Armies of Liberation

But the Libyans they thank.

Almotamar.net – Deputy Premier, the Minister of Interior Dr RAshad al-Alimi announced Thursday that armed forces and security units completely control over all districts of Saada except three of them which forces avoid to advance on because the terrorists there are using the citizens as human shields.

The Interior Minister disclosed in a press conference held today that security men have caught Iranian elements involved in criminal acts and smuggling of drugs into Yemen, demanding at the same time the Iranian government to declare a clear stand concerning the events of Saada at the time he expressed Yemen’s appreciation of the recent Libyan stand regarding these events.

The minister also revealed that there are doctors and hospital attendants from Arab nationalities working with the rebellions in Saada, confirming that investigations proved relationship of the terrorists to drug-smuggling operations to Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand the minister revealed that security authorities defused five explosive charges terrorists planted in different places in the capital on the eve of celebration of the 17th National Day of the republic of Yemen.

YO

Libya condemns the terrorist acts of the al-Houthi rebels operating out of Sa’ada governorate in the north of Yemen, Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi told President Ali Abdullah Saleh in a letter received on Saturday. The letter was handed over by Libyan Leader Special Envoy and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Suleiman al-Shuhumi. Al-Shuhumi clarified Libya’s position on what is happening in some areas of Sa’ada, saying, “We are with the stability of Yemen with President Ali Abdullah Saleh, with the Yemeni rule against any sectarian issue that affects the stability of Yemen, and we take this opportunity to emphasize that we have a strong relations, and it will not be affected by anything,” he said.

Qaddafi also expressed his congratulations to President Saleh on the 17th anniversary of Yemeni Reunification. “Libya’s support for the Yemeni government in facing the revolt in Sa’ada governorate, my country will back Yemen and all procedures that safeguard and protect peace and unification of Yemen,” Qaddafi stressed in his letter to the President Saleh. Qaddafi’s message also dealt with issues of common and Arab concern. He said that Yemeni and Libyan relations were experiencing constant development, mutual respect and great cordiality and fruitful cooperation between the two brotherly countries.

“These relations were established in the 40 years since the September Revolution, and we always remember and never forget the Yemeni support to Libya,” al-Shuhumi said. “We condemn any rebellion or attempt to seize power by the way of non-democracy and non-ethics of Yemeni people,” al-Shuhumi said. “We constantly stress that we are with the law and close solidarity with liberal democracy followed in all countries, and therefore we condemn any attempts of the rebellion.” Al-Shuhumi said that the Libyan leader was keen to support the stability of Yemen and its unity, security and safety of its people and its regime.

“Libya has always stood with Yemen and it has always supported the unity of Yemen,” he said. President Saleh conveyed to the Libyan official a reply letter to Qaddafi, expressing Yemen’s fixed stance in developing its relations with Libya. “Even if there are differences between the two countries in some issues,” said Saleh, “Yemen condemns and refuses any personal abuse of the Libyan leadership or any Arab leadership in general.”

This thing is all over the place.

Al-Motamar

AFP – Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Saturday received a message from Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi supporting Sana’a’s fierce fight against anti-government rebels, a Yemeni official told AFP.
Libyan special envoy Suleiman Shuhumi delivered the message just days after Sana’a said it was recalling its ambassador to Tripoli.
Gaddafi’s message stressed “Libyan support for the Yemeni government in facing the revolt in Saada province in northern Yemen,” the source said. (Read on …)

Well thats news to me. The father is more clearly associated with the rebellion than is Yahya who often acts as a spokesman.

I’m just not finding an interpol red notice for Yahya al-Houthi at the interpol website. As the article notes some of the previously escaped al-Qaeda prisoners were already listed but the new interpol requests are for those engaged in the domestic rebellion on the Houthi side. (The tactic of calling them terrorists gets confusing after a while.) Yemen is springing jihaddists from jail to fight against the Houthis in Sa’ada, so it seems unlikely that they would then put an interpol notice on them.

YO: Yemen’s government has decided to summon its ambassadors home from Libya and Iran, for consultations about those countries’ possible interference in Yemen’s war with the al-Houthi rebels in the north, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Abu Baker al-Qirbi Saturday. Al-Qirbi said that Yemen summoned its ambassadors to ask them about the possibility that Iran and Libya are supporting the Shi’ite rebels in Sa’ada.

Muhyei al-Deen al-Dhabbi, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that, “the decision to summon the ambassadors was made because the ministry is keen to consult them and know their views on many of the pieces of information that we have received. “We will listen to the two ambassadors and their analysis of the information, and we will make a decision about our relations with these two countries,” al-Dhabbi said. “I’d rather not speak about the details now, but we will have a final decision soon,” he said.

Al-Dhabbi denied the existence of any mediation between Yemen and these two countries. The general committee of the GPC, in its meeting last Thursday, discussed Sa’ada events and the information about the possible interference from abroad in internal affairs. The spokesman of the GPC, Tariq al-Shami, told the Observer that there is information from the citizens of Sa’ada about the support of the rebels by Libya and some groups from Iran. “So, we recall our ambassadors to consult and make decisions about our relations with these countries.

“We officially informed Libya and Iran about these pieces of information, and we want to know their responses and reactions,” said al-Shami. “The summoning of the ambassadors does not mean the end to diplomatic relations with the two countries, and we don’t have the intention to end these relations” Members of the GPC general committee said that outside interference in internal affairs is dangerous, unacceptable, and a serious matter that must be faced in order to maintain the interest, security, and stability of the homeland.

As a result of the strife in Sa’ada, the authorities in Yemen have sent a request to Interpol to add the names of dozens of accused terrorists involved in terrorism in Sa’ada governorate to its international rosters, a security source said. Yemen would like these men arrested and sent to Yemen for prosecution if they are found. The source said that the request, which was sent to the Interpol office in Sana’a, includes personal information on many of the accused terrorists operating in Sa’ada.

Yemen’s request came after the Yemeni authorities received information confirming the involvement of many characters in the financing of terrorist elements, and some of them allegedly participated in the process of vandalism, and committed acts of murder and attacks against security and armed forces, according to the source. Dr. Abdul-Qader Qahtan, the manager of Interpol Sana’a, said that among the requested names there are the names of the escaped prisoners from the political security prison. In April, Interpol approved putting the name of the escapee Yahya al-Houthi on its red bulletin. The countries where this terrorist is hiding are bound to extradite him to Yemeni authorities via Interpol.

Shi’ite cleric Badr al-Deen al-Houthi, whose followers believe Yemen’s government is too cozy with westerners, is rumored to be living in Libya. Waves of confrontations between the rebels and the army since January have left thousands of rebels and government troops dead. Some 5,000 people have had to flee their homes in Sa’ada.

Libyan Envoy Arrives in Sana’a

SANAA (AFP) - A Libyan special envoy arrived in Yemen on Thursday just days after Sanaa said it was recalling its ambassador to Tripoli, the official Saba news agency said.

Suleiman Shuhumi brought a message from Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi for President Ali Abullah Saleh on the “brotherly relations” between the two countries and “ways of developing them,” the report said.

The agency did not provide any further details about the mission by Shuhumi, who heads the foreign affairs committee of the Libyan parliament.

His trip comes after Sanaa, on May 11, recalled its ambassadors to Libya and Iran for consultations as a protest against what it claimed was their support for a deadly rebellion among Yemen’s Zaidi minority.

Hundreds of people have died in the three-year-old uprising by members of the Zaidi community seeking restoration of the Zaidi imamate, which ruled in Sanaa until a 1962 coup by republican forces.

