madam president we know the reason why yemen is on our agenda today
we traced the detroit bomber's trail from the united states to europe to africa and yemen
thus we were reminded once again that our own security is at risk if we do not help countries like yemen who are struggling to meet multiple challenges at the same time
terrorism is the immediate focus but is only one of an interlinked set of challenges
there is instability in the north fuelled by armed conflict with the houthi rebels
there is conflict over land and water rights and longstanding tensions with the southern region which has felt marginalised since unification in nineteen ninety-one
the government has so far been able to maintain overall stability but as oil revenues have dwindled the state is struggling to maintain control over parts of the national territory
to this we can add piracy in the gulf of aden smuggling migration and people-trafficking from the horn of africa and now a rise in jihadist terrorism
yemen has substantial population growth and an increasingly discontented young population
an inclusive internal political consensus on the way forward remains elusive
amidst all this one thing is clear none of us can afford a zone of near-lawlessness stretching from the horn of africa to afghanistan
we would pay the price ourselves
over the last eighteen months the european union has highlighted yemen as a priority case in its counter-terrorism strategy and its comprehensive approach to state-building and development
the council adopted extensive conclusions on yemen in october
we are now seeking to rally all our key players around the strategy
the uk initiative to organise a high-level meeting with and on yemen next week could therefore not be more timely
a key focus of the meeting will be security
a significant package is now being prepared to help boost government efforts training and equipment for law enforcement a better legal framework and criminal justice system work on anti-radicalisation and conflict prevention
this will come on top of eur eleven million allocated in the commission's development programme to police training and juvenile justice in the last two years
the establishment of al-qaeda in yemen is a symptom of deeper problems
the linkage between economic political social and security challenges are crucial
this is why we need a comprehensive approach
it is also vital that the yemeni state boosts its capacity to meet the needs of people throughout the country
the eu will propose to increase by one third its development funds foreseen for the period twenty eleven thirteen
humanitarian aid from echo will continue in twenty ten
we continuously raise with the government the problems of access to the many displaced people
no amount of aid however can substitute for commitment and action by the government itself
president saleh's stated commitment to national dialogue amongst all relevant actors has the potential to build a new national consensus if all actors are included and their interests are taken into account
the international community should lend sustained support to this dialogue
it is the only sustainable way forward
last but certainly not least key regional players need to be engaged in the common effort to work with yemen chief amongst these is saudi arabia
the london meeting offers an invaluable chance to include the saudis the united states and others in a meaningful international dialogue on and with yemen
i look forward to our debates
