Armies of Liberation

MOSCOW, October 26 (RIA Novosti) - A missile frigate from Russia’s Baltic Fleet arrived at the port of Aden in Yemen on its way to join an international naval group fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia, the Russian Navy said.

“After water and food replenishments, the warship will carry out measures to protect shipping in the coastal waters of Somalia where sea pirates are active. In particular, the Neustrashimy frigate may escort passenger and merchant vessels,” the Russian Navy said, adding that the warship had the right to use force, including weapons, against pirates.

The Neustrashimy (Fearless) frigate is to join an international naval group, which has surrounded a Ukrainian ship, the MV Faina, after it was seized by Somali pirates on September 25. The Faina, which was carrying tanks and heavy weapons, has a crew of 17 Ukrainian nationals, two Russians, and one Lithuanian on board.

The Faina’s Russian captain died of a heart attack after the vessel was seized. The pirates holding the ship have demanded an $8 million ransom, and have threatened to kill the hostages if a military operation is launched against them.

The Neustrashimy’s armament includes SS-N-25 Switchblade anti-ship missiles, SA-N-9 Gauntlet SAM, a 100-mm gun, torpedoes and depth charges. The frigate also carries a Ka-27 ASW helicopter.

Pirates are increasingly active in the waters off Somalia, which has no effective government and no navy to police its coastline. Somali pirates have seized around 30 ships so far this year off the coast of the east African nation.

Possible Base

Sana’a, 16 Oct. (ITAR-TASS). The speaker of the Federation Council Sergey Mironov does not exclude the possibility that during the Yemeni President would bring up the issue of re-establishing Russian naval bases on Socotra Island in the Gulf of Aden during his visit to Moscow.

In answer to the question if Russia has any plans to do so, Mironov said, “I think that this theme will be discussed concretely during Ali Abdallah Saleh’s visit to Moscow”. Mironov did not discuss the length of the visit.

The speaker considers the future use of Yemeni ports by the Russian Navy as well as re-establishment of a base to be possible. “We have to proceed step by step, taking into account new vectors in the foreign and defense policies of Russia and the increase in op tempo by the Navy. I think that its possible that we will examine the issue of the use of Yemeni ports by Russian Naval ships”, he said.

Military violating truce agreements still. Yemen Times

SA’ADA, Oct.25 — Tribal sources from the Sa’ada governorate have said that the state of people, particularly those who are loyal to Houthis, is worsening due to the advent of winter and the continuous siege imposed by security authorities and tribes supporting the government in the area.

“A military checkpoint in Sa’ada governorate’s Al-Malahidh area prevented a medical unit belonging to medical humanitarian aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) from entering to Marran, Haidan and Saqain areas to offer medical aid to the affected citizens,” according to a statement issued by Houthis media center last Tuesday.

The statement said, “The Al-Malahidh checkpoints, in addition to the Al-Majram military site in the mountainous area of Marran, have recently witnessed military reinforcements”. It accused security apparatuses of practicing violations since the agreement to end the fifth war in Sa’ada.

According to the statement, new military sites have been set up in the areas bordering Marran from the Al-Malahidh area and confirmed that arrests had taken place in Sana’a and Mareb during the last two days.

(Read on …)

update: no food or medicine for three days:

(ap) SANA, Yemen - Flooding caused by a tropical storm has killed 90 people and displaced 20,000 others in southern Yemen, police and the World Food Program said Monday.

The WFP, which said 20,000 people were displaced, said it has been difficult to get aid to hard-hit Hadramut province because many roads were destroyed by floodwaters after Thursday’s storm.

A police official said 90 people died and 24 farms were wrecked. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh called on Yemenis and non-governmental organizations to help flood victims by donating money and other aid.

“Efforts are too slow,” said Akeel Al-Ataf of Hadramut province’s municipal government. “We haven’t seen any food or medicine in three days, and the relief efforts are chaotic.”

Yemen Times

SANA’A, Oct. 26 — 58 have been killed, dozens of citizens are missing and over 20,000 people are homeless due to flash floods that resulted from heavy rains in the eastern areas of Yemen including Hadramout and Al-Maharah.

In a report by Minister of Interior Mutahhar Rashad Al-Masri, the death toll from the floods in Hadramout and Al-Maharah governorates was estimated at 58 and rescue teams had been able to shelter 3,000 people whose houses were destroyed.

The Ministry of Defense declared in its latest statistics published in its electronic “September mobile” service that 1,700 houses and public buildings had collapsed and that power lines, telephone wires, roads and bridges had been cut due to floods in many areas of the two governorates.

In Al-Maharah governorate, 1,318 kilometers east of Sana’a, floods caused more than 45 fishing boats to sink, an Indian ship to break down and a cut in telecommunications in the districts of Hawf, Qishin, Shahin and Saihut due to damage to optical fiber cables and the destruction of mobile phone coverage towers.

In Hadramout governorate, located some 794 kilometers east of Sana’a, eyewitnesses said that floods are threatening the historical town of Shibam, a UNESCO world heritage site, after heavy rains resulted in the collapse of archeological buildings and had eradicated features of other historical ones.

Salem Al-Khanbashi, governor of Hadramout, said in a statement to the state-run Saba News Agency that the executive authority in Hadramout had received field notifications which indicate that a number of dead bodies are floating in the flood water.

