Al-Saqqaf.

Subcommittee will be formed to give the conference's views on the draft law.
In the afternoon, there are five sessions in which international NGOs and officials of donor countries and organizations will present their policies and priorities. Local NGOs, in their effort to become better partners, will learn how to interact with international NGOs and donors. "This is critical because we should all be in the same wavelength in order to strengthen our cooperation," said Ahmed Al-Mash-hoor, General Secretary of the Hadhramaut Welfare Chairty.

In the morning of the second day, there are two plenary sessions. The first one is chaired by Dr. Wahiba Fare', Chairperson of Arwa University. "We will discuss the new role of NGOs, whether as advocates of new international values, or as agents of change in a world that is steadily becoming smaller," said Dr. Wahiba, herself one of the leaders of the civil society movement of this country.
The next session is chaired by Professor Abubakar Al-Qirby, Chairman of the People's  Welfare Society. "We are trying to consolidate the gains of the NGO movement in Yemen. Towards that end, we are going to discuss the possibility of establishing a network for the local NGOs," he said.
A subcommittee will be formed to present a proposal for the formation of the Yemeni NGO Network Project.

The afternoon workshop on the second day deals with brain-storming sessions which are aimed at strengthening the capacity of NGOs. One workshop deals with proper accounting and book-keeping methods, a second deals with marketing and inventory skills, a third deals with applications for financing, and yet another deals with mobilizing volunteers for NGO activities.
On the morning plenary of the final (third) day - to be chaired by Prof. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf -  the delegates will discuss the reports of the two subcommittees - the first dealing with the NGO draft law, and the second dealing with the proposal of the NGO Network Project. The delegates will also discuss a final communique to be issued by the conference.
Many participants and donors see this conference (16-18 June) as a watershed in the growth and influence of the NGO movement of Yemen.

The Yemeni Government has just finalized preparations to deposit with the UN instruments of its ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Landmines, and their Destruction.
At another level, President Ali Abdullah signalled his approval of a draft of a project which seeks to remove landmines that had been planted on Yemeni soil over the last four decades. "There are still a few points to be ironed out here and there. But basically we have a solid project," said a source at the Ministry of Defence.

The project calls for the establishment of a national demining center in Sanaa with overall responsibility, and an Aden branch which has the operational mandate.
The US Government has shown strong interest in helping Yemen clear the mines. An initial assistance of US$ 2.5 million has been provided through the defence and state departments. The Naval Forces Central Command (NavCent) is given responsibility for the project from the American side. "NavCent has already sent to Yemen some 20 officers and experts to investigate and determine the scope of the demining program to be established and exactly what assistance we could offer," stated Captain Jason Gilbert, NavCent's officer in charge.

Mr. Shaibani indicated that the  initial focus is on a crescent-shaped area engulfing Aden from the north and with the edges of the crescent touching the coast a few kilometers east and west of the city. "We believe that some 100,000 mines are still in this area and need to be destroyed," he added.
An American military team had arrived in March, and a second one in May. "The first visit was to determine if Yemen qualified for the demining program. Based on that visit, it was decided: 'Yes, Yemen is qualified.' The next step was to determine exactly what Yemen needed. That was the mission of the second trip," explained Adam Ereli, Information Attache at the US embassy in Sanaa.

Captain Gilbert disclosed that the mines were mainly anti-tank and anti-personnel, and mostly Soviet and some Chinese. "Now the problem is that we are dealing with a matter of the unknown.  Changing climatic conditions have taken their toll. Some of these mines are made of metal and are subject to corrosion and fatigue. In some case, the explosives can become sensitive."
The US effort will focus on two fronts. On the one hand, the Americans will help train a core  Yemeni force of deminers, who will further train other deminers. The second component is basic equipment, communications and medical support required for the demining operation.

The speed at which the territories of Yemen are demined is entirely up to the size of the demining program and the rate. In other words, money. That brings the issue of the preparations of the 'Donors Meeting' in Sanaa. "We are working on a tight timetable. We believe such a meeting could take place in September/October 1998," explained an official at the Ministry of Planning and Development.

In addition to the mine-clearing effort, the program also calls for an extensive awareness and educational campaign. Finally, it also calls for victim assistance. "It all requires money."
Ms. Angela Dickey, Political Officer at the US Embassy, stressed that the Americans have no base in Yemen. "Even the US officers in support of the national demining program are working in the offices of the Yemeni government." She added that the Americans will not stay indefinitely. "They will train people here, and once the center is established they will leave. The Yemenis will continue with the program themselves."

Captain Gilbert added, "We hope to start in late October and complete our training in late April. Following the initial training, we will be with Yemeni deminers to observe and evaluate how successful they are.
Ms. Dickey concluded, "The program has been a long time coming. We and other donors have been discussing it with Yemenis for two years. This is a Yemeni program."

The Government of Dr. Abdul-Karim Al-Iryani got a positive nod from parliament. After studying the new government's program, 226 deputies voted in favor, 17 against, 26 cast a blank vote, and 9 deputies did not show up for the voting session, on Sunday 7th June, 1998.
An elated prime minister, Dr. Al-Iryani, said that he will not let down those deputies who gave him their confidence. There was never really any doubt that the government will get the votes it needed, given that the People's General Congress has a majority of seats in the current parliament. But, there were serious questions about the ability of the government to deliver the overly ambitious promises it had made. As one deputy put it, "We will be happy if it achieves  50% of the promises made by the government."