A special meeting took place today, Tuesday May 21st, between the Customs Authority and the Commercial Sector in Sana’a to discuss the effects and repercussions of the Saudi-led coalition targeting offices and customs centers.
During the meeting, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Rashid Abu Aboud, stressed the importance of meeting with the commercial sector to discuss the effects of the repeated targeting of this vital sector and the impact of targeting the customs centers and ports on the national economy in general.
He pointed out that the Ministry of Finance and its interests is a civil sector and it is a symbol of the state’s civilization and it serves the citizen mainly.
The Saudi-led coalition holds full responsibility for the repeated targeting of the customs centers, which leads to significant human and material losses, the Minister expressed.
He pointed out that the Saudi-led coalition is targeting these centers as part of its economic war on Yemen. He added that these attacks come with premeditation and surveillance, despite informing the United Nations in advance of the coordinates of all the customs centers in order not to target them.
In his speech, Dr. Abu Lohoum stressed that the citizen is the primary victim of targeting the commercial sector because of the high value of goods provided to citizens as a result of the high costs of transport and insurance and the fear of traders from importing due to repeated targeting of their goods.
Customs centers are considered the first line of protection of citizens through the examination of goods and merchandise and prevent the entry of what is corrupt and know the extent of conformity with specifications and standards.
He said that the State and the Ministry of Finance and its interests will be helpful to the private sector and an active partner in the service of citizens, attempting to alleviate the economic burdens imposed by the Saudi-led coalition and siege over five years.
For his part, Head of the Customs Authority, Salim al-Hadrami, noted that the continued attacks on customs centers included all the infrastructure and in most of the provinces, as well as causing heavy losses to the private sector.
He added that the countries of Saudi-led coalition not only imposed the economic blockade, but have also aggravated the war by the systematic aggression on all customs interests.
While the Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in the Secretariat of the capital, Mohammed Salah, that the private sector announced since the beginning of the Saudi-led war, backed mainly by the US, its neutrality and independence from any conflicts. This is due to the fact that the private sector aims to provide food, medicine and clothing only. He also pointed out that the neutrality of the private sector has been supported by all international organizations.
In the same context, Mohamed Salah condemned the bombing of the United Nations warehouses and the bombing of the center of the orphanage by the countries of the Saudi-led coalition.
Yemeni Ministry Of Finance Condemns The Coalition’s Targeting Of The Economic Establishment In Yemen
He considered that such attacks are war crimes and that the perpetrators must be held accountable for targeting vital facilities and not military targets.
The meeting was attended by Head of the Tax Authority, Dr. Hashim Al Shami, Customs Undersecretary Adnan Al Ghafari.