First of all, on behalf of my delegation and in my own name, and on behalf of the Secretariat of the General People’s Congress (GPC) of the Republic of Yemen, I would like to convey the greetings of the GPC’s leadership headed by Ali Abdullah Shaleh, President of the Republic of Yemen and GPC President, to the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) led by our friend H.E. Hu Jintao, President of the People’s Republic of China and General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. I wish to extend our warm congratulations and heartfelt blessings on the occasion of the Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) convened here in Beijing, the capital of China.

We also wish to extend our greetings, congratulations and blessings to the theoretical and political leaders present here, the heads and members of Asian political parties’ delegations, and the European and African delegations that are invited to the Conference. I hope that this event will come to a full success with positive results to the benefits of the Asian people. I hope that the 3rd ICAPP will strengthen the role of political parties in pushing forward progress on political, economic and social fronts so that Asia can play an important role in the evolution of history, civilization and human development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is of special significance that the 3rd ICAPP is taking place in a friendly country the People’s Republic of China, giving the event a higher profile. This part of the world is home of a time-honored history with rich cultural heritages, advanced high and new technologies, enticing natural beauty and multiple potentials for the benefit of the Third World people. China has always shown solidarity and support for the people in the Third World and for the Arab and Islam national cause. That is why the Chinese leadership, the CPC and the Chinese people enjoy an outstanding status, with high esteem and enormous trust in the hearts of the peoples of the world.

By coming together at this Conference, we are representing the world’s largest part of political groups because we are from one of the world’s vastest, most populous and most time-honored continent.

As political parties, we shoulder heavy responsibilities for our peoples and nations. The challenges and dangers facing the Asian countries and peoples not only pose a threat to their future, but also threaten their very survival. We must seek the best way for joint action and work together to push for a new and just international political and economic order.

It is perfectly right to select issues of “regional security and multilateral cooperation”, “economic development and social progress” and “political party building and national development” as the themes for discussion at the Conference.

These issues not only reflect the challenges faced by Asian peoples and countries, but also reflect the challenges confronting the world’s peoples and nations. They constitute the starting point for coordination and collective action.

We hope that this Conference will achieve its anticipated objective and give a stronger push for the goals and results of the previous meetings held in the Philippines and Thailand.

As part of Asia, the Republic of Yemen is faced with the same problems, worries and challenges as other Asian countries and peoples. Yemen is trying to overcome them by working hard at home and securing support from the international community for its political and economic reforms.

Under the leadership of the ruling General People’s Congress, Yemen has gone a long way towards democracy, development, counter-terrorism, security and stability. In meeting the above challenges, Yemen stresses the importance of having international coordination.

Multilateral cooperation aimed at regional security has emerged as a common interest of Asian countries. It indeed deserves to be the top priority for us at the current Conference. Asian countries need to seek Asia’s regional security regimes within the framework of international coordination and improve their coordination in comtat against terrorism in a bid to achieve international peace and security. Having become a global phenomenon, terrorism does not represent one particular ethnic group or religion. To fight terror and root out terrorism, we need to eliminate the root causes of terrorism.

As political parties, we should attach enormous importance to economic progress, especially against the general trend towards globalization. Though Asian countries have their own economic potential, natural resources and abundant human resources, developed industrialized countries have set up massive economic organizations, compounding the difficulties of Asian countries. That requires us to take concerted action to meet the challenges of globalization and maximize our benefits by taking advantage of equal opportunities that are made available to all by international trade. We need to earnestly embrace the principles governing modern management and effective participation by all the people and work out guiding rules to ensure economic and trade collaboration between countries and peoples.

As political parties, we represent the people living in this part of the world. Therefore, we should get along with each other in a civilized manner that embodies the spirit, needs and requirements of the times. Our collaboration should be based on deepening mutual benefits, the creation of liberty, decency, justice, democracy, security, stability, progress and comfortable living standards. In that way we will set a good example for the rest of the world and prevail in a big way for the principles and objectives that have brought us together today.

Before I conclude, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the friendly Chinese government and people, to the CPC’s leadership and cadres for their lavish hospitality and for what they have done to make this Conference a full success.

I hope that all of us will move forward together along the road towards progress, liberty, justice, collaboration, development, security, peace and humanity’s happiness.

Thank you for your attention.