Libyan Foreign Minister Abdel Rahman Shalgham has denied any involvement in the Zaidi rebellion.

Heavy fighting flared up again in recent months between the Zaidi rebels and government troops in Saada province in the northern mountains on Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia.

An offshoot of Shiite Islam, the Zaidis are a minority in mainly Sunni Yemen but form the majority in the north. President Saleh is himself a Zaidi.

The ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden, Yemen is also faced by Al-Qaeda-inspired militancy among its Sunni majority, particularly in the eastern Maarib and Hadramawt regions

Iranian and Yemeni FP’s chat on the sidelines of the OIC.

Iran and Yemen Tuesday in Islamabad discussed the latest developments in bilateral relations.

The discussion was made by the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and his Yemeni counterpart Abu Bakr al-Qirbi on the sidelines of the 34th session of foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Al-Qirbi briefed Mottaki on the latest domestic developments in his country and called for continuation of consultations with Iran in line with strengthening bilateral relations.

Mottaki expressed hope the ongoing problems in Yemen would be settled peacefully.

“Nowadays, the Islamic world is in dire need of unity and solidarity more than any other time,” he said.

He stressed the significance of adopting wise management in confrontation with enemies’ conspiracies aimed at creating discord among Muslims.

Well this is an interesting and comprehensive analysis of the Sa’ada War that makes many important points. I don’t know who wrote it. It is posted at one of the forums.

The situation in Yemen

The situation in Yemen is very complicated,
To understand what is really going on one must look at the surface and also behind the scenes.

On the surface:

On the surface there is a confrontation between Yemeni government and the Hoothy supporters.
And on this surface we find two contradicting discourses each with its supporters in Yemen and abroad.
The government from its side has pictured the “Hoothys” as a backdoor to Iran, sympathizers with Shiia militant ideology, terrorists, reactionaries wishing to restore the imamate in Yemen, enemies of the United States, and as persecutors of Jews in Yemen.

The Hoothys on the other hand insist that while they sympathise with Iran they are not a back door to it, nor do they sympathise with its ideology. They deny any dreams of an imamate system. They acknowledge regarding the United States as their enemy yet they state that they haven’t ever targeted United States’ interests in spite of their capability to do so. They deny persecution of Jews and consider such events as isolated individually motivated incidents to which they have limited relation, and no control.

The Zaydis and the Hashemies of the North are caught in the cross fire.

All but a very few denounce Hoothys ideas, claims and actions. They consider them alien to Zaydi thought and practise, provocative, foolish, harmful, and completely needless. They believe that he took them 17 years back and squandered all the small successes they had gradually accumulated in their effort to re-locate themselves in Yemen. They considered the Anglo/American presence in the region as balancing to the Salafis, and as pressure towards democratisation of the country; and preferred to pay lip service to those mobilising against that presence.

A minority of the Zaydis and the Hashemies choose to be blatantly supportive of the government. Another minority choose to be outspoken but neutral in its demands requesting each party to be wise. But most, and particularly in light of the extreme violence and bloodshed, decided to delay denunciation of al-Hoothy till later. Fearsome of the aftermath, they are silent and watching things as they develop. They don’t know what to do, so they prefer to do nothing.

Behind the scenes:

1. Extremist Salafis are gaining high ground in the country as they participate in the fighting and subsequently get funded, armed and gain experience.
2. Zaidis and Hashemies are in such pressure that many of their moderates are seriously considering that a future alliance with Iran is a strategic imperative even at the expense of losing autonomy, and creating animosity.
3. Government’s authority has been undermined, its legitimacy jeopardised and its influence declined due to its failure to defeat the Hoothys.

Outcome:
1. Yemen will be a breeding ground and safe haven for Qaeda and pro-Iranian militants.
2. A Somalisation of the Northern Yemen could ensue where central control is lost.

Way out:
Violence breeds militants, thus the only way out is to come up with a solution that stops the current violence and sets up a situation that impedes future violence.
This can only be done if:
1. an internal balance of power between sects and political parties is promoted. No group should have hegemony over another.
2. the government makes a series of commitments which guarantee that no such thing will reoccur.
Both have to be done with backing, pressure and support of a western power.
And this could start simply with increasing media attention and official statements about the fighting and its security and human consequences.

Background:

In June 2004 the government attempted to arrest Hussein al-Hoothy for repeating anti-American/anti-Israeli slogans and also for mobilising some teenagers to do the same. The attempt evolved into a full scale confrontation which subsequently lead to the death of Hussein. Yet the stand-off continued with his younger brother AbdulMalik in control. Later in September 2004 another confrontation started. And then again in November 2005, and the fourth and current confrontation in January 2007. The long peace between the third and fourth war was due to the election period.

One should start by noting that the size of the governments onslaught is not at all proportionate to the magnitude of Hussein al-Hoothy’s threat. This is but one of the indicators that this battle is not being fought against a group of civil disobeyers. The stakes here are much higher.

Hussein Al-Hoothy comes from a Zaidi, Hashemy and scholarly family. He played some minor roles in the 1990s, but didn’t have enough popular support to give him the status he desired. He wasn’t known to be a man of knowledge either. But as one who grew in the house of a scholar he had an above average knowledge foundation.

His movement started after a three year withdrawal from public life. Close friends believe he was seeking a role to play.

His idea was simple: ((America is in the region, it wants to control Yemen, we need to inoculate Yeminis from loyalty to America, thus we will have a slogan which we will repeat on religious occasions and gatherings. We will not perform any kind of violence. If we are arrested we should not resist.)) The slogan was: death to America, death to Israel, victory to Islam.

He first attracted teenagers who were excited by the concept of the slogan and the act of defiance.
His importance multiplied and he attracted followers as the government put pressure on him and made some arrests. He convinced his followers that those arrests are proof of the viability and effectiveness of such an approach in keeping the United States at bay. He would say that America feared him, and thus instructed the Yemeni government to stop him. And he found himself a number of disillusioned, disenfranchised, and frustrated idealists who believed that and gradually a sense of crusade was created; and the objective of this crusade is to repeat the slogan peacefully at all costs. And the more the government pushed, the more intense and holy became the crusade.

Most Zaydi leaders had no sympathy at all with this, and they even ridiculed him. But respect for his father stopped them from loudly criticising him. Most were not concerned with what he did and said as long as he didn’t provoke the government. And for a time he paradoxically thought that he was serving the interests of the government by his actions.

Calls for his arrest were issued, and eventually an attempt to arrest him was designed and lead by Ali Muhsin al-Ahmar, the second man in power in Yemen, a colonel in the army, and a staunch supporter of Salafis in Yemen.

Resisting arrest in the tribal areas is the norm in Yemen, and this is what happened, except that things spiralled into a full scale confrontation.

The confrontations created a new kind of sympathy. People couldn’t accept the way the government was handling the matter as too many lives were being lost, and hundreds of young youths being arrested for no justifiable reason. This sympathy attracted many to fight at his side. Some had never known him before. Some Hashimys and Zaydis saw this as a battle against their existence, and joined him for that purpose only. By the fourth confrontation we can clearly see how the motives of support evolved. Those who fought with the Hoothys and actually knew Hussein and were attracted to his thought were a minority. Very few are genuinely supportive of the claims about the importance and impact of the slogan. Participants in the fighting are not anymore a homogenous group. They don’t carry one ideology, they don’t have the same motives, and they don’t adhere to a central leadership in the meaning of the word. Today the battle has extended to other members of the tribal community. People who had never heard of Hussein al-Hoothy are participating in the fighting today.

