German aid minister heads to Yemen and Ethiopia

Jan 7, 2011
Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Berlin – German Development Aid Minister Dirk Niebel was set to arrive in the Yemeni capital of Sana « a on Saturday to urge effective action against Islamic terrorists, while also appealing for human rights. Niebel was set to continue the tour with a visit to Ethiopia on Tuesday. In an interview published Friday by the newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt, Niebel said the Yemeni trip was in Germany » s interests, since Sana « a was an important partner in fighting terrorism. He said he was concerned about Yemen » s limitations on civil rights. While noting that this was sometimes a side effect of fighting terrorism, he said Sana « a had gone too far in some cases. Germany » s development-aid appropriations for 2009 and 2010 totalled 80 million euros (105 million dollars), with most of the money spent on education and water treatment.