Armies of Liberation

The teachers have tried, they really did, at both local and national levels, to resolve the issues of salary deductions and suspensions via acceptable civil means: protests, appealing to Parliament, sit-ins, strikes, meeting the President. Not that violent attack is warrented but this is what happens when very fustrated people who are told they have rights see those rights trampled with no avenue of redress.

AL-JAWF, May 24 — Ameen Abdallah Al-Ghuthaifi, the General Manager of the Education Bureau, along with five other persons were reportedly injured, while two others were killed, in a gunfight. The incident took place at noon in the village of Al-Kharbah located near the government complex in Al-Hazm. Armed, disgruntled teachers intercepted the Al-Ghuthaifi’s car, leading to a deadly exchange of fire.

Sources said that teachers had complained previously of salaries deductions and suspension of work. Frustrated at the slow response to their complaints, the teachers resorted to violence to make their voices heard.

Locals intervened and mediated between the two sides, which resulting in a ceasefire. Casualties were rushed to local hospitals. Fear still lingers though of the possible consequences of the incident, which might include revenge killing and tribal fighting.

GPC policies and blindness to the need for reform is driving the country toward revolution. YT

“I think that any Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) and ruling party consensus to nominate the current president in this September’s elections is bound to impact the former and cause them to lose credibility and suffer conflicts from within,” Al-Ahmar said. “The JMP may destroy themselves if they do this. It is impossible for the nation to tolerate the totalitarian regime and its failed policies.”

In a dialogue with Al-Sahwah weekly, Al-Ahmar confirmed that the ruling party is driving citizens toward a nationwide revolution by blocking any change outlets via proper political means. According to him, the matter is in the hands of the authority able to overcome problems and increase public electoral awareness via the media to help citizens exercise their political right without the need for engaging in conflicts.

“The ruling party’s stronghold on the throne, plus its lack of faith that the nation is in need of change to build a modern Yemen, are the primary reasons behind ruling party and opposition dialogues reaching an impasse,” Al-Ahmar noted.

He called on the JMP not to participate in unfair elections that may not lead to real change, particularly as the General People’s Congress (GPC) destroyed democracy’s meaning by controlling the voter registration process individually, refusing calls for multi-party electoral management to prepare fraud-free voter registries.

“Legitimacy is not based on addresses and debates by state employees; rather, legitimacy stems from citizens’ needs,” Al-Ahmar added. He called for establishing an electoral mechanism to help voters express their opinions, stressing that the ballot must reflect the voters’ will.

Al-Ahmar denied having any desire to run for president in the upcoming election, saying a man of reason and logic should not apply for such matters unless it is a must. He emphasized peaceful transfer of power and building a modern state via fair and transparent elections.

According to Al-Ahmar’s son, Yemen is in need of establishing a principle for peaceful transfer of power and living in an atmosphere free of violations.

“If President Ali Abdullah Saleh does not back out on his historic decision not to stand in this September’s presidential elections, he will reach a great achievement for his country. If Saleh insists on his declaration, this will be a great achievement similar in importance to establishing national unity,” Al-Ahmar stated.

Various media outlets mentioned that Speaker of Parliament Al-Ahmar, who chairs Yemen’s Islah Party, criticized the stance taken by his son and some minor sheikhs in Hashid, who call for what they describe as “Popular Revolution.”

Al-Ahmar renewed his refusal to sign any political statement or document at the present time. Minimizing the importance of his son, he said Yemen has judicious men to be in charge of such matters and considered his son’s declarations as merely statements of anger, media quoted reliable sources as saying.

RAIMAH May 24 (Saba) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh paid here on Wednesday a visit to Raimah governorate to see needs of the citizens.

President Saleh was welcomed by Raimah governor Ahmad Mussaid Hussein and top officials of the governorate as well as Sheikhs and social
individuals.

The citizens highly appreciated declaration of President Saleh for Raimah as a governorate, saying that this decision supported the
governorate’s right in the projects and development.

Afterward, president Saleh launched 81 projects with total cost of YR 41 billion in framework of celebration of the Yemeni people on the
16th anniversary of the Yemeni reunification.
During the popular carnival held in the governorate, President Saleh delivered a speech said in which “I am pleased of the second visit to Raimah, at the beginning I congratulating you in this great occasion of the Yemeni unification that we celebrated in the last days.
He pointed to the projects which have been achieved in the governorate during the last two years.