One of the dangers of the current situation is that the Hoothys are without an agenda. They are merely resisting being arrested. Their only demand is that they repeat the slogan. Sometimes they mention the Salafis and the Saudi intervention, but their focus is on the right to say the slogan. This is extremely dangerous, as it leaves them very vulnerable to those who want to recruit them. And since the Zaydis are too weak and too fragmented to reap any political benefit from this, the expectation is the an outer power will.

The main actors or benefactors of the events are:

First: the Islamic Salafi movement in Yemen

The primary benefactor of all this has been the Islamic Salafi movement in Yemen; be it under the umbrella of the Islah Party, or other factions.

In the early years after Yemen entered Islam, its main participation in the expansion of the Islamic state was by providing men. Most of the armies who went to Iraq and Persia in the east; and Morocco and Spain in the west were of Yemeni origin. This stopped with the creation of the Immamate around the 10th century.

This vision of Yemen being a resource for external Islamic activity was re-incarnated by the Islamic brotherhood in the 1940s when they decided that Yemen was a perfect platform towards the restoration of the Islamic Caliphate.

When Imam Yahya refused to allow them the influence they wanted in the country, they considered him a stumbling block in the road to Islamic renaissance, and thus deemed it morally justifiable to assassinate him. They masterminded and spearheaded the assassination of the Imam in 1948, which included a failed coup.

After their failure in Yemen, and their subsequent persecution by the Nasserite regime in Egypt, they tried again during the civil war between 1962-1970; and Mohammad al-Zubairi established “The party of God” (Hizbollah) before he was assassinated in the late 1960s.

From the late 1960s and through the 1970s a complex process lead to the creation of a “paradoxical” alliance between four seemingly contradicting spheres of power:
1. Brotherhood organisational and political thinking,
2. Salafi ideology (AbdulMajeed al-Zindani)
3. Tribal authority (Shiekh Abdullah al-Ahmar of Hashid)
4. Military power (Colonel Ali al-Ahmar of Sanhan)
This was an unstable composite, but was made to stick with Saudi funds, common interests and threats, personal endorsement and support of Ali Saleh. As a result Yemen had the strongest, most branched, and locally influential Islamic party in the Arab World.

This was a threat to President Ali Saleh, and threatened the transition of power from him to his son Ahmed; but there was little he could do. Until of course the September 11 tragedy and the attack on the USS Cole, which gave the President the opportunity he much needed to dismantle the alliance, or re-structure it to his favour.

But the Hoothy events erupted, and they lead to the opposite of his wishes. Now that alliance is being cemented through the fighting, and they are gaining leverage over him.

Second: The Saudis
The Saudis are very difficult to understand. They send conflicting messages about Yemen. This is could be a tactic, but it could also speak of confusion or a division amongst the decision makers on how to best deal with Yemen.

Yet there have three constant principles with regard to Yemen:
1. Yemen must never be stable enough lest it grows and becomes a power that may undermine its influence in the region.
2. The Zaydis and Hashemys must be politically eliminated.
3. Yemen is their backyard.
To that purpose many tactics were utilised of which some were more successful than others, but all in all they did well relative to their objectives.

In the current situation their position has been supportive of the government’s violent approach which can be explained quite well in light of the above three principles. The war de-stabilises the country. The current onslaught is against Zaydis and Hashemys. And since they believe that Hussein al-Hoothy is affiliated with Iran, they see this as cutting short this threat.
The paradox is that they also know that this is causing a rise of power for the extremist Salafis. This paradox fades away when we remember that for the Saudis Extreme Salafis are an important asset. Yet they are an asset which they prefer to have outside their borders. Yemen serves as the perfect place to which they can re-locate them. This is perfect because:
1. They control the main players (Zindani & al-Ahmar).
2. it also strengthens their control of Yemen
3. keeps their legitimising ideology nourished
4. keeps them as a valuable usable available resource
5. keeps Iranian sentiments and affiliations at bay
6. guarantees limits on future Hashemy efforts to grow
7. limits the presence of a contending political ideology with its ideals of accountable and just government. (Zaydiah)

Third: The Iranians:
They have tried to gain foot since the early 1990s seem to have moved in three parallel yet not very coordinated paths:
1. they tried to build an alliance or a cooperation with the Islah party. This failed eventually. Their efforts in Palestine to ally sunni miltants couldn’t be replicated in Yemen.
2. they also tried to build networks with some Zadi leaders especially those in Hizb al-Ahaq. That also failed in the end.
3. they tried to preach Shiism and this also failed.

The current events created a window of opportunity for them. The despair which the Zaydis and Hashemis have, and their absolute lack of trust in the government leaves them only one way: east.

Fourth: The Libyans
They are minor players. In the past couple of years Ghathafi has been trying to gain foot through financial support. He managed to invite a number of Shiekhs to Tripoli, dispersed a lot of money, and is now supporting Hussein Abdullah al-Ahmar create a party in Yemen. He also has a project of bringing all the Hashemites together and had also invited some of them from Yemen, and gave them some money. A few of those who went there understood clearly that his objective is to threaten Saudia. The President is aware of most if not all of the contacts with Libya and he doesn’t oppose it as long as nothing will be done to undermine his influence in the country. He is usually pleased when tribal leaders find a source of income other than himself.

Fifth: The government:
They are mentioned last because many observers and those in the close circle feel that this confrontation has gained a momentum of its own. They can find no clear interest for the President in pursuing this. And their only explanation is that Ali Al-Ahmar is working hard to keep the conflict alive. Some have assumed that the President, after seeing the strength of resistance, saw the confrontation as an opportunity to rid himself of many of Ali al-Ahmar’s loyal officers and tribesmen.

Conclusion:
The interaction of those actors is expected to make Yemen a new breeding place and safe haven for each of: Qaida and Shii Militants. The rugged mountains of Yemen, the weakness of central control, the availability of heavy and light arms in the local market, a population that is poor frustrated religious and with high illiteracy all make the country a safe and relatively impregnable haven for extremists, militants and terrorists.

Though highly improbable the Northern region may fall into long term chaos, and this may eventually lead to an explosion of the country. Popular frustration is reaching a threshold due to the compounding effects of severe poverty, extreme corruption, general mistrust in public institutions, loss of hope in the future, human rights violations, and brute abuse of power by the different branches of security forces. This compounded with an internal power struggle, may lead to dramatic and unexpected events. One of which is a violent reaction against Saudi Arabia. Popular resentment against the Kingdom is at a peak as the general perception is that the Saudis are funding this battle in which Yemeni kills another. Though highly improbable, the nature of the region’s volatility should be enough reason to assume the possibility of this second scenario.

All this is apart of the human catastrophe whose magnitude will only be clear once the arms are laid to rest. Yet, when villages are being pounded from the air, when innocent women and children are being arrested, and when mines are being laid by a government against its own people; one can only expect the worse

According to the regime, the solution to the Sa’ada war is not negotiating with Abdelmalik or accepting his offer of a cease fire, but to pressure Libya to stop funding weapons purchases for the Houthis through Yemeni weapons brokers. Now we all know who the weapons brokers are, the fact that they are so autonomous and powerful that the Yemeni government (having profited all these years) cannot itself force an end to the flow of weapons is troubling. Its an sub-mafia within the larger mafia, affiliated with the state although not responsive to it. And yes the Houthis do seem to have an awful lot of weapons which in turn requires an awful lot of money.

Sana’a, NewsYemen

The Permanent Committee of the ruing General People’s Congress party, has stated that “the stand towards events in Saada is the priority in any political dialogue with any other party or organization.”

