At his meeting with French Foreign Minister that highlighted crucial issues in the region such as piracy and Palestine, President Ali Abdullah Saleh stressed on Saturday the importance of issuing an international resolution to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia.
"Piracy can't be tackled only through providing support for the new Somali government to reorganize the country's institutions," President Saleh said.
"There should be major international efforts to hinder pirate attacks."
On the other hand, President Saleh hailed the French role in bringing peace to the region as he brought up France's stance over the recent Israeli offensive on the Palestinian Gaza strip.
The two also discussed the situation in Palestine, particularly efforts to reconcile Palestinian factions and reconstruction of the war-ravaged Gaza strip.
The issue of Iran's nuclear program was raised as well.
Kouchner, who arrived Saturday in Yemen to discuss the bilateral relationship as well as the latest developments in the Middle East and the African Horn, praised Yemen's efforts to fight piracy including an initiative to set up a regional anti-piracy center.
He affirmed France will continue to support democracy and development in Yemen.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi said that French President Nicola Sarkozy is expected to pay a visit to Yemen but the timing of the visit has not been identified yet.
During a joint press conference with his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner, Al-Qirbi said the discussions with his counterpart were fruitful as the two countries attitudes towards issues of mutual concern are alike.
He said that Kouchner has assured them France will support the Yemeni coastguard in an effort to tackle piracy.
France is one of the biggest investors in Yemen with Total, France's No. 2 oil company and the world's fourth-largest oil and gas Company as the main shareholder in Yemen Liquefied Natural Gas Project with a stake of 39.6%.