The rescue and emergency committee formed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh last Friday has declared the governorates of Hadramout and Al-Maharah devastated areas “due to the major damage that befell them.”

Hasan Al-Lawzi, Minister of Information and member of the emergency committee, told Al-Siyassiya newspaper that the committee is currently surveying human and material damage and said that “flash floods resulting from heavy rain [had] caused huge damage to roads and bridges and cut electricity and telecommunication cables in addition to the human damage.”

(Read on …)

sign agreements

almotamar.net - A session of talks between the delegation of the General People’s Congress (GPC) headed by Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Sheikh Sultan al-Barakani and the National Leadership of the Arab Ba’th Socialist Party of Syria chaired by Assistant Secretary General Abdullah al-Ahmar was held at the headquarters of the Ba’th National Leadership Saturday morning.

The meeting reviewed organizational issues and development of relations between the GPC and the Ba’th parties as well as Arab, Islamic and international issues and importance of unifying the Arab rank as well as coordination of stands regarding all national issues particularly the Palestinian issue, the Arab Israeli conflict and occupation of Iraq.

Sheikh Sultan al-Barakani confirmed in the meeting Yemen’s government and people with their Syrian brothers and their support for the efforts Syria exerts for restoration of the occupied Arab territories in the Golan Heights , indicating the stands in support for Syria of which President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced repeatedly during his meetings with the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Al-Barakani praised wisdom of the Syrian leadership and steadfastness of the Arab people of Syria in foiling the foreign schemes that try to target Syria that were thinking that they placed Syria between pincers.

SANA’A, NewsYemen

The independent weekly newspaper al-Ghad quoted informed sources as confirming that two of six attackers carried out a suicide attack on U.S. Embassy last September could be identified through D.N.A tests.

Sources said that the Yemeni investigators could get “dangerous” information about the attackers to be announced in the coming days.

The weekly quoted a source close to al-Qaeda as denying any relationship between al-Qaeda and cell of Abu al-Ghaith al-Yamani that Yemeni authorities said has link to Israeli intelligence. The source added that the al-Qaeda Media Section is preparing to publish details and pictures about the attack on the U.S. Embassy on the al-Qaeda-run Sada al-Malahim magazine.

Source confirmed that Abu al-Ghaith and Basam al-Haidari are not known amongst Jihad youths who affiliate with al-Qaeda and that al-Qaeda could not ask for the assistance of a “mortal enemy”, means Israel.

President Saleh announced last week in a speech in Hadramout that security authorities arrested a terrorist cell with link to Israeli intelligence, but Israeli government denied Saleh’ accusation.

SANA’A, NewsYemen

The Yemeni security forces are hunting suspects in Hodeidah believed to be involved in a terrorist attack on U.S. Embassy in Sana’a last September.

Informed sources said the terrorist cell that carried out attack on the US embassy has links to al-Qaeda in neighboring Saudi Arabia and most suspects are from Hodeidah. This information does not go in line with previous official reports that most of attackers are from Hadramout.

Some members of the Hodeidah cell are among those released after promising to give up Jihadist ideas, said the source.

News Yemen

The full report is here and it very good. The report makes many good observations including:
The government failed to implement its part of the peace deal(s)
The mediators were arrested
The regime replaced Zaidi preachers with Salafi preachers
Arbitrary arrests included family members of suspected rebels, critics, journalists and children
The media black-out

LAT

Observers are concerned that the current cease-fire won’t hold, especially since an earlier truce failed because, critics charge, the government reneged on its promise to release Houthi loyalists. That fed growing anger against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is also a Zaidi but has largely allied himself with the country’s Sunni Muslim majority.

“They’re not knocking heads to stabilize the country,” said Christoph Wilcke, the Human Rights Watch researcher who wrote the report. “It’s having the opposite effect. This is a futile conflict. . . . Continuing the war is undermining stability both in terms of resources and the growing anger at the government.”

Wilcke, who spent two months researching the report, said he met Thursday with National Security Council officials in Washington in hope of influencing efforts to draft a new Yemen policy. A Sept. 17 car bomb explosion targeting the U.S. Embassy in Sana, the Yemeni capital, killed at least 16 people, mostly bystanders. He said U.S. officials are concerned that the practices of the Saleh government may be undermining broader security concerns.

Empty Quarter

An al Qaeda source told al Wasat by telephone that the assassination of Mohammad Rabeysh Kalan was in retaliantion for the killing of four AQ operatives last year - Ali Doha, Abdul Aziz Jaradat, Naji Jaradat, and Amer Jaridat. The source said that the assassination came as was promised to the family of the martyrs…

The al Qaeda source also gave up the name of the US embassy bomber, “Mahmoud Saad,” but refused to give more details. The article reaffirms that the al Qaeda cell which attacked the embassy was actually from Hodeidah, and includes the prominent jihadist”Sheikh Latif.”

Ukranian, (like the tanks?)

The Miracle MiG Makeover
October 14, 2008: Egypt and Yemen have hired a Ukrainian firm to upgrade most of their MiG-21 fighters. Egypt has 62 MiG-21s, while Yemen has 47. Egypt had earlier upgraded some of its MiG-21s with British electronics. The Ukrainian firm (Odesaremservis), will install a modern, digital, cockpit (flat panel color displays and far fewer switches and buttons to deal with). Installed under the aircraft will be a laser designator and camera so that the aircraft can deliver smart bombs.

