The Yemeni consumer will get benefit from joining the WTO because intercontinental companies with high quality and affordable price will provide all his or her needs of goods.

A delegation from the National committee for Negotiation with the World Trade Organization traveled to Geneva to participate in the 7th meeting.

Head of the delegation Industry and Trade Minister Yahya al-Mutawakel said during his departure that the meeting would sign a cooperation agreement for goods and services between Yemen and Canada.

On January 27, 2010, Yemen and the US discussed Wednesday means of facilitating and accelerating the bilateral negotiations to complete procedures of Yemen’s accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO).

During their meeting in Switzerland’s city, Geneva, Minister of Industry and Trade Yahya al-Mutawakil and U.S. deputy ambassador to the WTO reviewed the anticipated role of US to support Yemen’s efforts for accessing it into the WTO and integrating its economy in the global one.

The two sides affirmed the importance of holding a meeting of United States-Yemen Council on Trade and Investment (TIFA) in the coming two months to promote trade and investment exchange relations between the two countries.

The minister valued the US support for Yemen in various developmental aspects, expressing his willing to develop the economic and developmental cooperation between Yemen and the US.

On the other hand, al-Mutawakil discussed with the Japanese ambassador to the United Nations and international organizations in Geneva the bilateral negotiations of accessing Yemen into the WTO.

The Japanese official expressed his country’s readiness to complete these negotiations as soon as possible, affirming Japan’s support for joining Yemen to the WTO.

The minister also praised the flexibility that Japan showed in its bilateral negotiations in the field of flowing Yemen’s good and services to the markets.

On January 26, 2010, Minister of Industry and Trade Yahya al-Mutawakel affirmed that there is no obstacle to Yemen’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

This came during his meeting in Geneva with Head of the Working Group on Yemen accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Harmott Rubin in Geneva.

The two sides discussed steps taken by Yemen to complete the requirements of accession to the organization as well as the progress in Yemen bilateral negotiations within the completion of the accession process and the required support to finalize those negotiations, including the documents handed over by Yemen to the 7th round of negotiations.

In this respect, al-Mutawakel valued the efforts by the head of the group to support Yemen’s efforts in completion of the accession requirements as soon as possible to enhance the Yemeni trade policies and investments attraction in the various sectors.

Al-Mutawakel noted to the progress achieved by Yemen in upgrading the legislations to conform to the requirements of accession to the WTO within the program of political and economic reforms.

Yemen seeks to gain WTO membership as it is a strategic goal to make the trade relations compatible with the international system rules so as to ensure compatibility and complementarily of Yemen business systems with the international trading system, al-Mutawakel said.

He stressed the need to take into account Yemen’s conditions during the negotiations course and to enable it to take advantage of the privileges granted to the least developed countries.

For his part, head of the working group renewed its full support to Yemen’s accession to the WTO, confirming that he would exert all possible efforts to accelerate the accession.

On the other hand, Chairman of the Communication and Coordination with WTO at the Ministry of Industry and Trade Hamoud al-Najaar said before traveling to Geneva that this talks round has a big importance as Yemen has made a remarkable progress in the accession by signing a bilateral agreement with Australia in October 2009 to join the WTO following years-long negotiations.

He noted that this round would hand over all documents answering questions presented by the Organization members to the WTO General Secretariat.

“The answers Yemen will present are the grounds on which meetings of work team meetings are based for Yemen to access the WTO and this is what is conducted with each country seeking accession into to the Organization,” al-Najaar said.

He noted that Yemen committed, through the answers, to the WTO rules and accession requirement in accordance with demands of the Organization members in a way that does not contradict with economic and development potentials of Yemen and in line with the special and preference treatment stated in the Organization agreements.

Al-Najaar expressed aspiration of Yemen to achieve greater progress in the coming round, particularly that members of the work team has agreed to move to drafting the team report, wishing the round be an additional step in Yemen accession into the WTO in 2010 directly reflecting investment attraction in Yemen.

Accession to WTO are to following: to continue the implementation of Financial & Economic Reforms, obtain the benefits from the applied economic policies since the reform and create a trade-related legislative environment compliant with WTO agreements (150 members) as well as the availability of implicit rights in the WTO agreements for LDC such as Yemen and the possibility to sew any member in case of trade dispute at the WTO said Hamoud al-Najar, Chief of the Coordination and Communication Office with the WTO at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

There are several advantages of joining Yemen WTO just if the economy diversified and competent as well as has competitive ability and vice versa, Professor Mohammed Al Afandi, Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Shura Council and Chairman of Yemeni Center for Strategic Studies. Yemeni economy is very week due to dependence it on revenue by 70 percent as well as the absence of other productive sectors. In this case, Yemen will not get any benefit of joining WTO. Regardless of so, there is still a good opportunity to improve the conditions of negotiations of Yemen with WTO because it consider among the least developed countries. These countries will get advantages in the short run but with accompanying rehabilitation of its economy, said Al Afandi.

The Yemeni consumer will get benefit from joining the WTO because intercontinental companies with high quality and affordable price will provide all his or her needs of goods said Fadhel Mansour, Deputy Chairman of the Yemen Society for Consumer Protection (YSCP).