Ali Saleh announced commitment to amicable solution with Saudi Arabia

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh asserted following a meeting he held in Paris with his French counterpart Jacques Chirac Yemen's commitment to a "friendly and amicable solution" to Yemen's border dispute with Saudi Arabia.

He denied reports on the possibility of resorting to international arbitration in this respect.

In statements following a lunch banquet held by President Chirac in honor of President Saleh, he added, "Contacts are continuous between Yemen and Saudi Arabia to settle the border issue amicably, and we share understanding among ourselves." He added that the two countries do not have the inclination to resort to arbitration. President Saleh added that his visit to Paris aims at conveying to France the "thanks of the people of Yemen for the efforts exerted by French diplomacy on the crisis erupted between us and Eritrea" over the islands issue.

He voiced support for convening an Arab summit because such a summit would contribute greatly to upgrade Arab solidarity. President Saleh also voiced his country's support for the Middle East peace process and attributed the reason behind the stumbled peace process to "the absence of Arab solidarity."

Meanwhile, military officials from Yemen and Saudi Arabia convened today to discuss the border dispute between the two countries within the series of meetings aimed at settling the current dispute between the two countries.

Disputes continue between the two countries regarding border demarcation and each side accuses the other of interference in its internal affairs and blames any disorder on the other country.