Fighting terrorists in Saada is a historical and national responsibility of Yemeni people to defeat the enemies of unification and to keep the democratic development project, said the statement.

The statement said that “a foreign support for rebels in Saada, encouraged by an internal bodies, increase escalation in Saada and extend the sedition in Yemeni community just for accounts with some regional and international parties,”

Yemen has recalled its ambassador to Libya in protest at what it claims is Tripoli’s backing for a deadly uprising by the Zaidi minority in the northern mountains, a government website said Friday.

Media means of the GPC said that tribesmen in Sa’ada demanded from the government to cut off relations with Libya and close its embassy in Sana’a over alleged support for “the armed rebellion in Saada”.

The decision to summon ambassador Hussein Ali Hassan comes amid “growing calls” on the Yemeni government to cut diplomatic ties with Libya, said a report on Al-Motamar.net, the official website of the ruling General People’s Congress.

Head of media circle of the GPC, Tariq al-Shami, said that the government summoned the Iranian ambassador of Iran as well. But he said the Iranian diplomat was summoned for talks not to cut off relations with Tehran.

These developments come one day after a short visit by Emir of Qatar to Yemen for talks with president Saleh on different issues.

Informed sources told NewsYemen that even though the goal of the visit was not the mediation between the state and al-Houthis in Saada, Hamad and Saleh have already talked on the issue especially after a contact between Yahya al-Houthi and Qatari parties in which al-Houthi confirmed the readiness of his brother Abdul-Malik al-Houthi to hold a new pact with the government to ceasefire.

Government sources say that al-Houthi is unable to stop war and see that the solution is “to pressure Libya to stop supplying rebels with funds and weapons through weapons brokers have relations with Libya and al-Houthi. (Read on …)

Impressions, indications, no proof

SANAA, May 10 (Reuters) – Yemen has recalled its ambassador in Libya over its suspected support to Shi’ite Muslim rebels, a state-run Web site said on Thursday.

Yemeni officials have said they suspected Libya was supporting the rebels led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, who have been fighting government forces in the northern province of Saada since the beginning of 2007.

“The decision to recall the ambassador … came a day after popular demands for cutting Yemeni ties with Libya and to close its embassy in Sanaa over accusations of Libyan involvement in supporting the terrorist elements,” the Web site of the ruling People’s Congress Party said, quoting “well-informed” sources.

The Web site, almotamar.net, said that residents of Saada had urged the government to sever ties with Tripoli as part of efforts to dry up the sources of rebel funding. (Read on …)

SANAA (AFP) – Yemen’s new prime minister says Sanaa will not negotiate with Shiite rebels battling government forces in the northwest of the country, accusing Libya, and “possibly” Iran, of backing the insurgents.

There can only be a military solution. Absolutely,” Ali Mohammed Mujawar told AFP in his first interview with foreign media since he was named to head the government by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on March 31.

The French-educated 54-year-old Mujawar is considered a technocrat and had been serving as electricity minister since February 2006.

Outlining his government’s programme to parliament on April 17, Mujawar totally ignored the bloody conflict unfolding in the northwestern province of Saada, only some 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the capital Sanaa, infuriating some lawmakers.

“There’s not a word — not a single word — about the war!,” protested independent MP Sakher al-Wajih, brandishing a copy of the programme.

“The military solution is not a solution,” he told AFP.

Mujawar’s silence was in keeping with the blackout authorities have been trying to impose on the fighting between government forces and Zaidi rebels, whose community is an offshoot of Shiite Islam dominant in northwestern Yemen but in a minority in the mainly Sunni country.

Saada is out of bounds to visitors, particularly journalists. The local press, which is closely monitored by the government, must suffice with rumours about developments in the province. (Read on …)

I thought it was the Yemeni Ba’ath party that Libya was funding.

Islah? Now it’s Islah supporting the Houthis? Errrr, no. This is the ruling party’s website so….

almotamar.net agencies – Arab and world news agencies, newspapers and electronic websites disclosed recently those Yemeni poetical parties have received more than $ 6 million in financial support from external sides that were indicated of their involvement in supporting terrorist acts in Saada governorate.

According to the American news agency the Libyan leader Muamar Gaddafi offered support to two major parties of the Yemeni opposition parties in Yemen amounting to about $ 6 million. It added that the Libyan support included the parties of Yemen Congregation for Reform (Islah) and the Nasserite Unionist, $ 6 million to the Islah party and $ 250 thousand to the Nasserite Unionist Orgaisation, pointing out that the latter receives Libyan sort for long time.

Akhbar Libya newspaper that published the news in its internet website under the title | Gaddafi supports Islah and the Nasserite with more than 6 million dollars” mentioned that the leader began from Yemen implementing his declared promise of adopting nationalist and Islamic movements in the Arab world.

Related: Khaddafi, the same guy who wants to create Israerastein, advocates for a North African Imamate; via Memri. I think people just lose their minds after 20 years in power.

Reports that Libya is supporting a Shi’ite rebellion against the Yemenite government are unlikely to be true, analysts say. The rebellion, lead by the Al-Houthi clan, was quashed in 2004 by government forces.

However, there has been an upsurge in northern Yemen over the past couple of months. The latest round of fighting has led to dozens of deaths, among both the rebels and the government forces. Oliver Miles, a former British ambassador to Libya, said he was not convinced Libya was helping the rebels. This would be “out of character” for Libya, he said. Libya has denied claims from Yemen officials that Tripoli is backing the Al-Houthi rebellion.

Editor in chief of the Tripoli Post Sa’id Laswad said such reports were “totally baseless.” He noted the positive historical ties with Yemen and Libya’s support of Yemen’s reunification process.
Copyright © 2006 The Media Line All Rights Reserved.

They chat:

Tripoli, Libya 04/02 – Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Salah and Libyan leader Moammar Kadhafi on Saturday evening discussed a range of issues including the quest for social cohesion in north Yemen, an official Libyan source revealed here.

The telephone discussion between the Yemeni leader and Col. Kadhafi, who is currently in Agades, Niger, some 1,000km north of the capital Niamey, was aimed at reviving dialogue in the conflict between the Zaidiyines, in the northern provinces in Yemen, and the Yemeni government.

Yahya Badreddine Al-Houthi, a member of the Yemeni parliament, recently called on the Libyan leader to use his good offices to mediate in resolving the conflict, considering that both parties trust him.

Col. Kadhafi, who is in Niger for a two-day visit, Friday in Agades led the main prayer for the commemoration of Prophet Mohamed`s birth, in presence of the Presidents of Niger, Chad, Sudan, Mali and Sierra Leone. The head of state and outgoing chairman of the Military Council for Justice and Democracy in Mauritania, Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, also attended the ceremony.

Background:

Yemeni-Libyan relations soured after a failed Nasserite coup against Saleh in 1978 which was said to be backed by Libyan leader Gaddafi. Libya was thought to have supported South Yemen in its series of wars with Saleh’s Northern forces. In 2006, Libya seemed to be intent on establishing stronger ties with Yemen after decades of cool relations.

President Saleh visited Libya before September’s presidential elections. News reports indicated that Libya provided substantial funds for Saleh’s presidential campaigns. In November 2006, Said-el-Islam Al-Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, arrived in Sana’a to meet with President Saleh’s son, head of Yemen’s special forces, Col. Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh to discuss “cooperation in the field of charity between the NGOs that they preside in their countries,” according to the official 26 September.