SANA’A, May 24 (Saba)- The Supreme Commission for Election and Referendum has followed up the process of surveying Yemeni votes abroad though Yemeni embassies in 20 countries.

The embassies started listing the immigrant voters who hold voting cards and can vote in the coming presidential elections, the
assistant deputyminister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs, Abdul-Qader Aedah said.

He also said that the process would continue till the coming June 15, pointing out that the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum
would form a committee to follow the process of counting countries that contain more than 500 voters.

Sheesh, so many of the embassys are so corrupt, I dont know if this will be done properly.

who is also the minister of defense and 13 ministers:

Riyadh, May 24 ( BNA ) The Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Aviation and Inspector General will pay a three day visit on forthcoming Wednesday to Yemen to head the Saudi side at the 17th round of Saudi Yemeni Coordination Council.
The Saudi Crown Prince who heads a delegation of 14 ministers including the Minister of Interior, Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz as well as the Foreign Minister, Saud Al-Faissal. The Yemeni Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Ali Al-Ahwal told the Saudi daily `Okaz` that the two Saudi and Yemeni sides will sign in the meeting of the Coordination Council 8 protocols of developmental, medical and educational projects to be mainly financed by Saudi Arabia, donating countries as well as Yemeni government.

That’s a big delegation.

A good layout of the case from the SeattlePI:

RICHMOND, Va. — A lawyer for the Republic of Sudan urged a federal appeals court on Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the families of the 17 sailors killed in the terrorist attack on the Navy’s USS Cole.

The families allege that the East African nation’s government provided support, including money and training, that allowed al-Qaida to attack the Norfolk-based destroyer in the harbor of Aden, Yemen, on Oct. 12, 2000.

The lawyer for Sudan, Knox Bemis, told a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the lawsuit should be thrown out because it does not directly connect any support of al-Qaida to the bombing.

However, the families’ attorney, Andrew C. Hall, argued that such specifics do not have to be established until the case goes to trial.

“We’ve more than met our burden,” Hall said.

Sudan is appealing a decision by U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar to allow the lawsuit to go forward.

Foreign nations ordinarily are immune from suit in U.S. courts, but Congress amended the law in 1996 to allow victims to seek monetary damages against countries classified as state sponsors of terrorism.

The U.S. State Department continues to list Sudan among six countries classified as state sponsors of terror, but credits its government with taking significant steps to cooperate in the global war on terror. Sudan once harbored Osama bin Laden but threw him out in 1996 under U.S. pressure.

The families are seeking $105 million, which Hall said could be paid from Sudanese assets frozen by the U.S. government.

Several relatives of victims attended the hearing and spoke to reporters outside the courthouse.

“Seventeen families have been devastated just as badly as the 9/11 families have,” said Saundra Flanagan of Bridgeport, W.Va., whose son Kevin Shawn Rux was killed in the attack. “We want people to remember.”

The appeals court usually rules several weeks after hearing oral arguments.

The lawsuit alleges that al-Qaida operated training camps in Sudan and that the country allowed an operative of the global terror network to ship four crates of explosives to Yemen before the Cole bombing. It also accuses Sudan’s president of authorizing bin Laden’s entry into his country and says bin Laden and Sudan operated joint businesses and a bank that provided financing for the Cole attack.

WPH/UPI:

Yemen has been active in combating terrorism. But of late, this country on the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula has a new concern, Somalia, where al-Qaida is reported to have established a new foothold in the region. Separated from Yemen by a narrow waterway, the Yemenis fear Somalia’s instability could spill over into other countries in the region.

Somalia “is a source of concern,” Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu-Bakr Abdallah al-Qurbi, told United Press International during an interview in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Al-Qurbi said other countries in the region, such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti were also concerned.

“Any spot like Somalia where there is no stability and where extremist elements are gathering is not only a danger to itself but also to surrounding countries,” al-Qurbi said.

Questioned on the dangers of al-Qaida moving bases to Somalia, al-Qurbi said the United States and a number of Western countries which have a presence in the Gulf of Aden and the African Horn “are watching any movement between the African and Yemeni coasts.” They include France, Germany and Italy.

The minister told UPI there were “expectations that members of al-Qaida are trying to infiltrate from the African Horn to Yemen and through it to other regions.”

He emphasized that Yemen was keen to help re-stabilize Somalia and establish a legitimate government to prevent “extremist and terrorist elements from exploiting” the deteriorating conditions in Mogadishu.