The 9.5 ton MiG-21 is a 1950s design. Poor flight controls and lousy visibility limited what a good pilot could do with this aircraft. But few good pilots flew the MiG-21, as it was built for poorly trained pilots who mainly followed instructions from someone on the ground. It can carry two tons of bombs and missiles.

After the American experience with smart bombs over the last two years, most air forces have accepted the fact that the more expensive (starting at $30,000 each) smart bombs are more effective than the much cheaper ($500 or less) dumb bombs. This potentially makes the MiG-21 a much more effective aircraft.

The Ukrainian firm also offers the Sura targeting helmet, which enables the pilot to look at the target and fire a Russian R-73 heat seeking missile, that will then go after the target the pilot is looking at. If the MiG-21 is facing roughly equivalent aircraft, the Sura helmet makes the aircraft a much more effective dog-fighter.

The Ukrainian cockpit and targeting upgrade costs several million dollars per aircraft.

now for a little humor:

Ba-Mashmous: achievements of President’s program reach 80 percent

[15 October 2008]

SANA’A, Oct. 15 (Saba)- Head of Non-government Consultative Authority for following up implementing President Saleh’s electoral programs Ahmad ba-Mashmous said that achievements’ level of the program has reached 80 percent.

He made it clear that being non-governmental, the authority has honestly sought to show the President real prospect of achievement level of the electoral program after critical and inclusive revision made by the authority members to government categories of the program.

The authority indicated that the most prominent achievements have represented by independence and quality of judiciary authority, local governance, establishing Supreme National Anti-Corruption Committee, expanding democratic exercise, freedom of speech, constitutional amendments and financial and administrative reforms.

Yemen Times

SANA’A, Oct. 15 – The Radfan district of Lahj governorate witnessed on Monday a huge popular rally on the 45th Anniversary of the 14 October 1963 Revolution. At the Jubail Jabr district of Radfan, participants in the rally also marked the first anniversary of the Al-Jabalin incursion that killed 4 citizens and injured 15 others last year.

Organized by the Lahj-based Peaceful Struggle Organization in cooperation with martyrs’ families and relatives, the rally was attended by tens of thousands of citizens who came from various areas. Several speeches were given at the event before clashes between policemen and rally participants, who took to streets protesting against the government, injured four protesters when they threw stones at a security soldier.

Witnesses noted the clashes occurred in an area between Hebail Jabr and Al-Jabalain districts, adding that policemen fired live bullets and teargas at protesters and arrested many of them. Information obtained from witnesses revealed that as many as 23 protesters were arrested by the police during the event, while other sources indicated that 30 protesters were arrested after hurling stones at policemen.

Participants in the rally chanted slogans criticizing the government while driving their cars on the road leading to the area of Rasd, but they were intercepted by a military checkpoint and clashes broke out between protesters and army members at the checkpoint. They called on lifting security check points and random arrests which targeted civilians from the south. A statement by the protestors demanded an international tribunal for the crimes committed against people from the south. It also emphasized that the coming elections are rejected absolutely and does not concern the people from the south because their main concern is acknowledgement of their political struggle.

Speakers at the popular rally urged all participants to come together and continue their peaceful struggle against the regime in order to press it reform course of the unity and reconsider both October and September revolutions in Yemen. They said that military retirees in the southern governorate are ready to conciliate with other political groups.

This whole Stalinist thing is going a bit far.

Women Journalist without Chains Organization denounced the outrageous aggression against private radio stations in Hadramout governorate. On October 1st, 2008, apparatuses in Tarim district, Hadramout governorate, closed down 21 radio stations after they had confiscated their broadcasting equipments under the pretext that these stations are not licensed by Ministry of Information.

While the organization shows solidarity with owners of these radio stations and their editors, it considers that closedown of the stations is an outrageous aggression against freedom of expression in Yemen. It also confirms that Ministry of Information confiscates, in its act against the stations, a constitutional right which guaranteed, for all Yemenis, the right to practice freedom of expression through all audio, visual and written means. The organization maintains that Ministry of Information aggresses the rights of individuals, parties and organizations to possess audio and visual mass media as well as confiscates the rights of Yemenis to obtain the information and circulate it.

WJWC calls on all advocates of freedom of opinion and expression to show solidarity with these radio stations. It further appeals to all the international organizations concerned with human rights and freedom of expression to exert pressure on the Yemeni government to fulfill its international commitments with regard to human rights and freedom of expression, end the siege imposed on the right to possess private audio-visual mass media, stop official violations against freedom of expression and people’s right to have access and circulate the information.

Huge development

SANA’A, NewsYemen

Fawaz Ba-oam, son of Hassan Ba-oam, leader in the Yemeni Socialist Party, said that 10,000 armed men participated in a rally organized Saturday morning by his father in Yafe city of Lahj, south of Yemen.

Fawaz said that the public rally was successful and armed men did not shoot a single bullet.

Some reports said that thousands of armed tribesmen gathered when security forces surrounded a house in Yafe and tried to detain Ba-oam. Press reports said that security forces had to leave the area to avoid confrontations with armed men.

Security Director of Yafe Omer Saleh al-Kasad denied in a statement to NY that security forces were trying to detain Hassan Ba-Oam. Al-Kasad said the security forces had to stop “an unlicensed” protest led by Ba-oam.

