Yemen Presents Reconstruction Plan to Arab League

Arab League head of economic relations Thamer al-Ani with the Yemeni delegation. (KUNA)
Arab League head of economic relations Thamer al-Ani with the Yemeni delegation. (KUNA)
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Yemen Presents Reconstruction Plan to Arab League

Arab League head of economic relations Thamer al-Ani with the Yemeni delegation. (KUNA)
Arab League head of economic relations Thamer al-Ani with the Yemeni delegation. (KUNA)

Yemen presented to the Arab League a comprehensive economic and social plan that includes the health, education, housing and tourism sectors in order to contribute to the Arab reconstruction and development of the country.

Arab League head of economic relations Thamer al-Ani said in a press statement at the League’s headquarters in Cairo that the plan was placed under assessment during various meetings between Yemeni representatives and the Arab bloc.

The plan is in line with the resolution issued at the fourth Arab Development Summit held in Beirut in January.

Yemen’s delegation in Cairo included Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Yemen Ali Atef al-Sharafi and Ministry’s official Garam Aman.

Ani said the Yemeni delegation reviewed the plan and the economic feasibility of each project and its cost. An agreement was reached to hold a meeting for Arab funds and call on concerned Arab ministerial councils to implement the decisions of the Beirut summit.

The summit had called on member states, financial institutions, Arab funds, specialized Arab organizations and Arab and international donors to provide technical and financial support to Yemen in the areas of assistance to refugees and displaced citizens. It also called for providing assistance in the areas of training, comprehensive education and health coverage, as well as programs for employment, empowering women and rehabilitating youths and children recruited in the war.

The summit also called for the provision of humanitarian and relief assistance and their delivery to the beneficiaries.

Ani affirmed that Yemeni citizens would be at the core of the reconstruction plan, which includes efforts to improve their social and economic conditions.

He revealed that a meeting for Arab funds will be held soon to aid in the reconstruction.



UK Lifts Sanctions on Syrian Central Bank and Petroleum Firms

A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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UK Lifts Sanctions on Syrian Central Bank and Petroleum Firms

A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)

Britain unfroze the assets of Syria's central bank and 23 other entities including banks and oil companies on Thursday, reversing sanctions imposed during Bashar al-Assad's presidency.

The West is rethinking its approach to Syria after opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group ousted Assad as president in December after more than 13 years of civil war.

"We are lifting asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people," a foreign office spokesperson said.

"At the same time, sanctions on members of the Assad regime and those involved in the illicit trade in captagon remain in place."

Captagon in an addictive amphetamine-like stimulant widely produced in Syria during Assad's rule.

A notice posted on the British government website said entities including the central bank, the Commercial Bank of Syria and the Agricultural Cooperative Bank had been delisted and were no longer subject to an asset freeze.

Syrian Arab Airlines, Syrian Petroleum Company, Syria Trading Oil Company (SYTROL) and Overseas Petroleum Trading were also among those delisted.

Syria's Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has called repeatedly for the lifting of Western sanctions that were imposed to isolate Assad during the civil war.

Last month, the European Union eased restrictions on the Syrian central bank while keeping in place the sanctions. The US has said its sanctions on the central bank remain in place.

A Syrian government media official did not immediately respond to a request for comment.