Yemeni PLC Concludes Regional Tour for Gathering Support in Doha

Emir Sheikh Tamim holds talks with Al-Alimi and the accompanying delegation in Doha on Thursday. (QNA)
Emir Sheikh Tamim holds talks with Al-Alimi and the accompanying delegation in Doha on Thursday. (QNA)
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Yemeni PLC Concludes Regional Tour for Gathering Support in Doha

Emir Sheikh Tamim holds talks with Al-Alimi and the accompanying delegation in Doha on Thursday. (QNA)
Emir Sheikh Tamim holds talks with Al-Alimi and the accompanying delegation in Doha on Thursday. (QNA)

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) concluded a regional tour that took it to each of Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt and Qatar to attract economic and political support.

The President of the PLC on Wednesday arrived in the Qatari capital, Doha, the last stop on his trip.

Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi held an extensive meeting with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, in the presence of PLC members Sultan Al-Arada, Abdullah Al-Alimi and Othman Majali.

Qatar has voiced its support for the existing political consensus within the PLC, its economic and service reforms, and alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people.

Al-Alimi presented developments and the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the international community to bring peace and stability to Yemen, amid continued intransigence on the part of the Iran-backed Houthi militias.

He spoke "about the reforms led by the PLC in the economic, service, living and security fields."

Al-Alimi also met with the Qatari prime minister and minister of interior.

The Yemeni delegation asked Doha for support in several sectors, such as labor, air transport, and health.

Qatari PM Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani reiterated his country’s support for Yemen.

He pointed out that the Qatari government “will work, under Emiri directives, to activate all agreements and understandings signed between the two countries, and to resume the activities of charitable funds and organizations in Yemen.”

The PLC’s mobilization to find economic and political support from Gulf and Arab countries came at a time when UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg is waiting on Houthi militias to respond to his proposal to end the siege of Taiz and open roads between the Yemeni governorates at the lines of contact.



Taiwan’s Representative to Saudi Arabia: 260,000 Pagers Exported in Two Years

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Taiwan’s Representative to Saudi Arabia: 260,000 Pagers Exported in Two Years

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Taiwan is investigating who is responsible for modifying the pagers that were turned into explosives in the hands of the Lebanese people, including members of Hezbollah.

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang told Asharq Al-Awsat that 260,000 pagers were exported from his country between 2022 and 2024, and 16 percent of them were sent to the United States and Europe.

He expressed his regret that the pagers were planted with explosives that were used in the attack in Lebanon last month, clarifying that the devices were not directly exported from Taiwan to Lebanon.

He explained that the components of the device are made of material that is not liable to explode.

Apollo Gold, the Taiwanese company that exported the pagers between 2022 and 2024, has never received any complaints that its devices have caused harm or exploded.

The attack in Lebanon has raised several questions and they are being probed by authorities in Taiwan, he went on to say.

One thing is for certain, the devices were not harmful in the shape they were exported from the country, stressed Chang.

Asked about whether the attack may harm Taiwan’s economy, he replied that his country’s industry sector has a strong reputation that will be difficult to undermine given the trust it has from clients.

The size of the sector and Taiwan’s investments cannot be measured by a small number of pagers, as they only make up a mere fraction in the country’s trade relations with countries all over the world, he stressed.

Separately, Chang revealed that Taiwan was considering cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the chip industry, saying he was optimistic over the broad potential for cooperation in the technology sector.

There are no limits to the cooperation between them, he added.

Taiwan constantly wants to maintain the relations and discuss opportunities for joint investments, he stated.

Taiwan was among the first countries to leap to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in all fields to help the Kingdom achieve its Vision 2030 that is spearheaded by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Chang said.