However Mareb press, Naba News and others reported attempts by Libya to mediation between authorities and the Al-Houthi rebels. Reportedly Gaddadfi carried a letter regarding the topic from his father to the Yemeni president. Opposition and other media announced that all Houthi partisans imprisoned in Saa’da and Hodeida were suddenly released, although numerous amnesty declarations had previously failed to bring about this result.

As armed conflict between the rebels and the Yemeni military renewed in January, Yemen began to insinuate, and then later state overtly, that the rebellion was supported by both Iran and Libya.
In January the editor of the Yemeni newspaper, Akhbar Al-Youm (Today News) claimed the Libyan ambassador to Yemen threatened to kill him. The paper has published an article detailing an agreement it claimed was reached between Libya and Yahya al-Houthi in which Libya would support the rebels. The Ambassador denied all charges.

On January 25, Libya’s leader Moamer Kadhafi on hosted an Arab mini-summit with his counterparts from Algeria and Egypt to review developments in the Middle East and Africa, a Libyan official said. A Libyan official had stated that President Saleh would also attend, although he did not.

In February, Yemen issued an official request to Libya asking for the extradition of Yahya al-Houthi who was visiting family in Libya at the time. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Yahya al-Houthi noted that Qaddafi was invited to intervene in the conflict after a request by President Saleh to mediate in the second round of fighting in 2005. “Qaddafi only interceded to fulfill the president’s wish,” he said accusing the Yemeni government of creating the charges in order to delude international parties.

Later in March, Libyan President Moammar Al-Qaddafi affirmed President Ali Abdullah Saleh had requested he invite Yahya Al-Houthi to Libya in order mediate between him and President Saleh to stop the war in Sa’ada. In an interview with Al-Jazeera satellite channel, Al-Qaddafi stated, “President Saleh telephoned me and said, ‘Yahya Al-Houthi is abroad. I beg you to call him and invite him to Libya to end this war.’ Before this call, we didn’t know anything about Al-Houthi.”

Gaddafi said Yahya al-Houthi was anxious to end the fighting and listed certain conditions.

He said that President Saleh accepted some conditions, such as releasing detainees, but didn’t accept others. Thus, the war ended and Houthis were happy, Al-Qaddafi noted, referring to the second Sa’ada war. Gaddaffi denied any tension in Yemeni-Libyan relations as evidenced by the recent visit of Libya’s foreign minister to Yemen, as well as a telephone call he had with President Saleh. He alleged the charges against Libya were a product of hired newspapers, although the charges had been stated by high ranking government officials.

In an interview three weeks earlier with Al-Hiwar satellite channel, Yahya Al-Houthi recounted the same information as Gadaffi had. At the time, al-Houthi’s account was disputed by Yemen’s official media which harshly attacked him and accused Al-Hiwar of being a hired channel.

From the very beginning of the war, Yemeni official media have alleged Libyan involvement in the Sa’ada events, accusing Al-Qaddafi of providing military, financial and political support to Houthis. At its first meeting, the Yemeni National Security Council stated it would reconsider relations with any nation supporting Houthis, referring to Libya and Iran.

The Saada war just goes on and on.

Yemen Times: SANA’A, March 28 — Tribal sources said Wednesday that bloody clashes between the Yemeni army and Houthi loyalists are continuing on various fronts in Sa’ada. Army forces retreated from Dhahian city, a Houthi stronghold, after facing severe resistance there. Meanwhile, material and human losses are increasing.

Aleshteraki.net reported informed sources in Sa’ada as saying, “Army forces and hundreds of tribal volunteers managed to penetrate many streets of Dhahian after deadly confrontations with Houthi loyalists waged since last Tuesday afternoon.”

Eyewitnesses declared, “The Yemeni army is employing a new method in its war on Dhahian, as many units are allowed to enter the city for some time and then withdraw and resume other attacks. Dozens of tanks and armored vehicles are positioned on all streets and outlets leading to Dhahian in order to prevent any infiltration to and from the city.”

Sa’ada Governor Yahya Al-Shami assured that government forces are laying siege around Dhahian city to prevent losses among women and children.

“Governorate, security and military leaders decided to lay siege around the city in order to save citizens’ lives, especially women and children. Many citizens fled the city to nearby areas, while others moved to their relatives’ homes in safer locations,” Al-Shami explained.

The governor further noted that 12 Houthis surrendered to army forces this week, adding that, “Authorities have provided food and shelter and equipped temporary camps to receive those displaced residents with no relatives outside Dhahian city.”

Confrontations in Dhahian, which accommodates 25,000 inhabitants in 5,000 homes, have destroyed more than 60 homes and civil facilities. Further, a historic mosque also was destroyed, while water, electricity and other basic services have been cut for two weeks.

Army personnel and volunteers had vacated some Dhahian streets by the middle of this week after four days of fierce fighting, leaving dozens killed or injured on both sides.

Additionally, some areas of Bani Salem in Kittaf district witnessed confrontations on Monday evening and Tuesday, but the results are unclear to date.

Al-Madani killing unclear

Meanwhile, news about killing senior Houthi leader Al-Madani was contradicted. Some sources reported that Yemeni soldiers captured him, while others said the army killed him Tuesday while attacking a Houthi position in Bani Salem’s Braash; however, official sources neither confirmed nor denied such reports.

Al-Najjar killing sparks anger

In related news, more than 3,000 citizens of Kharf, a sub-group of Hashed tribe, last Saturday expressed their anger at the way their relative, Muqbil Al-Najjar, was killed at the hands of some army personnel last Thursday. During his funeral in his home area of Kharf, more than 3,000 citizens expressed their resentment and anger over his death, noting that he was killed via deception and betrayal.

Al-Najjar was killed last Thursday when his house was destroyed by army forces using tank shells while attempting to infiltrate Dhahian on the pretext of searching for Houthi loyalists. Al-Najjar and several others from his area were living in Dhahian because they operate fruit farms and businesses in Sa’ada.

Press reports mentioned that hundreds of Hashed tribesmen are volunteering with army and Sulfi groups to fight against Houthis. Such volunteers mainly are from Uther, Al-Osimat and Habour Dhulimah.

However, Kharf tribal leaders have refused to fight, alleging that the authority didn’t do justice to those who participated in the first and second Sa’ada wars. The tribe’s sons complain about the authority’s negligence, particularly toward those who were killed or injured and in need of medical attention.

One observer commented on Al-Najjar’s death, saying, “The way Al-Najjar was killed in Dhahian proves the futility of war and how it affects the national peace, whereby the killer and the killed are from one tribe and the same family. This is the case with civil war.”

Students killed in Dammaj

The identity of one victim in a Houthi attack targeting a checkpoint near the Dammaj Center for Hadith and Jurisprudence located in Al-Safara district’s Dammaj area south of Sa’ada remains unknown.

Local sources mentioned the killing of two students, one a French student of Algerian origin, and injuring another French student, while the identity of the second victim hasn’t been determined. The same sources added that the French student was buried by his friends in Dammaj Cemetery, while the injured party still is being treated at Al-Salam Hospital in Sa’ada.

Supported by Saudi Arabia, the Dammaj Center was established in the 1980s to teach Sulfi doctrine. The center accommodated students from more than 30 countries before the Sept. 11, 2001 events; however, that number has diminished over the past few years.

Al-Qaddafi hints at mediation

In other Houthi news, Libyan President Moammar Al-Qaddafi pointed out that President Ali Abdullah Saleh requested he invite Member of Parliament Yahya Al-Houthi, who currently is living in Germany, to Libya and mediate between him and President Saleh to stop the war in Sa’ada.