“The real solution lies in the need of establishing a strong Somali state, government and security services and not to let any militia there bullying the other (militias),” al-Qurbi said, expressing fears that Somalia might face the same fate of Afghanistan.

Yemen has been working behind the scene to try and contain the fighting among Somali factions. Gunmen loyal to Islamic courts are currently facing off against an alliance of warlords believed to be backed by the United States. Last February, Yemen hosted a reconciliation meeting that ended with an agreement to convene the Somali parliament whose members were elected in Kenya. But continuing street fighting in Mogadishu has so far killed 155 people and wounded hundreds others.

Al-Qurbi referred to “many promises by donor states,” including European Union and Arab countries, to help Somalia rebuild its institutions, police and armed forces “but regretfully such assistance is extremely slow at a time the Somali government is facing huge difficulties in paying salaries for the Army, police forces and the parliamentarians.”

“This weakens the ability of the government to control the country and allows warlords, with money flowing to them legally and illegally, to carry out their plans and obstruct government efforts in consolidating security in Somalia,” he said

But while Yemen continues to cooperate with the United States in combating terrorism, they have also initiated dialogue with Muslim “extremists.” Those are said to have yielded good results.

“The government and security services have really succeeded in controlling the extremists and terrorists. In comparison with other countries in the region, Yemen was the least to have been targeted by terrorist operations for the past three years,” said al-Qurbi.

The last such terrorist operation was the Oct. 6, 2002 bombing in the Gulf of Aden of French oil tanker, the Limburg, which was carrying crude oil from Iran to Malaysia. One crew member was killed and 12 others injured. The bombing was claimed by al-Qaida. The Limburg was hit two years after the attack on the USS Cole.

Yemen’s successful experience in combating terrorism, said the minister, is due to the fact that the authorities did not solely rely on the military, “but also engaged the society in confronting this phenomenon and initiated dialogue with the extremists.”

As a result, many who were seized on suspicion of terrorism were released, but al-Qurbi emphasized, that it is illogical to say that “al-Qaida danger is over.”

Despite its cooperation with Washington in combating terrorism, Yemen was criticized by the U.S. administration over human rights violations and widespread corruption during a trip by Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh to Washington last November.

Al-Qurbi said his country “is annoyed” by such criticism, “because we are fully aware that there is a political will to introduce reforms, boost democracy and fight corruption… but many forget the cost of such reforms.”

He cited as example Yemen’s needs for $13 billion to reform its educational sector while donor states have barely offered $200 million per year. He acknowledged that such funds might have been misused “but this is another issue and we have already a reform program to combat corruption.”

Talking about U.S. pressures to organize free and democratic presidential elections due next September, Al-Qurbi referred to the amendment of the election law, saying “anyone could present his candidacy.”

The minister complained that while the U.S. was pushing for democratic changes in the Arab world, while Western countries “are adopting laws that contradict human rights.”

He cited the case of Sheikh Mohammed al-Moayed, a member of the Yemeni Reform Party’s Shoura Council, who was arrested in Germany in 2004 as a result of a joint U.S.-German intelligence operation on charges of channeling $20 million to al-Qaida and of collecting funds for Hamas. Al-Moayed, who was sentenced to 75 years in prison and fined $500,000, is currently serving his sentence in a New York jail.

“Al-Moayed was arrested and sentenced by the U.S. in an illegal way,” al-Qurbi said.

Yemen is expecting to take back a number of prisoners from among 110 Yemenis held prisoner in Guantanamo. So far, only four Yemeni prisoners were released from the notorious detention camp in Cuba and regained freedom after spending two additional years in a Yemeni prison.

Al-Qurbi said U.S. authorities provided Sanaa with a list of 18 prisoners to be freed but “we are checking because we are unsure they are all Yemenis. We agreed on taking back 15 of them…”

Another shaky issue between Yemen and the United States is the case of Abdel Majid al-Zandani, the head of the opposition Reform Party’s Shoura Council and founder of the religious Iman (Faith) University who was included in a U.N. Security Council list that accuses 24 people of funding terrorism.

Al-Qurbi said Yemen asked the removal of al-Zandani from such a list “because they presented no proof on his involvement (in funding terrorism) or give us any justification for including his name.” Yemen wants proof.

After Yemen agreed to reform its economy and attract Gulf investments, there is a chance it will be able to join the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council.