Security source said no one in the city hosted Ba-oam or his fellows.

Yemeni authorities released Ba-Oam last September after President Saleh pardoned him. Ba-oam was detained for months for organizing protests in Aden authorities said against the unity.

The rally was held in Yafe on the occasion of killing four people in previous rally last October 2007.

Ba’oum hunted, after he was released from jail last month

Yemen Post: Local sources from Yaf’e, a mountainous area in the southern of Yemen, said that tribal men from Yaf’e’s Nakheb region managed to transfer Hassan Ba-Aum, a leader in the Southern Movement to a safe place, where he could avoid governmental forces who were searching for him.

Ba–Aum’s son told media that hundreds of tribal men have managed to protect his father from armed forces that wanted to arrest him and take him back to prison.

Sources mentioned that the armed forces are believed to have orders from higher authorities to arrest those who were released from prison lately by President Saleh.

Security forces have been distributing the names of those who were released to all police stations throughout the country in an effort to arrest them again.

Meanwhile, specialized penal court started trialing Hassan Ba-Aum, Ali Monasser, and Yahya Khaleb as they are suspected to be behind actions that would harm the unity of the country.

Last month, President Saleh ordered the release of 864 demonstrators arrested during protests in the southern part of Yemen.

As Yemen was doing a good job in hunting down Al-Qaeda elements across the country and managed months ago to end the ongoing war in Sa’ada, the southern issue opened the door for new erupting problems in the country.

Former military generals, unemployed professionals, and disgruntled youth across the south claim that the north is economically more developed than the south, and that northerners are favored by the government in Sana’a.

Charged with revealing an AQ plot to bomb tourists in Egypt (with the knowledge of the Yemeni government) to the Egyptian embassy in Sana’a. The Egyptian officials told the National Security and the two informants were arrested.

MEOL

Court confirms death sentence on espionage charges against former Saudi soldier Dhahouk.

SANAA - A Yemen court of appeal confirmed on Monday a death sentence on espionage charges against a Saudi who had been stripped of his citizenship, while it acquitted a Yemeni national.

Hamad al-Dhahouk, a former Saudi soldier of Yemeni origin, and Abdul Aziz al-Hatbani, an officer in Yemen’s army, were both sentenced to death in February by a court specialised in handling terrorism cases.

They were convicted of passing false information to the Egyptian embassy in Sanaa claiming that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were financing a terrorist cell in Yemen to attack tourists in Egypt, with the knowledge of the Yemeni government.

The court found “the evidence provided was valid against” Dhahouk, 50, whose Saudi citizenship was revoked in 1995.

Hatbani, on the other hand, was set free.

At their initial trial, which began in June 2007, the prosecution accused Dhahouk of passing documents containing the false information to the Egyptian embassy and demanding money in return.

Dhahouk said during interrogation that he had been a soldier in Saudi Arabia but was expelled from the country in 1995 during a visit by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

He claimed that the Saudi authorities told him “Go with your president,” and revoked his Saudi citizenship.

Earlier this month, the same court began the trial of three Yemenis who are alleged to have spied for Iran.

Iranian Spy Trial Continues, Weapons Smugglers

SANA’A, NewsYemen

Specialized Primary Court held on Sunday hearing sessions on the cases of two groups of Iranians charged of smuggling drugs to Yemen.

The first hearing session was held on the case of 11 Iranian fishermen and one Pakistani charged with smuggling hashish to the country.

The charged fishermen admitted they illegally crossed Yemen’s territorial waters, but denied that the quantity of hashish seized on their boat belongs to them.

(Read on …)

from Russia, Yemen Post

Yemen announced that it will postpone the regional summit for fighting piracy, which was planned to be held in Sana’a next week. Participating countries were expected to sign a memorandum of understanding for mutual cooperation between them in fighting piracy.

From his part, Minster of Transportation, Khalid Al-Wazir, told media outlets that the postponing came in response to the Regional Center for Combating Piracy request, adding that the summit will be held later this year.

Al-Wazir assured that Yemen will establish a center in Sana’a for monitoring ships in collaboration with 20 countries and International Maritime Organization.

In the meantime, seven military ships from six different countries have headed to Bab Al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden in a mission to fight Somali pirates, and to protect trade ships and fisheries from pirates operations, whose attacks have risen over the last few months, especially in the international waters between Yemen and Somalia.

This comes within the country’s efforts to restrict piracy activities targeting ships off Yemen’s coasts, especially in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

Piracy activities have long been a headache for international navigation in the Gulf of Aden, which is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and connects Asia and Europe.

A Yemeni official who preferred not to reveal himself, told a Chinese agency that president Saleh’s visit to regional countries came as the result of the Yemeni government’s worry for business ships that pass by the Gulf of Aden.

The sudden movement by regional countries came after pirate’s hijacked a Ukrainian ship that was believed to be carrying seven tankers. Further, pirates warned that they would explode the ship if procedures were taken against them.

Sources who asked to be left anonymous mentioned to the Yemen Post that the tanks that were on the Ukrainian ship were on their way to Yemen, and were part of the military agreement signed between Russia and Yemen.

Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Mrs. Sergey Meronof said last Friday while visiting Yemen that her country intends to send more military ships soon to free the Ukrainian ship if needed.

