 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 June 2000 Issue No. 487 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 June 2000 Issue No. 487
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Focus Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Borderline agreement
By Nasser ArrabyeeAfter a dispute lasting almost seven decades, Yemen and Saudi Arabia have concluded a settlement that delineates the 2,500-kilometre-long border between them.
The agreement was signed on 12 June in the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah by Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel-Qader Bajamal and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud Al-Faisal in a ceremony attended by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah bin Abdel-Aziz.
After the signing, Yemeni President Saleh told reporters "we reached a peaceful, cordial, brotherly and satisfactory solution which will be upheld by future generations in both Yemen and Saudi Arabia."
Explaining how the agreement will be implemented, Saleh said that joint committees headed by the interior ministers of each country are to oversee its execution. He added that an international company will be contracted to demarcate the borders and that troops of both countries will withdraw to positions 20 kilometres on each side of the border to reduce the chances of any incidents.
According to Yemeni officials, there are about 300 border markers which have disappeared due to damage by natural elements.
A joint communiqué issued following the signing ceremony said that the two countries had agreed to demarcate the coordinates of the entirety of their border. As a result, it deals with border areas noted in the 1934 Al-Taif Treaty as well as areas not mentioned in that agreement.
The new agreement builds on the "Como line," agreed upon in 1997 between Yemeni President Saleh and Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdel-Aziz, at talks held in Como, Italy. Unlike the Al-Taif Treaty which was signed when Yemen was divided into two countries, north and south, the pact accepted in Como dealt with Yemen's eastern borders.
Since the re-unification of the north and south 10 years ago, disputes over the border intensified dramatically. During that period reports in the Arab press claiming that the contested area contained vast oil wealth only added to tensions.
Within the framework of ensuring that there is domestic support for the agreement, President Saleh was scheduled to meet with opposition groups to explain the details of the agreement which have not been released to the public.
Meanwhile, there is considerable curiosity among the general public regarding concessions made by either side. Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly, Yemen Deputy Minister of Information Mohamed Azzurqa said that the agreement "should not be considered as being made up of concessions but rather something that serves the common interest of two brotherly countries." For his part, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif bin Abdel-Aziz vehemently denied rumours that Riyadh paid "a huge sum of money" to Sana'a in order to compromise on the demarcation of the border.
On the regional level, the agreement was hailed by both the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). A statement issued by the Arab League affirmed that "the agreement lays a solid foundation for close cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and also for common Arab action." Secretary-General of the GCC, Jamil Al-Hujailan said that the agreement reflected "the political good will of the two countries to solve their most complicated problems."
Following the agreement some political analysts predict that Yemen will focus on raising its profile in the region, specifically through trying to join the GCC. Yemen, the only republic in the Arabian peninsula, had repeatedly sought to join the regional organisation, but has been denied membership.
According to Faris Al-Saqaf, director of the Sana'a-based Future Studies Centre, currently its chances are better. "The treaty will pave the way for Yemen to enter the GCC and also enable it to make economic alliances in the region," he said. However, he added that before it is able to do this it would have to improve its economic situation.
One of the poorest countries in the world, Yemen has been implementing a comprehensive economic reform programme backed by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund since 1995.
Though the agreement has raised hopes among Yemeni workers expelled from Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War due to their government's support for Iraq, the situation of such workers does not appear likely to be resolved soon. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif bin Abdel-Aziz disclosed that "The treaty does not touch on giving facilities to Yemeni workers or allowing Yemenis to enter Saudi Arabia without residence visas."