SANA’A-(YO) The Ministry of Industry and Trade has canceled its decision to allow the Gobari Group for Investment to organize Yemen’s first conference for Investment and Human Development, a statement of the ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry did not mention reasons.
The Director General of the group, Ali Gobari, claimed that the cancellation was illegal, saying that the law and constitution protect rights of the group and other corporations to organize such conferences and symposiums.

He claimed that the Ministry of Industry does not have the right to take such decision.
Gobari added that there were “pressures from officials who have interests” and want to be the “only door for foreign investors to sign deals with them”.

He appealed to President Ali Abdullah Saleh to interfere to save the reputation of Yemen as the preparation for the conference is ready, and invitations had already been distributed to participating delegations in the conference.

Background:

Yemen is to host its first Conference on Investment and Human Development, in an effort to improve investment awareness confirming the international status of Yemen.
Abdul-Aziz Al-Tarb, deputy head of the conference and economic expert, said that the conference is hoped to boost investment in Yemen, adding that it would be a step in efforts to qualify Yemen for joining the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

“The conference will be the beginning of an investment action, based on well established companies having scientific structures and obvious goals, to provide guarantees to businessmen and overcome any barriers posed to the investment process,” Al-Tarb said.

Ali Gobari, the Chairman of the Gobari Company for Investment and the coordinator of the conference, said that the conference would make use of decisions and recommendations reached by Sana’a Declaration.
Gobari, in a statement made to reporters, said the conference would contribute to facilitating investment procedures, and make guarantees for investors – away from any bureaucratic considerations. It will achieve a “remarkable joint leap” to serve society, he added.

The Investment and Human Development Conference aims to achieve a remarkable move in Yemeni private sector, and open new opportunities for Arab capital in several projects, Gubari said
The conference would contribute to the drawing up of an investment map based on a database containing requirements and statements of investment, helping to overcome any difficulties facing vital sectors.
Abdul-Rahman Rayani, Group Consultant, said that the conference will be staged in the presence of numerous trade companies, associations and unions in addition to ministries concerned with investment in Yemen.

This is a good article, from the YT oped section:

Nobody can deny the changes and transformations the Yemeni society has been going through since the unification which brought up the multiparty system. If we look at the politics map since the first parliamentary elections in 1993 till that of 2003, we will see a number of changes at the political fabric of coalitions, bringing Islah as the main ally of President Abdullah Saleh’s regime in 1993 to top the opposition coalition at the moment.

The circle of interests and coalitions were focused on Saleh and Abdullah Al-Ahmer, leading the Hashid tribe; let us call it the coalition of families. This coalition of families or tribes continued for some time, where the family and the tribe have been the nucleus and power base for the tribal figures in politics making. This tribal dynasty has been the bond linking Saleh and Al-Ahmer for such a long period of time.

But, what is happening now? Following the press statements of Hameed Al-Ahmer one can read between the lines the change taking place. Al-Ahmer, the son, has been ruthlessly criticizing the regime of Saleh, demanding its change for the better of Yemen. Why this change? There are some reasons for that. Hameed Al-Ahmer is no longer the son of Hashid tribe, the influence-generating source; his sense of belonging is to Yemen at large, because he is now an outstanding businessman where interest focus lies all over the country. He is not providing the SabaFon GSM service to the people of his tribe, but all Yemen. And his subscribers in Aden or Taiz might be more than those in Amran, his hometown. His coalition is now with all people of Yemen where his interest lies. In the past, he might have been at ease with corruption and bureaucracy, but now these things hamper and cripple his business and interests. The rampant corruption which is now an economy by itself does not serve the efficiency by which his business should be run.

The other reason is that because his interest with the regime of Saleh has been narrowing to a great extent. The circle of the cronies around Saleh is shrinking to the extent that we find the closest people to the man are his close relatives. This makes Al-Ahmer feels his coalition with the people and with his business will be more profitable. He is now afraid and concerned about the future of the country more than any time for the future of the country means the future of his growing business. This is how we should nurture the devotion to the country, through creating interests for them.

I am not here saying the man has completely left all his tribal bonds behind. However, I just wanted to show how economic interests can broaden the people sense of belonging and consequently bring about the breakdown and erosion of traditional tribal bonds which acted a stumbling block before building up a modern and civilized society. The US people are of different origins and races but the common factor brining them together is the devotion to the prosperity of the country that brings their interests together. So many migrants have not been born in the US, but they have that sense of belonging to this country.

