A message from President Saleh to King Fahd

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz has reviewed in Riyadh with Yemeni Minister of State for Legal Affairs Abdullah Ghanem the results concluded by the joint committee in charge of border demarcation in their recent meeting held in Sanaa on April 17, during which no progress was attained.

The Yemeni official news agency, Saba, reported that Ghanem who arrived on Saturday in Riyadh is carrying a message from President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen to King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz dealing with border demarcation and means of "continuing friendly negotiations in this respect in order to reach a settlement which is satisfactory to the two sides."

Since 1995, Riyadh and Sanaa have been holding talks on land and sea border demarcation.

Following a series of confrontations, the two states had agreed to renew the Taif border agreement signed in 1934, according to which Yemen gave up to Saudi Arabia the provinces of Aseer, Najran and Jeizan.

In March, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal delivered a message to the Yemeni president from the Saudi king and from Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz dealing with the border problem.

In February, the Saudi foreign minister expressed his conviction that the two countries are capable of settling their disputes amicably, and he ruled out resorting to arbitration.