Yemen and the United States on Monday discussed cooperation on the anti-terror security measures in Yemeni airports, seeking to lift a U.S. ban on Yemen's cargo flights imposed after the detection of parcel bombs in October, the official Saba news agency reported.
The discussion was made in a meeting in Sanaa between Yemeni Minister of Transport Khaled al-Wazir and U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein, Xinhua reported.
Al-Wazir briefed the additional security measures Yemen has adopted to enhance precautions of Yemeni airports and air cargos.
The adopted security procedures in the Yemeni airports and cargo flights are compatible with conditions of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the international standards, the Yemeni minister said.
The Yemeni government has signed deals with several X-ray detection solution companies to develop a new security inspection system for detecting security threats, he added.
A number of countries have imposed bans on the passenger flights or the cargo planes from Yemen as precautionary measures after the attempts to mail parcel bombs from Yemen to U.S. targets were foiled at the end of October in the airports of Dubai and London. The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility and vowed to launch more terrorist attacks against the U.S. and its allies.
The Yemeni government protested against such bans, considering it as "a collective punishment on the Yemeni people."