Here in Yemen, the political regime has failed to create this sense of belonging among the people of different tribes and governorates. The people lack of confidence in a powerful state ruled by law and order makes them strengthen their bonds and ties with their tribes, clans and dynasties. If a person is in hot water, he seeks his tribe or family for protection. The sense of belonging to the tribe is stronger than that to the state. In such circumstances, where the role of the tribe has been promoted at the expense of the state, the integral role of the political parties and civil society organizations in promoting democracy and civil life has unfortunately been very much marginalized and weakened, leading into what can be called tribocracy instead of democracy.

In other words, the state leadership has been unsuccessful in creating an atmosphere of interests for such tribesmen. I believe these tribesmen will throw away their guns, if they find better education and better jobs. Tribalism, as one of our major headaches, can vanish, if tribesmen are educated and are busied with work. They will get rid of their guns if they feel there is a state ruled by law and order, where their rights and interested are secured.

Unfortunately, the regime throughout the past decades fueled tribal feuds and disputes to keep these tribes busy; it has not tried to have a political, economic and social program to cultivate and modernize these tribes, pushing them to be positive contributing force to the wellbeing of the whole country. They will then feel they are in alliance with stability and welfare of the state that maintains their comfort. This is how coalition of the people can be created at the expense of familial or tribal coalitions. It is to keep them busy not with guns but work and business.

The people of Oman were not better off than us in the 19970s; some of them were even carrying out low jobs in Saudi Arabia. However, when they had got a leadership with a good vision and clear project, they have developed tremendously. The gap between us now is very big. It is not an issue of resources lacking, but of commitment and strong will.

The average annual income in Oman is USD6700; in Yemen it is USD490.

Three Palestinians sneak into Egypt to sell a bomb to people in Sanaa and get 15 days imprisonment?

Al Rish, May. 23, (BNA) Egyptian authorities decided to imprison three Palestinians for 15 days who had sneaked in the Egyptian territories carrying a bomb and knives.
Middle East News Agency said that security authorities apprehended the armed men all of whom live in martyr Ahmed Yaseen district in Gaza, as they entered Egypt from the self-governed Palestinian area across international borders. The three Palestinians confused of illegal entry to Egypt to sell the bomb to people in Sanaa and investigation conclude in knowing the persons who agreed to buy the bomb.

Greater transparency and democratic reform will benefit Yemenis with stability and prosperity, a mutual goal of the US:

NY:

The US president George W. Bush confirmed that the US administration has concerns about the political reforms in Yemen as a must to fight terrorism.
In a letter to president Saleh congratulating him on the 16th anniversary of Yemen Unification, Bush said the Yemeni and American peoples seek to make the Middle East stable, well-off and free of terror.
“I am so confident that making democratic reforms and finding a government that enjoys more candidness and transparency will be the best way to obtain that,” said Bush.
“I appreciate friendship with Yemen and its commitment to making our common goal to have more peaceful and prosperous region” Bush added.
It is the first time president Bush asks for “democratic reforms and a transparent and open government” in an etiquette text.

President Saleh also received a cable of congratulations from the Chinese president HU Jintao.
President HU, whose country was praised by president Saleh for supporting Yemen without conditions, said “China is satisfied over the development of 50-years-long relations with Yemen.”
The Chinese president confirmed the readiness of China to deepen cooperation relations with Yemen in various walks to serve the common interests.

I’ve been waiting for years to hear George say something directly about Yemen, calling on the regime to be more honest was worth the wait.

(The French cable from on the other hand said, ” I was so happy to meet you in Paris last November.” But then they dont attach conditions to their aid, like the Chinese.)

YT

n Fatehallah, a 40-year-old taxi driver: “Yemen’s reunification is a great historic achievement reached by the Yemeni people’s will and faith. National unity made available party multiplicity for us to enjoy a democratic margin.

“No one can argue that the country makes very slow steps toward political and administrative reforms, but we are optimistic that we will be like the most developed countries in the future. As Yemenis, we must not aspire to live in absolute democracy like other countries, as this may cause rampant corruption.”

Mohamed Qasem Al-Nuzeili, a trader: “Yemeni unity is a good thing, as citizens benefited from it through developing the main infrastructure, particularly in the southern parts of the country. However, we suffer many negative aspects, such as the spread of corruption, which impacts everyday life.

“Recurring street diggings result from lack of coordination between concerned bodies such as electricity, water, sewage and telecommunications corporations. Additionally, Yemenis suffer the absence of traffic regulations, a fact responsible for the bad moods of traffic police while dealing with any traffic-related issues, coupled with issuing driving licenses to children.”