Increased Russian Naval Presence, Increased Use of Yemen’s Ports for Military and other Goals

Russia could resume naval presence in Yemen

SANA, October 16 (RIA Novosti) - The speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament said on Thursday that Russia could resume a naval presence in Yemen.

Authorities in the Middle East country are calling on Moscow to help fight piracy and possible terrorist threats. The U.S.S.R. had a major naval base in the former socialist state of South Yemen, which merged with North Yemen in 1990 to form the present-day Yemen.

Speaking to journalists in Sana, the capital of Yemen, Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov said the new direction of Russia’s foreign and defense policies and an increase in its naval missions would be taken into consideration when making a decision on the request.

“It’s possible that the aspects of using Yemen ports not only for visits by Russian warships, but also for more strategic goals will be considered,” he said.

(Read on …)

then there was the one who made the gun busts….

MAREB, NewsYemen

Security director of Medghal district in Mareb, Mohammad bin Rabesh, was reportedly killed on Monday an explosive parcel sent to him from Sana’a.

A soldier was also said to be injured in the explosion.

Security authorities said that Rabesh died at a hospital in Sana’a due to the explosive substance used in a parcel, the first operation of its kind in Yemen.

This came after a month of terrorist attack on U.S Embassy in Sana’a that killed six security guards and other Yemeni nationals.

YO

According to the al-Afif Cultural Foundation, it is estimated that about 70 to 80 percent of Yemenis between the ages of 16 and 50 years have chewed Qat on at least one occasion. It has also been estimated that Yemenis spend about 14.6 million man-hours a day chewing Qat. This wasted time could be used in more productive ways, such as engaging in work, extracurricular activities, studying or exercising.

The report, published on the WHO’s website, indicates that nearly 90 percent of adult males chew Qat daily for three to four hours, and that more than 50 percent of females engage in this serious habit.

According to WHO reports, Qat production seriously damages the already weak Yemeni economy. Many farmers replace coffee and other useful crops with Qat trees as they yield far larger profits. More than 90,000 Qat trees were planted on Yemeni farms during the 30 years from 1970 to 2000, the report said. It is also found that about 60 percent of areas that could be used to grow cash crops are being used to cultivate Qat, which consumes huge quantities of Yemen’s already limited underground water.

(Read on …)

At a rally in Lahj, police opened fire on protesters (again) and wounded five. Over forty people were arrested. The demonstration was held in commemoration of incidents a year ago when four people were killed October 13 while preparing for the next day’s planned demonstration. The crowd today was estimated at about 100,000, and a statement confirmed what was anticipated- southern oppositionists will boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections. A unified executive council of the southern opposition movement was established in September covering the governorates of the former PDRY: Aden, Lahej, Abyan, Shabwa, Hadhramout and Almahra.

About thirty people have been killed by police since protests began in the south a year ago. The central government has responded to the growing unrest with censorship, violence, propaganda ploys (including May’s governors elections), insults along with inconsistent, superficial attempts at addressing the root issue of instutional discrimination. Last month, nearly a thousand demonstrators were released from jail by presidential decree along with three southern leaders, including Hassan Ba-oum, who were on trial for treason.

Almotamar.net - The number of organisations applied for observing g the process of revising and amending voter tables 2008 in Yemen rose to 22 local civil organisations and the number of observers reached at 19 thousand.

Head of the sector of civil society organisations at the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER) Mohammed al-Saqaf Balghaith confirmed to almotmar.net that the local civil organisations asked to take part in observing the process of revising and correcting voter tables reached 22 until the beginning of this week and offering 19 thousand observers.

The member of the SCER also told almotamar.net about preparedness of the SCER to dispense the documents of observers during the current week.

The director general of international Observation at the sector of Foreign Relations at the SCER Ahmed Saeed had clarified earlier that they received requests for supervision and observation in the upcoming elections for 19 international observers.

Cabinet approves adding over YR660 bln to 2008 state budget
Tuesday, 21-October-2008
Almotamar.net,Saba - In its weekly meeting, Cabinet approved on Tuesday a draft law proposed by Finance Ministry on opening an additional appropriation of the state general budget for the current financial year 2008 amounting to YR 660,448,032,000.

The meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ali Mujawar submitted the draft to the Parliament for discussion and approval.

Parliament has postponed discussions of additional credit draft law for the 2008 budget mounting to YR 660 billion after several MPs demanded the government to promptly decide the volume of money required for reconstructing the flood-affected areas in Hadramout and Al-Mahrah to be inset within the additional credit.

They also considered several government officials to be responsible for the immense extent of losses especially when the disaster was forecasted a week ago by media outlets; however, they gave no attention to such warnings.

MP Abdu Bishr threatened to reject the project of the additional credit unless relief costs are included within it, hinting that disasters and floods have become a season for officials to ask for aid from abroad.

Other MPs demanded a transparency as for the way through which aids are distributed so that these aid can reach all the affected people. Some MPs also asked for postponing the parliament sessions until the government officials are summoned to respond to the inquiries of MPs in matters relating to relief and reconstruction processes.

For his part, Head of Freedoms Committee at parliament Mohammed Naji Al-Shaif demanded summoning the officials at the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Metrology (GACAM) to investigate them into the reasons that prevented them from forecasting the disaster.

He also asked MPs and members of Shoura Council to donate one-month salary for the sake of the flood-affected people, together with removing the GACAM officials from their posts.