In a live interview with Al-Jazeera satellite channel, Al-Qaddafi recounted, “President Saleh telephoned me and said, ‘Yahya Al-Houthi is abroad. I beg you to call him and invite him to Libya to end this war.’ Before this call, we didn’t know anything about Al-Houthi.”

He added that he summoned the Yemeni MP to Libya, telling him Yemen wanted to end the war in Sa’ada, and Al-Houthi indicated his readiness to do so, but with certain conditions. He maintained that Saleh accepted some conditions, such as releasing detainees, but didn’t accept others. Thus, the war ended and Houthis were happy, Al-Qaddafi noted, referring to the second Sa’ada war.

The Libyan president noted that he was surprised at the war’s resumption due to the intervention of foreign parties. He denied any tension in Yemeni-Libyan relations as evidenced by the recent visit of Libya’s foreign minister to Yemen, as well as a telephone call he had with President Saleh.

He went on to allege that it is the hired newspapers that are claiming his nation’s involvement in the Sa’ada events, not the Yemeni government or President Saleh, further asserting that Libya has no interest in a remote Yemeni area.

“It’s unreasonable. We don’t have any relation with Zaidi doctrine and we have no interest in Yemen’s war,” Al-Qaddafi assured.

He further revealed that Yahya Al-Houthi sent him a new letter requesting he mediate to end the war, adding that he sent the letter to President Saleh and hinted that he would intervene again if Saleh accepts.

In an interview three weeks ago with Al-Hiwar satellite channel, Yahya Al-Houthi referenced Al-Qaddafi’s remarks; however, official media denied such information, harshly attacking him and accusing Al-Hiwar of being a hired channel.

From the very beginning of the war, official media have persisted in alleging Libyan involvement in what’s happening in Sa’ada, accusing Al-Qaddafi of providing military, financial and political support to Houthis. At its first meeting, the Yemeni National Security Council pointed out that it will reconsider relations with any nation supporting Houthis, hinting at Libya and Iran.

Dirty games cooked in the security’s kitchen? Mmmm, yes.

SANA’A, 18 March — Dr. Mustafa Hwaidi charge de affairs of the Libyan embassy in Sana’a expressed his dismay at the “unprofessional media” which carried news of a lawsuit against Muammar Al-Qadhafi, Libyan President. “It is not reasonable at all, the relations between Yemen and Libya are good and the evidence of our support for Yemen’s development are visible everywhere in the hospitals, roads, residence compounds…etc”, said Hwaidi. Hwaidi was upset at the lack of serious response from Yemeni authorities. According to Hwaidi, “The actions of the media go against the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. How does Yemeni authority allow such mockery especially when it attacks the person of an Arab leader? Our foreign minister has recently visited Yemen and was received warmly by President Saleh, who I think is genuinely interested in promoting relations between the two countries”.

The Libyan embassy sent clips of the news to Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Ali Al-Ghafari, director of the Arab Unity Department at the Ministry, acknowledged the issue and brought it to the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ attention. Al-Thawra newspaper and Saba News Agency published Allawo’s refutation against what was published in Akhbar Al-Yaum on the 26 September.

The General Attorney led by lawyer and human rights advocate Moahhamed Naji Allawo called on Allawo Corp in response to a request for legal proceedings against the Libyan President regarding the plantation of 12 million mines in Yemen. The case was filed by lawyer Mohammed Ali Allawo who is member of the prominent committee of the ruling party, the GPC in Al-Baydha governorate. Because of the similarity in the names, the General Attorney assumed this was a case raised by the Corp. News of this case was published in several media, both official and private.

“These are dirty games cooked in the security kitchen which does not have a clear united national policy,” said Khalid Al-Anisi Executive Director of Allawo Corp.

“Not only does such news upset relations with the Libyan Republic, it also defames Allawo Corp and highlights the lack of professionalism in some Yemeni newspapers”, he continued.

The mines in question, which actually number less than 7 million, were used as part of the opposition movement by what was then known as the National Front opposition against Saleh’s rule in the 1980s in North Central Yemen. Currently there are several local and international organisations working on clearing the mine fields. “This is an old file that has been closed as now all authorities have been merged under the rule of one country, the Republic of Yemen. It is ridiculous to file a case against Libya about something that was done by Yemeni movements in the 80s. It is like filing a case against yourself”, added Al-Anisi.

Now they are trying to blame Allw for tensions between Yemen and Libya?

Sana’a, NewsYemen

The Allaw Bar Association denied claims of an official source that the association filed a case against the Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi over planting 12 million mines in Yemen.

The head of the association, lawyer Naji Allaw, criticized the official bodies for not making sure about their claims, denying any relations between his association and the lawyer who filed the case against al-Qadhafi.

Allaw warned in his message of using the association’s name by any person or organization.

A Yemeni official source has stated that the suit filed by Allaw Bar Organization against the Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi aims to create dispute between brothers and serves only enemies of the Arab Ummah.

“This irresponsible behavior might be backed by an organization that wants to benefit from any difference between Yemen and Libya for financial benefits through circulating misleading information,” said the source.

Meshal, Hamas

Libyan FM

Kirby to Iran

The Houthis do have some big weapons.

Didn’t Khadaffi’s son come in December to talk to Ahmed?

Yemen Observer As battles get tougher in the northern province of Sa’ada, the Yemen government says it has information confirming that the rebels have been receiving external support to divide Yemen into sectarian entities. “We have information from those who were detained that there was external support for the rebellion, which aims at pulling Yemen into sectarian conflict by dividing it into sectarian entities,” said Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, Yemen’s foreign minister.

Rumors point fingers at Libya and Iran, suggesting those two countries support the al-Houthi rebels, but both countries deny the accusations as untrue and baseless. Yemeni-Libyan relations have grown tense, in the wake of Yemeni accusations that Libya has been supporting the armed rebellion in Sa’ada in northern Yemen. Recently, Yemeni authorities deported the Libyan child Munaira Kamal al-Majraisi, who was receiving treatment for AIDS since February 17th, 2007 at the Islamic Al-Eyman University by Sheikh Abdul Majeed al-Zindani, who claimed that he had discovered an effective treatment for AIDS. The university confirmed the deportation of Munaira.

Before Munaira, four more AIDS-infected children were deported from Yemen and eight were not given visas to enter Yemen, according to a Libyan association caring for AIDS-infected children. The Libyan ambassador to Sana’a, Mustafa Hwaidi, denied any tension in the relations between Sana’a and Tripoli, describing relations as excellent under the leaderships of Al-Qadafi and Saleh.

“The Yemeni authorities are free to make decisions to deport anyone from Yemen, and also it’s up to them to prevent its citizens from traveling to any other country, and for us, we do not interfere in Yemen’s sovereignty, these decisions are internal,” the ambassador told reporters in Sana’a. Yemeni authorities have prevented two Yemenis, including a journalist, from traveling to Tripoli to attend a conference. The journalist, Al-Khader al-Hassani, one of the two Yemenis banned from traveling to Libya last week, confirmed they were forced to return from the Sana’a airport.

It is possible that the tension between the two countries increased after the visit of Yahya Badr al-Deen, brother of the rebels’ leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, to Tripoli. The Yemeni Parliament, after al-Houthi’s visit, voted with majority for withdrawing the parliamentary immunity of Yahya, who is living now in Berlin. He has been moving from country to country in Europe and the Arab world since he left Yemen in late 2004, after his brother Hussein Badr al-Deen al-Houthi was killed in confrontations with the government troops in Sa’ada.