Adulmajeed Mohamed Ahmad Al-Asnaj, a cook: “All of us in Aden are proud of national unity. After years of separation, we unified to live under the umbrella of peace, brotherhood and love.

“I want to remark regarding the judiciary, which experiences corruption as if we are living in a medieval era where survival is for the fittest and not a place for the weak. South Yemen was better than the north in terms of enjoying fair judiciary and good management. (Read on …)

Yemen Times Editorial

Today marks the 16th anniversary of Yemeni unity created in 1990. What most people don’t know is that such unity is not a recent project only 16 years old. In fact, the first agreement to unite the Yemen Arab Republic (North) and the Popular Democratic Republic of Yemen (South) dates back to 1972. It took 18 years to realize our ambition, but nevertheless, we did it. The unfortunate 1994 event made all Yemenis realize the importance of this achievement and although it took some lives to maintain, most Yemenis feel it was a worthwhile cause.

Since then, there has been growing criticism of the state, mainly against influential northern officials. 2004 highlighted the current regime’s wrongs and intensified the urgency for a change. Journalists, intellectuals, human rights advocates and even common citizens continuously demand reform, especially given that living standards keep deteriorating from bad to worse. The change we seek is of the system, of the political structure and national strategies in the whole of Yemen, the united Yemen. Yemeni unity is an achievement that should not be compromised in any way in the process of this acclaimed change. It is the right of all Yemenis and no political organization, opposition or external pressure is allowed to hinder it.

Political systems come and go. Some remain a little longer than others, but they eventually go. On the other hand, societies survive and remember. There has been speculation – mainly by some opposition abroad – that Yemeni unity might not last. However, I firmly believe Yemeni unity will remain because even though it was created through political will, it was and is the people’s desire. All Yemenis, whether from the north, south, east or west, want and cherish their unity. They have integrated and merged into each other’s communities and lands. From this point, there is no looking back. Yemeni unity is here to stay.

(Read on …)

On my behalf and on behalf of the Democratic Southern Assembly (TAJ)-it’s headquartered based in London, the United Kingdom and struggles peacefully for self-determination to South Yemen. I would like confirm that our country-South Yemen is now under the occupation of North Yemen since the1994 summer’s war.

During the 12 years of occupying our country- the South- by Sanaa’s regime it has been proved clearly that this regime wants from the South only the land and the wealth, but the southern people has been downtrodden and brought under the occupation to a stage where it can not be condoned or tolerated. The occupation has made the land and the people of the south as a booty of war and has brought every southerner to the brink of deterioration.

The southerners are determined to expel the brutal northern Yemeni occupation and restore their independent state with sovereignty over its borders prior to 22nd May 1990. Therefore we are making available to you the following:

1. The peaceful unity has been ended after the regime of Sana’a had waged its war and occupied the South in the summer 1994. During that war the occupiers used all sorts of weapons such as destroyed missiles, artillery, and aviation. They buried the unity under the chains of the tanks and feet of armies.
(Read on …)

NY: President Ali Abdullah Saleh addressed on Sunday evening the Yemenis, Arab and Islamic nations as well as the world on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of Yemeni Unification, 22 May 1990.

The following is his nation address:
IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL
Praise be to Allah, may prayers and peace be upon the prophet Mohammad.
Dear fellow citizens inside and outside Yemen,
Personnel of the armed and security forces in the nationwide,
It is my pleasure on this great occasion of our people history to express to you best wishes and congratulations on the 16th Anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Yemen and the achievement of the homeland reunification which was a historical and national accomplishment declared on the 22nd of May 1990 coinciding with a critical situation when many nations and homelands were witnessing separation and division.

While we celebrate on this dear national occasion, we rejoice on the big accomplishments and great victories which were achieved in all walks of
life after revolution, unity, struggle and sacrifices of our one Yemeni nation.

Dear Fellow Citizens,

The elapse of sixteen years since the establishment of the Republic of Yemen is considered a short time in term of time calculation, but great in term of history and accomplishments in spite of all difficulties and challenges that faced the homeland during those years.

It is the right of our people to be proud of what was achieved on the path of the build up of the modern state and its constitutional institutions, the progress of economic and development construction, the openness of wide horizons for future development and investment in addition to the pioneering example the homeland has achieved in democracy based on multi-party system, freedom of opinion, freedom of the press, women participation and respect of human rights.