(Read on …)

Most of the arms dealers were released after signing a pledge

Almotamar.net - Interior Minister General Mutahar Rashad al-Misri revealed that security authorities on Tuesday seized 3 million and 700 thousand intoxicating pills and managed during the first half of this year 18 tons of drugs, saying it was a quantity enough to destroy the entire youth of the Arab homeland.

Minister al-Misri also said the security authorities also managed to capture the terrorist cell that was sending threatening messages to some embassies in Yemen. In addition, security authorities were able to carry out the campaign of prohibiting weapons and the closure of 230 shops for selling arms and munitions. They detained 270 arms dealers in a number of governorates.

News Yemen

SANA’A, NewsYemen

Deputy Interior Minister and head of the National Committee for Refugees Ali Mothana Hassan said Yemen is ready to give a refuge to only people who escape wars.

Official almotamar.net quoted Mothana as saying that Yemen is committed to international resolutions approve refugee status only for people who escape war-torn countries, like Somalia, so it directly gives asylum to Somalis.

Mothana said other nationals who come to Yemen due to bad economic situations in their countries or for other reasons could be considered migrants but not refugees.

The source said Mothana’s statement came in response to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) call on Yemeni government to clarify a orders by Interior Minister Mutahar al-Masri to security forces to deny the entry of Ethiopians and Eritreans to the country.

Yemen Observer: Yemeni security forces have closed the boarder crossings under the direction of Rashad Al-Masri, Minister of Interior in the face of the growing number of refugees the Yemeni coast has recently witnessed from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.

Al-Masri ordered the military units in the areas hardest hit by the influx to block refugees from Ethiopia and Eritrea, renewing his call for the international community to stand up to their commitments and support Yemen in receiving and hosting these refugees from the Horn of Africa.

Al-Masri expressed concern over the increasing number of the African Horn refugees which has increased to 200 - 300 a day, since last September. The ministry’s information center quotes al-Masri as saying that the ministry is extremely concerned over the influx which is not only restricted to Somalia, stating that there about 140 refugees from Ethiopia and Eritrea who recently landed at Dhibab and Ras al-A’ra in bab-Mindab.

The ministry of Interior’s statistics revealed that the Yemeni coast received 2214 Somali refugees during the period from the first to mid October.

The interior ministry is worried over the social, economic, cultural and security challenges that Yemen is now facing due to the continuing African refugee influx.

The Sana’a UNHCR’s reports states that the smuggling process has resulted in hundreds and possibly a thousand deaths due to the unsafe human piracy practiced in the Red sea.

Ambassador Al-Aishi asked the international community and the refugee agreement parties to undertake their responsibilities pertaining to this humanitarian situation. He called on the international community and particularly relevant neighboring states to share Yemen’s burden and accept some of the refugees and asked for NGOs to cooperate with the UNCHR commissioner to take new measures to prevent any country or countries from becoming a permanent haven for refugees as is now the case in Yemen.

Al-Sahwa:

The UNHCR said the Yemeni Interior Ministry has announced that Ethiopians and Eritreans would be denied entry to the country, which still grants immediate refugee status to Somalis fleeing their war-torn homeland.

“While recognising the generosity already shown by Yemen to refugees and asylum seekers, we are seeking clarification from the government on any changes in policy,” UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond told a news briefing in Geneva.

The agency also said that some 87 Ethiopians were known to have been detained in Yemen over the past two weeks, while Yemeni authorities removed a further 25 Ethiopians from a vehicle transporting them to the UNHCR reception centre of Ahwar on Monday.

“We don’t know where they are but fear they were arrested and are being detained somewhere,” UNHCR spokeswoman Astrid Van Genderen Stort told Reuters.

The UNHCR urged Yemen, a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, to maintain access to asylum procedures for all those in need of international protection.

The poor Arab country is struggling to cope with an growing number of asylum seekers smuggled from the Horn of Africa in risk-filled voyages across the Gulf of Aden.

A total of 37,333 people have arrived in Yemen so far this year on smugglers’ boats, and 616 died or were reported missing, according to the UNHCR. The current total is already more than 50 percent higher than in 2007, when 23,000 made it to Yemen.

Yemen Times

SANA’A, Oct. 12 – In a statement released last Wednesday, Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) vowed not to deal with the Supreme Commission for Election and Referendum (SCER), which is currently preparing for the upcoming parliamentary elections due to take place in April 2009.

Leaders of the opposition coalition described the commission as “lacking legitimacy and being coercively imposed on political life in Yemen”.

The statement reads, “Since an early time, JMP has been working for the sake of carrying out a comprehensive political reform and this includes reforming the current election system in the country,” adding, “JMP has been exerting hard efforts to suggest workable solutions through discussions and dialogue with the authority and the ruling party with the aim of conducting free and fair elections in Yemen.”

(Read on …)

Yemen Times

Indefinite adjournment of sentence of Elbaneh gang case

The Appeals Penal Court, specialized in terror cases, has adjourned the hearing in which it will deliver its ruling on the case of 36 al-Qaeda suspects including Jaber A. Elbaneh, one of the most wanted criminals by the US.

The newsyemen.net reported that the adjournment of sentence is indefinite and came because the court head is traveling abroad.