The tensions between Yemen and Lybia increased even more after the Yemeni Minister of Endowment and Guidance, Hamoud Obad, directly accused Libya and Iran of supporting the rebellion led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and his brother Yahya, whom Yemen demands that the Interpol arrest. “Given the praises expressed by the terrorist Yahya al-Houthi of Libya and Iran, then he himself has determined the bodies that support him,” Minister Obad said in commenting on Yahya al-Houthi’s praises of the positions of Iran and Libya toward the war in Sa’ada.

Yahya al-Houthi, however, denied these accusations as untrue. “These are baseless allegations used repeatedly since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran,” he said in televised interview. Observers attributed the Libyan support for rebels to a wish of the Libyan President Muamar al-Qadafi to settle accounts with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as al-Houthi and followers are Shiites.

Earlier last month, the Yemeni National Defense Council announced it would reconsider Yemen’s relations with some states because of their interference in Yemen’s internal affairs. But the council at the time did not name those states. However, the al-Houthi issue seems to be not the only reason behind the crisis between Libya and Yemen. Libyan leader al-Qadafi has received Hussein al-Ahmar in his office and described him as “a coordinator of the popular leadership of tribes” and “a national umbrella for all Yemeni people.”

Hussein al-Ahmar is a son of Abdullah al-Ahmar, speaker of parliament and president of the main Islamist opposition party. Hussein dissented last year from the ruling party and said at the time he would establish a political party of his own. The Yemeni displeasure and resentment over the Libyan position appeared to be at its highest when President Ali Abdullah Saleh did not attend a consultation summit held last January in Libya that was called for by President Muamar al-Qadafi. Arab sources said that Tripoli might recall its ambassador to Yemen in a protest over a Yemeni media campaign, which accuses Libya and Iran of conspiring over security and stability in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Iranian embassy in Sana’a has denied any relation with the ongoing war in Sa’ada between rebels and government troops. A statement issued by the embassy Sunday criticized previous statements by a senior ruling party official that Iranian religious institutions were supporting the rebellion in Sa’ada. “The statements are irresponsible and contradict the spirit of cooperation and brotherly relationships between two countries, and they are also contradicting the views of the two leaderships in Iran and Yemen,” said the statement, which was sent to local media.

Earlier, Tariq al-Shami, spokesman of the ruling General People’s Congress, said that Iranian religious institutions were supporting the al-Houthi followers who are fighting against the government troops. “A delegation from the Iranian national security visited Yemen and met with their counterparts in Sana’a, and the question of the Iranian support for the rebels in Sa’ada was discussed with them, but the Iranian security officials said that the political Iranian regime does not allow support, but there were Iranian religious institutions who support the rebellion,” al-Shami said in a symposium on Sa’ada organized in Sana’a earlier last week.

“The al-Houthi supporters bought medium and heavy sized weapons from the external support they got during the period of truce with state,” he added. “We hoped that the terrorist al-Houthi supporters would respond to the demands of the legitimate state in giving up weapons and violence and forming a political party far from sectarianism and according to the law and order.”

DUBAI, March 3 (Reuters) – A Yemeni rebel leader has rejected government accusations that rebels are receiving Iranian and Libyan support.

“These are baseless allegations used repeatedly since the (1979) Islamic revolution in Iran,” Yahya al-Houthi told Al Arabiya television in remarks aired on Saturday. The exiled brother of rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi was referring to accusations by a Yemeni ruling party official that Libya and Iranian religious institutions were backing the Shi’ite Muslim rebels fighting government forces.

At least 105 soldiers and 90 rebels have died this year in sporadic clashes, according to government officials who say the rebels want to install religious rule.

Houthi also denied the rebels received Libyan support and said Libya had tried only to mediate in the conflict.

“The government is equating us with terrorists who kidnap tourists and blow up ships … but they have failed to convince the (Western) coalition countries to label us as terrorists,” said Houthi, speaking from Berlin.

“Our people are just defending themselves and their homes.”

In March 2006, Yemen freed more than 600 Shi’ite rebels as part of an amnesty to end two years of clashes.

What Yahya is asserting in this article is that the Houthis are engaged in defensive military actions only, that the regime attacked them exclusively without provocation. Sometimes the Houthis attacked first.

from al-Motamar:

almotamar.net – The General People’s Congress (GPC) has Thursday reiterated its call to the terrorists in some areas of Saada to abandon the military posts and barracks in the governorate of Saada and to handover the criminals and killers to the state as well as handing over the leaderships organizing the sedition militias and to teach the curricula used in all governorates. He also called them to let the Yemeni Hews return to their houses safe and with full citizenship.

So they took over some military bases.

Head of the GPC information office Tariq al-Hashimy said,” We hoped the Houthi terrorists to respond to demands of the legitimate state in abandoning arms and violence and to establish a political party that is not characterized by sectarianism and regionalism according to the system and constitution.”

I thought they agreed to lay down their arms and establish a party yesterday, if they were assured safe passage and equal rights.

He said in s symposium of Saada Youth organized by the Future Current that it seems the terrorists in Saada want to drive Yemen into the ongoing Shiite-Sunni conflict in the region although Yemen is not infected with this disease for more than a thousand years.

The Houthis are framing the rebellion in political terms; its the regime that is framing it in religious terms.

Al-Shamy disclosed about a visit to Sana’a by a delegation representing the Iranian National Security and met with their Yemeni counterparts. They were asked clearly about the question of Iranian support to the rebels in Saada and the Iranian reply was that the Iranian political regime does not allow the support but there are Iranian religious establishments that offer support.

What?

Al-Shamy also considered the repeated visits to Libya by Yahya al-Houthi and the talk about mediation between the government and the Houthis as an evidence of the Libyan support for the rebels. He added that the Houthis have taken advantage of the truce period with the state to buy weapons and receive foreign aid in money.

Attempts at mediation is evidence of Libya’s foreign support of the rebelion. So what about all of Saleh’s attempts at mediating various regional conflicts, is that also support of a variety of rebels?

Al-Shamy also called on the Joint Meeting Parties to stand with national seriousness towards the events saying “We hoped that they will call on the terrorists to surrender themselves and then the JMP could defend them with the prosecution and at court.”He considered the phrases mentioned in the final statement of the 4th general conference of the Islah party about the sedition as a step in the right direction in addition to the JMP voting at the parliament in favour of the justice ministry demands for lifting the immunity from Yahya al-Houthi.

Now at what point can the regime response be called “collective punishment” against the civilians considering they have blocked the roads (without supplying food and water or medical treatment) and urged whole villages to leave their homes without providing alternate shelter?

Well currently the regime is saying its Libya that is funding and arming the Houthis, Iran is so last year. In 2005 it was Kuwait and Bahrain, in 2004 the regime blamed the Yemeni Jews. The interesting thing about this article is that the soldiers are refusing to fight, which usually means its time to bring in the jihaddis:

CTB: The rebellion of Badreddine Al-Huthi, in the area of Saada, in the north of Sanaa, is reportedly supported and armed by Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been implicated in the destabilization of this border area with Saudi Arabia. According to daily newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi, the Yemeni authorities declared the area of Saada “closed military zone”. Violent fighting has erupted there in the past few days and killed at least 91 among the ranks of the Yemeni army, of which very many officers. Yemeni sources explain the fact that a majority of victims are officers by “the refusal of the soldiers to fight in light of the intensity of the confrontations”. The Al-Huthi militants, supported and armed by Iran, are also very mobile and resort to ambushes. According to sources of the Iranian opposition, the Al-Huthi rebels recently received modern weapons including anti-tank missiles which had been used by Hezbollah against Israel during the July war.