We are proud that we have committed since early time to the democratic policy and comprehensive reforms based on a solid conviction and free national will. We believed that reforms are emanated from inside the homeland and meet needs of our people whose confidence is being increased frequently with the importance of democracy as a national irreversible option and best civilized mean for construction and progress in the homeland.

The reforms march in our country has achieved advanced strides in the different fields of politics, democracy, legislation, justice, finance, administration, education and others within the framework of the national interests.

On the politics field there is a vision for the achievement of further development for the legislative, consultative, executive and judicial authorities with the aim of deepening democratic practices and widening participation in decision making. (Read on …)

That line about the military changing consituencies is really funny.

I think Islah put the number at 880,000 illegal registrations and in Novemeber the SCER admitted to about 400,000 underage voters on the rolls but took no corrective steps.

SANA’A, May 21 — The Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendums (SCER) announced Sunday that registered voters included 53,000 minors who have not attained the legal voting age.

Dr. Mohamed Al-Sayyani, a SCER member, stated that his commission referred voter registration violations to the prosecutor’s office at a news conference held Sunday. Some of the violations were committed as early as 2002 and involved the inclusion into the registry of under-aged minors, in addition to 64,000 cases of repeated names.

When queried about other electoral violations, Al-Sayyani stated that the SCER is still in the process of counting other violations planned to be announced in the coming days. Further, he explained that the SCER has devoted greater time for appeals against alleged election violations and that the SCER will handle any verdicts against electoral violations until September’s poll.

Al-Sayyani indicated the SCER received 10,690 requests to add names to voter registration lists and 9,800 requests to delete names from the lists. The result was that voter registration committees added 10,139 new voters and dropped 1,515 voters from the registration list, he added.

Abdu Mohamed Al-Janadi, Media and Awareness department head at the SCER, said that errors are bound to occur in a process administered by 34,000 voter registration and 34,0000 security committees.

On a side note, Al-Janadi praised the electoral awareness of the armed forces. Even though they often transfer from one voting constituency to another due to their line of work, they find the time to register to vote.

SANAA, 21 May 2006 (IRIN) – “I have cannons, missiles, Kalashnikovs, anti-aircraft guns and hand grenades,” said community leader Mohammed Naji, sitting cross-legged in his house in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. “This is a part of our culture, and a tribesman can give up everything except his gun.”

Though not everyone in Yemen has an arms cache the size of Naji’s, almost every household has at least one gun. Arms possession is particularly common in the north and northwest of the country.

Ethnic vendettas are a common problem in Yemen, resulting in the deaths of more than 2,000 people annually, according to government figures. In one example, revenge killings between the Hajerah and Annis tribes in Ibb and Thamar provinces, south of Sana, claimed the lives of more than 30 people and wounded 100 more in early July 2005. That particular vendetta, centred on a land dispute, has flared up intermittently for the last five years.

The crime rate in Yemen is soaring, with shootings almost daily to resolve disputes – or even just when tempers rise. The Ministry of the Interior reported that 34,655 crimes were committed in 2005, and government studies have blamed this high crime rate on the proliferation of firearms in the country.

The problem also has a regional dimension, with a 2003 United Nations report naming Yemen as the main conduit of weapons to the conflict-plagued Horn of Africa and parts of East Africa.

Following the recent wave of kidnappings of foreign tourists in December 2005 and January this year, there has been growing pressure on the government to tackle the problem of arms proliferation. Even before the kidnappings, protestors took to the streets of Sana in September 2005 to demand a parliamentary debate on a draft law to control the ownership and use of firearms. Led by the mayor of Sana’a, Ahmed al-Kuhlani, protestors marched from al-Tahrir Square to the parliament, where they delivered a letter demanding immediate action to stop the proliferation of weapons in Yemen’s cities. However, the parliamentary debate did not result in any legislation. (Read on …)

Land clashes in the capital.

Trial of the 19 continues, defense claiming they are before the court on untrue charges of plotting against Yemen when really they are only guilty of traveling to Iraq to fight the Americans, and jihad against the Americans is every Muslims duty and not illegal in Yemen.

Al-Dailimi and Muftah out, Luqman still in jail.

From the Daily Star, a shallow article about the attempt to appear to be reforming, which does not mention why reform is so urgent or the internal landscape.

Fromthe YT Local Media Pages:

- Al-Siyanni and Salah contain crisis of Infantry Brigade 117 camp crisis

- While Al-Qihali denied his nomination to the elections, The governor of Aden storms the house of Mujahid Al-Qihali

- Saudi Arabia asks Yemen to hand over Al-Reemi, accused by Saudi Arabia of being behind Riyadh blasts

- Pressures for signing homage to the president of the republic

Also palm tree disease in Hadramout.