The suspects are charged with forming an armed gang to carry out criminal acts including the attacks on oil facilities in Marib and Hadramout provinces in September, 2006.

(Read on …)

The drop in oil prices will undermine the government budget and the system of payola. Yemen Post

Economy professor Abdullah Al-A’dhi told the Yemen Post that the current financial crisis across the world, especially in America, will directly affect the Yemeni economy which is directly tied to the U.S. Dollar.

Al-A’dhi continued that the disengagement from the U.S. Dollar could reduce the direct effects on the country’s economy as the value of dollar is falling before European currencies, particularly the Euro, stressing that we should diversify our basket of currency.

“Yemen will get directly affected by the fall of the U.S. dollar because the country’s exports, mostly oil, are sold in this currency. Any forced devaluation of the U.S. Dollar will devalue the exports,” said Al-A’dhi.

(Read on …)

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The French petroleum company Total has signed an agreement with the Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) to farm into onshore exploration Block 70 (Attaq Area, Shabwa Province) in Yemen with an interest of 30.875 percent, a company statement said. This agreement has been approved by the Yemeni Ministry of Oil and Minerals.
Block 70, which covers an area of 1,367 square kilometers, is located in the south-eastern part of Central Yemen’s Marib Basin.
Already Yemen’s leading foreign investor, with this acquisition Total will increase its portfolio of exploration acreage in the country, beyond its recently acquired interests in Blocks 69 and 71, and will bring its technical expertise to the Block 70 consortium the statement said.
Present in Yemen for more than 20 years, Total is the operator of Block 10, East Shabwa and holds several other participations in oil exploration and production blocks, the statement said.

from Gary Swenchonis Sr., father of Gary Swenchonis Jr., killed in the terror attack on the USS Cole, October 12, 2000

October 10, 2008
President Saleh,

It’s that time of year again; yet another anniversary of the attack on the USS Cole in Port Aden, Yemen on October 12th, 2000. In that attack, our son and sixteen of his mates were brutally murdered, and 39 other sailors were wounded.

Since the last time I wrote you a year ago, many changes, some positive and some not, have occurred in relation to the attack on the Cole and the status of your corrupt regime. First and foremost, we wrote our Texas representative and members of Congress asking for a Congressional Hearing into why our government still supports your dictatorship after you gave the plotters and planners of the Cole attack reduced sentences and pardons for the murders of 17 American Sailors. The rest of the convicted killers conveniently escaped from your prisons. And some remain free to this day, eight years after the attack.

Our Senators have kept us informed as to our requests. We received word recently from them that next year Congress will hold Judiciary Committee hearings. We are extremely grateful to the politicians who have decided that its way past the time to review and hopefully take action against you and your regime. And to put an end to all your worthless and broken promises that you made to two American presidents and our government.

It can now be stated as fact, President Saleh, that FBI Agent John O’Neil and his team were correct in their suspicion that you and your government knew much more about the pending attack on the Cole than you admitted after the attack. Unfortunately, Ambassador Bodine and President Clinton refused to let the FBI follow up on their leads and question members of your government and family after the attack. Instead FBI agent O’Neil was kicked out of your country for wanting to conduct a proper investigation. How ironic that he would be killed in the 9/11 attack less than one year later; an attack that-if Presidents Clinton and Bush had heeded his requests-would not have happened in all probability.

(Read on …)

In a most bizarre twist, Haaretz claims former Yemeni president al-Iryiani was Jewish, and the Yemeni media counters that the article was planted by the Mossad as revenge for its collusion with Islamic jihad being uncovered by President Saleh.

Haaretz
n advance of the period of the Jewish holidays, Dorit Mizrahi, a journalist at the ultra-Orthodox weekly Mishpaha, was asked to come up with a creative idea for an article. She decided that the time had come to write about her relative, Zekharia Hadad, the brother of Grandma Levana (”Kamar,” in Yemenite), who was kidnapped as a young boy, forced to convert to Islam, and given the name Abdul Rahman Yahya al-Iryani before being appointed the president of the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen), in 1967….The new rebels deposed Sallal and in November 1967, Iryani was elected the second present of the Yemen Arab Republic.

During his term, the civil war came to an end. The Egyptian army left Yemen and the new president tried to mend the rifts and heal the scars of war. His term lasted for six and a half years, during which he participated in Arab summit conferences (in photographs, he is seen beside his colleagues among the Arab leaders). In June 1974, another military coup took place in Yemen. Iryani was deposed and found refuge in Syria, where he died in 1998 at the age of 88. His body was flown to Yemen, where he was buried.

Yemen Online notes the rumor started in 1967.

The Americans planted the drugs on the boat, they say.

13 Iranians stand trial on charges of smuggling drugs
Sunday, 12-October-2008
Almotamar.net - Yemen Specialised Criminal Court has on Sunday begun its first sittings for the trial of thirteen Iranian defendants on charge of bringing in and promoting drugs as well s entering the Yemeni regional waters in an illegal way.

In the sitting chaired by Judge Muhsin Alwan the prosecution accused the defendants of bringing drugs from Iran to Yemen via the Iranian port of kanar on board of a boat and entering the Yemeni regional waters illegally.

