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Saudi Program Delivers 100 Boats to Fishermen in Hadramaut

The Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction in Yemen (SPDRY) distributed 100 modern fishing boats on Sunday (saba news agency
The Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction in Yemen (SPDRY) distributed 100 modern fishing boats on Sunday (saba news agency
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Saudi Program Delivers 100 Boats to Fishermen in Hadramaut

The Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction in Yemen (SPDRY) distributed 100 modern fishing boats on Sunday (saba news agency
The Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction in Yemen (SPDRY) distributed 100 modern fishing boats on Sunday (saba news agency

The Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction in Yemen (SPDRY) distributed Sunday 100 modern fishing boats equipped with engines to Yemeni fishermen in Hadramaut governorate, in the context of its support for livelihoods and development in all Yemeni regions.

The delivery of boats came under the auspices of the Governor of Hadramaut, Major General Faraj Al-Bahsani, and in the presence of the representative of the Saudi program in Hadramaut Governorate Muhammad Al Hadi. SPDRY stated in a communiqué that the 100 fishing boats are equipped with modern engines, each with a capacity of 40 horses, with the aim of providing support and specific solutions that contribute to empowering local fishermen who face difficulties in running small boats in windy season and to compensate them for the boats that were destroyed by tropical cyclones facing the governorate.

This is the fourth batch of fishing boats distributed by the Program in the Yemeni governorates, after distributing boats in Al-Mahra, Socotra, and Shabwa, at the request of the local authority following a field visit by the program.

The fishing sector is the first economic tributary to the governorate because it provides job opportunities to more than half a million people, who make up 18 percent of the Yemeni coastal communities.

The implementation of this project is expected to increase the income of the Yemeni fishermen and their families, and to raise fish production in the governorate. Bahsani said the Hadramaut governorate ranks first in terms of the number of fishermen, fish production, and investment in the fisheries sector, noting the importance of this support.

He said the local authority in the governorate will do its best to create the appropriate atmosphere for the program's projects. For his part, the representative of SPDRY in Hadramaut, Muhammad Al Hadi, explained during the inauguration that these projects “are an extension of the continuous endeavors launched under the direction of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his faithful Crown Prince for Yemen.

“We are cooperating with the local authority to create more job opportunities and to build diverse capacities, with an aim to integrate efforts to achieve the interest of the Yemeni human being above all,” he said.

These projects are part of the achievements of the Saudi Program in Hadramaut, in which the program implemented several development projects, including the establishment of two model schools, the distribution of six water tankers, and the support of health centers with five fully equipped ambulances, in addition to supporting the Seiyun airport with an emergency vehicle and equipment.

It is noteworthy that the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen has implemented more than 193 projects and initiatives in seven basic sectors in Yemen, which are education, health, water, energy, transportation, agriculture and fisheries, and governmental capacity building.

The program adopts best practices of development, reconstruction, and intellectual leadership in the field of sustainable development to strengthen the historical, cultural, and economic relationship between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

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Syrian Letter Delivers Response to US Conditions for Sanctions Relief

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)
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Syrian Letter Delivers Response to US Conditions for Sanctions Relief

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)

Syria has responded in writing to a list of US conditions for possible partial sanctions relief, saying it had acted on most of them but others required "mutual understandings" with Washington, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters.

The United States last month handed Syria a list of eight conditions it wants Damascus to fulfill, including destroying any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and ensuring foreigners are not given senior governing roles.

Syria is in desperate need of sanctions relief to kickstart an economy collapsed by 14 years of war, during which the United States, Britain and Europe imposed tough sanctions in a bid to put pressure on former president Bashar al-Assad.

In January, the US issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage aid, but this has had limited effect.

In exchange for fulfilling all the US demands, Washington would extend that suspension for two years and possibly issue another exemption, sources told Reuters in March.

Reuters was first to report that senior US official Natasha Franceschi handed the list of conditions to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18.

Shaibani, in his first address to the United Nations Security Council on Friday, sought to show that Syria was already addressing the demands, including on chemical weapons and the search for missing Americans in Syria.

His public comments were consistent with the contents of Syria's private letter to the US, an undated copy of which was seen by Reuters. Its contents have not been previously reported.

Two Western officials and a Syrian official briefed on the letter said it was consistent with the copy seen by Reuters.

In the four-page document, Syria pledges to set up a liaison office at the foreign ministry to find missing US journalist Austin Tice and details its work to tackle chemical weapons stockpiles, including closer ties with a global arms watchdog.

But it had less to say on other key demands, including removing foreign fighters and granting the US permission for counterterrorism strikes, according to the letter.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed Washington had received a response from Syrian authorities to a US request for them to take "specific, detailed confidence building measures”.

“We are now evaluating the response and do not have anything to share at this time,” the spokesperson said, adding that the US “does not recognize any entity as the government of Syria and that any future normalization of relations will be determined by the interim authorities' actions. "

Syria's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FOREIGN FIGHTERS

The letter said Syrian officials had discussed foreign fighters with former US envoy Daniel Rubinstein but that the issue "requires a broader consultative session."

"What can be confirmed for now is that the issuance of military ranks has been suspended following the earlier announcement regarding the promotion of six individuals," the letter says, an apparent reference to the appointment in December of foreign fighters including Uyghurs and a Turk to positions in the country's armed force.

It did not say whether those appointed ranks had been removed from the foreign fighters and did not list future steps to be taken.

A source briefed on the Syrian government's approach to the issue said Damascus would delay addressing it as much as possible given its view that non-Syrian fighters who helped oust Assad should be treated well.

On a US request for coordination on counterterrorism matters and the ability to carry out strikes on terror targets, the letter said the "matter requires mutual understandings."

It pledged that Syria's new government would not tolerate any threats to US or Western interests in Syria and vowed to put in place "appropriate legal measures," without elaborating.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa had said in an interview earlier this year that US troops deployed in Syria were there without government approval, adding any such presence should be agreed with the state.

A Syrian official briefed on the letter said Syrian officials were brainstorming other ways to weaken extremists without explicitly giving the US permission to carry out strikes, seeing that as a controversial move after years of foreign air forces bombing Syria during its war.

'GUARANTEES'

A senior diplomat and another person briefed on the letter told Reuters that they deemed it addressed five demands in full, but that the remaining were left "outstanding".

They said the letter was sent on April 14 - just 10 days before Shaibani arrived in New York to address the Security Council. It was unclear whether the United States had sent a reply to Syria's letter.

A Syrian official and a US source briefed on the letter both said Shibani was set to discuss its contents with US officials during his trip to New York.

Syria's letter said it hoped the actions taken, which it described as "guarantees," could lead to a meeting to discuss each point in detail, including reopening embassies and lifting sanctions.

On Palestinian militants in Syria, it said Sharaa had formed a committee "to monitor the activities of Palestinian factions," and that armed factions outside state control will not be permitted. It was sent just days before Syria detained two Palestinian officials from the Islamic Jihad militant group.

"While discussions on this matter can continue, the overarching position is that we will not allow Syria to become a source of threat to any party, including Israel," it said.

The letter also acknowledged "ongoing communication" between Syria's counterterrorism authorities and US representatives in Amman over combating ISIS, and said Syria was inclined to expand that collaboration. The direct talks between Syria and the US in Amman have not previously been reported.