Neonatal tetanus: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 3,000 cases occur annually in Yemen, with the mortality rate per 1,000 live births at 2.9(2). Nevertheless, NNT causes 20.3 percent of all neonatal deaths and thus is a major cause of neonatal death in Yemen. (vaccine strategy had help achieve a 60% decline since 2001)

Reducing deaths from NNT is one of the simplest and most cost-effective means to reducing the neonatal mortality rate. NNT can be prevented if women are immunized with at least two doses of TT vaccine before childbirth and clean practices are used during delivery and in caring for the infant’s umbilical cord.

Great, just great. Just when theres some kind of plan for the development of the port of Aden, Yemen gets re-risked into the red zone, increasing insurance rates dramatically. Yemen had been taken off the list last June and its back on again.

Lloyds of London maritime insurers, say Yemen is an “enhanced risk,” because of the escape:

In Yemen, inclusion on the “enhanced risks” list was prompted by the escape from jail in February by 22 suspected or convicted al-Qaeda members, some of whom where involved in the attacks on the Limburg and the USS Cole.

In 2002 an explosive-laden dinghy rammed the Limburg, a tanker carrying 397,000 barrels of crude oil from Iran to Malaysia. She caught fire and leaked 90,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Aden, running up a $45 million damage bill. One of the tanker’s crew was killed and 12 others were injured.

Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack. The mastermind of the assault was believed also to be responsible for the bombing in 2000 of the USS Cole, an American warship, in Aden. The suicide-dinghy attack killed 17 American sailors and injured 39 others.

Which means higher insurance costs,

Mr Washbourn estimated that a large container ship worth $75 million (£40 million)would pay about 0.02 per cent of its worth, or $15,000, for an annual insurance policy, which would cover the vessel to make unlimited visits to the world’s safe ports for 12 months. However, the ship would have to pay the same amount for every single visit that it made to a port on the “enhanced risks” list, he said.

Gee I hope Saleh’s negotiations with the escapees go well and he can convince them to come back soon. I guess it makes sense on the part of Lloyds, which insures ships, to raise the risk level assessment now that the same people who previously blew up two ships inYemen are back on the loose again.

(Read on …)

Under the old law, the president was the head of the judiciary but now he appoints the judges to the Higher Judicial Council? Is that it? Setting up a court to interpret the consitution sounds like a good idea from the JMP.

The Joint Meeting Parties declined what it called “risky dimensions of the latest judicial reforms” that the Parliament approved in its session in 13 May 2006 through amending the articles 104 and 105 of the judicial law for the year 1991.
JMP said in a statement that reforming the judiciary is a fundamental part of the general national and political reforms. It said the judicial authority needs a comprehensive reform that enhances its role and guarantees partially its financial, administrative and technical independence and partially real independence of judges and their judgments.
The statement said the High Judicial Council should be elected and candidates should be from members of a general assembly including all judges according to conditions, standards, competence and long-term job.
It said the HJC should carry the responsibility of structuring the judiciary system and maintaining its independence and sufficiency, as well as appointing and accounting judges.
“The judge of the Higher Court should be chosen by the Parliament after the nomination of HJC members according to legal conditions.
The JMP asks for more immunity and job security for judges, canceling special courts, establishing a higher constitutional court, separate from the Higher Court, setting up administrative judiciary, reshuffling the Judicial Inspection Organization and connecting it to HJC, guaranteeing the independence of the General Prosecution to be affiliated of HJC to represent society, not the regime.”
The statement numbered the new authorities given for president based on the amendments. It said the amended article 105 stipulates “president has the right to call the Higher Judicial Council to meet any time he finds it necessary”. The JMP said the article did not change the current situation.
It also said that the new article 104, which stipulates that head of the Higher Court should be head of the HJC after appointing him by president, amplifies the dominance of president, as executive authority, on judicial authority.
“The same article also gives president the authority to appoint three of HJC members. So the majority of the nine-member council becomes related to the executive authority, president, head of the council, minister of justice and three appointed by president. Thus, the executive authority still runs the judicial authority. This is the bitter reality of judiciary claimed to be independent,” the statement said.
The statement concluded to confirm that the Joint Meeting Parties will not accept what it called “illusory political reform”, rejecting the partial reforms that, it said, deepens the current crisis.