The attorney added that 20kg of hashish were caught in possession of the defendants. The prosecution related causes of the accusation and a list of evidence containing confessions of the defendants of being arrested by American forces and in their possession the narcotics on board of the launch they were boarding and then they were handed over to Yemeni forces and that they had no permission for entering the Yemeni regional waters an had signed the minutes of their capture, but they accused the Americans of putting drugs in the boat though they do not possess the evidence that the Americans were the ones that put the drugs on the boat. That cohesion was made by most of the defendants whereas some confessed of possessing o drugs.

The court decided postponement of the trial to next Sunday to enable the prosecution present evidence and address the lawyers union to retain lawyers to defend the defendants.

American international forces had caught the boat al-Hussein in the regional waters and on its board 13 Iranians and 3 tons of hashish which was destroyed by the international forces there and kept a sample of 20 kg in addition to capturing 22 empty sacks which were hashish package. The captured things were also 3 Thoraya telephone sets, a wireless set a set for spotting locations and a sum of 830 Iranian riyals and 10200 Pakistani rupees.

Penal court tries Iranians on charges of drugs trafficking

[12 October 2008]
SANA’A, Oct. 12 (Saba)- The specialized primary penal court started on Sunday trying a new group of thirteen Iranians accused of bringing drugs from Iran to Yemeni regional waters.

In the first session presided over by Judge Mohsen Alwan, the court conducted judicial investigations with accused for knowing their identities, their business and their personalities as well as it heard the accusation decision made by the prosecution against them.

The decision clarified that the accused brought last March 3100 pound of drugs of Hashish kind from Iran port of Kiran into Yemeni regional waters.

The prosecution showed the court that the international forces that arrested the boat, carrying Iranian banner and 13 Iranians on board, in the Indian Ocean had spoiled the quantities of Hashish and kept 20 kilos, then handed them over to Yemeni authorities with other plastic sacks.

The court then presented the case directed by the prosecution against the accused who denied knowledge of the drugs seized in their boat. They accused the American forces who arrested them of banding their eyes and laying down the drugs in their boat after they unloaded the fish they hunted into the sea.

The court asked the prosecution to provide the evidences for discussing them during the session to come and directed memo to Lawyers Syndicate for authorizing advocate for defending the accused Iranian.

Sahwa Net – The official spokesman of Military Retirees Association Abdul al-Matari has said that MRA would stand by the Joint Meeting Parties if it boycotted the up-coming parliamentary elections.

“We would stand by JMP if it boycotted the up-coming elections as we don’t pay attention to elections and only focus on the southern issue” he told Sahwa Net.

“If the southern issue was recognized, then we could talk about other issues such as elections” added he.

Yemen Observer:

However mature and well-educated they may be, women in Yemen still do not enjoy equality status with men. This is largely due to social traditions that still regard women as minors needing help and support, said a paper on women and tribal traditions in Yemen.

Women’s roles largely remain confined to giving birth, raising children and caring for the home and family, said the paper which was presented by researcher Dr. Afaf Al Haimi in a symposium held in Sana’a this week on the political role of tribes in Yemen, Jordan and Iraq.

“Education for women is not regarded as essential, especially in rural areas where women generally work about 16 hours per day on farms, in houses and gathering water,” said Al Haimi.

The rate of illiteracy among women in rural areas is as high as 75.7 percent and 40.5 percent in the urban areas, she said.

The gap between male and female education is 76 girls for every 100 boys, but in the high classes the number of girl’s decreases. At this level, there are only 44 female students for every 100 male students, she said.

The researcher also noted that there is a high drop out rate for girls at nearly every level of education. Girls generally drop out of schools because of early marriage, and because the prevailing culture does not stress female education. Also, housework, especially in rural areas and family traditions, often prevent women from leaving the home, the researcher said.

In government institutions, the researcher said, the number of female employees is around 90,464 compared to 440,061 men.

The researcher also criticized Yemen’s educational curriculum, saying it discriminates against women by focusing solely on what are typically regarded as male virtues- heroism and success, and it stresses the power of men.

She said the country’s political parties do nothing to help women. These parties are strongly affected by the country’s tribal culture which looks at women as inferior, the researcher concluded.

Journalists denied access to trial of national spies

SANA’A, Oct 11 (Saba) – In a hearing to which journalists and businessmen were denied access, the Specialized Penal Court started on Saturday the trial of three nationals convicted of spying for foreign countries.

The state-run 26sep.net reported the three were identified as Abdul Karim Ali Abdul Karim al-Alaji, 33, Hani Ahmed Deen Muhammad, 31, Skandar Abdullah Yousuf Abdu, 57.

They were arrested in Aden and referred to the judicial authorities under convictions of spying for foreign states through disclosing information on the national defense systems and documents containing information on the country’s political, economic and security conditions.

The authorities claim the men acts harmed Yemen’s position.

Now the trial has been adjourned for next Saturday.

In February, the court sentenced two locals to death after they were found guilty of spying for an Arab state.

Hamad Ali Al-Dhahouk and Abdulaziz Al-Hatbani were convicted of spying for Egypt by supplying information to Egyptian diplomats in Sana’a.

The information Dhahouk gave to the Egyptian embassy was that was that the Yemeni government knew about a terror plot targeting tourists in Egypt. He was charged with revealing state secrets. Its a bizarre case. Two guys go to the Egyptian embassy with information on a terror plot orchestrated by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia with the knowledge of Yemeni authorities and ask for money. Egypt tells Yemen’s National Security. The guys, one of whom