Related: Amnesty concerned for civilians

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Public Statement

AI Index: MDE 31/002/2007 (Public)
News Service No: 033
16 February 2007

Yemen: Amnesty International warns against risk of grave human rights violations in Sa’da
Amnesty International has appealed to President ‘Ali ‘Abdullah Saleh to take all necessary measures in accordance with international law to protect human rights in Sa’da in north-west Yemen where armed clashes are taking place between government forces and followers of al-Huthi family from the Zaidi Shi’a community.

Dozens of people are reported to have been killed and at least 50 have been detained since the clashes began at the end of January 2007. However, full assessment of the human rights situation in Sa’da is not possible at this time as all communication with the area has been cut off and access by journalists is reported to have been banned. The deaths are said to have included both members of the security forces, and victims of excessive force and possible extrajudicial executions by security forces. Those detained are said to be held in incommunicado detention and are therefore at risk of torture. They are said to include Ibrahim al-Huthi, who was arrested on 1 February by security forces at the airport in Sana’a. He is reported to be held incommunicado at the Political Security Prison in Sana’a. He may be at greater risk of torture or other ill-treatment because he is the brother of Hussain Badr al-Din al-Huthi who was killed by security forces in a possible extrajudicial execution following similar clashes in Sa’da in 2004.
(Read on …)

I’m going to need to add a catagory for Libya:

Al-Motamar

On the other hand, reliable sources mentioned that Yemen dispatched official request to Libya asking extradition of terrorist Yahya Barudin al-Houthi presently living in Libya in preparation for his trial. The sources said the request came at backdrop of terrorist acts and activities the terrorist Yahya al-Houthi practices and for his major role in the sedition the al-Houthi ignited in some areas of Saada along with his terrorist followers who have killed many innocent people and members of the armed forces and security and inflicted heavy losses on the homeland and its economy and interests.

26september.net quoted the sources as saying that measures are to be taken in the coming few days for lifting immunity from the escaping terrorist Yahya al-Houthi for his role in the rebellion and what he practices of sabotage activities whose negative impact is reflected on the country’s higher interests and that dictates sending him to court.

The sources also said the ministry of justice and the general prosecutor are presently preparing a full file on all crimes and sabotage and terrorist activities that harmed Yemen and its interests to be submitted to the parliament in order to take constitutional measures for lifting his immunity from him.

Syria

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Syria and Yemen to start on Thursday preparatory meetings for the Syrian-Yemeni Higher Committee meetings.

Director of Arab Relations at the Trade and Economic ministry Abdulhalim Qaddah told SANA reporter that issues of mutual concern to be touched upon during the meetings.

“We will discuss the possibility of signing a Free Trade Zoon agreement between the two brotherly countries,” Qaddah said, noting that the two sides will talk about the required ways to increase the trade exchange between them.

Jordan

SANA’A, Jan. 22(Saba)- The Preparatory Committee for the 12th round of Yemeni-Jordanian Joint Committee held a meeting to sign the round’s minutes, agreements, protocols and executive programs which are to be approved in the higher committee discussions.

The Preparatory Committee is co-chaired by Minister of Trade and Industry Khalid Sheikh and the Jordanian counterpart Sharif al-Zuabi.

Sheikh pointed out that the meetings would discuss fields of collaboration and joint economic, commercial and investment exchange
between the two countries. “We hope the Preparatory Committee could contribute to reinforcing and developing the bilateral economic and commercial relations,” he said.

Al-Zuabi spoke over the volume of commercial exchange between Yemen and Jordan and the importance of communal work to overcome any likely problems that may face the commercial cooperation, calling the public and private sectors to push these relations towards better level that copes with the huge possibilities
available with the Yemeni-Jordanian private sector, in addition to the opportunities offered in the agreement of the Great Arab Free
Commercial Zone.

To discuss: maritime agreements, free trade zone and Jordanian university in Yemen. 23 Agreements concluded.

Somalia

MOGADISHU, Jan. 22(Saba)- The Republic of Yemen will reopen Tuesday its embassy in Mogadishu to be the first Arab embassy resumes its
activity in Somalia after returning the government to location to Mogadishu.

Yemen’s ambassador to Somalia told Saba the embassy would be reopened according to president Saleh’s orders in order to support the Somali interim government and people to make peace and stability. Reopening the embassy is a natural result of many-years-standing Yemeni diplomatic efforts to help Somalis, government and people, to put end for conflicts, said Yemeni ambassador to Somalia, Ahmad Hamid Omer.

Where’s Dijibouti?

YO The special security committee of the Sana’a Assembly called for full support to the Somali interim government. The security committee was composed of high-ranking officials from the four member states of the Sana’a Assembly, Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia. The four countries have agreed, in an extraordinary meeting held in Addis Ababa Thursday, on offering urgent financial, military and security support to the Somali interim government, as well as to send diplomatic missions to Somalia, reported Saba news agency.

“The committee showed the willingness and strong desire to help the Somali people and interim government achieve security and stability,” an official source told Saba. The committee also called upon donor countries and concerned organizations to offer the necessary support and to start deploying peacekeepers to replace the Ethiopian forces. This meeting, requested by Ethiopia, was held prior to the annual ordinary summit of the assembly, scheduled on Feb. 25 in Addis Ababa.

Almotamar.net – SANAA-Yemen’s foreign minister Dr. Abu Bakr al-Qirbi announced Monday that this country will be opening its embassy in the Somali capital Mogadishu after a closure of more than a decade and a half. The minister said to almotamar.net opening the Yemeni embassy in Mogadishu comes within the context of development of relation between the two countries and Yemen’s contribution in supporting social stability, peace and security in Somalia.

Minister al-Qirbi clarified that Yemen has appointed its ambassador to Somalia following the agreement of January 2005 between head of the go9vernemnt Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed and speaker of the parliament Sharif Hassan Adam. He affirmed that the Yemeni ambassador Ahmed Omar Hamis to the Kenyan capital has used to go to Baydawa, the seat of the Somali transitional government to take part in all dialogues conducted between the government and the Islamic Courts.
With regard to news on Nairobi intention to deliver the executive president of Islamic Courts Sheikjh Sharif Ahmed to Sana’a the minister said Yemen hosts a number of leaders of Islamic Courts who are not wanted, in support of dialogue between Somali factions. But he did not deny the possibility that Sana’a will accept receiving Sheikh Sharif in Sana’a.

Saba: Saleh met on Wednesday with the Ethiopia Foreign Minister, Siyoum Mesfin , who delivered him a letter from the Ethiopian premier Meles Zinawi.

Nazret: Misganaw Negassaw, one of the captives, said the Eritrean government trained several OLF members against Ethiopia in collaboration with the fundamentalists. Misganaw, who joined OLF after he arrived in Eritrea via Yemen, said he attended military and political training in Eritrea for more than two years.

NY: The Somali government requested from Yemen to help it get security information to identify the nationality of those Arab and foreign killed and detained by the Somali interim government and Ethiopian forces which supported the government against the Islamic Courts.
Somalia has sent a complete file including photos and documents of the people killed and detained to the Yemeni security authorities, said Somali deputy premier and foreign minister, Hussein Mohammad Farah Edid.
Meanwhile, Edid said that the Somali interim government received last Saturday 48 of the Islamic Courts fighters from the Kenyan government which arrested them as they were trying to infiltrate to Kenya.
The Somali official said also that many tens of supporters of the Islamic Courts, Somali and foreign, were killed in battles between the Islamic Courts and the Ethiopia-supported interim government in an near Baidawa. He said that many Arab and foreign fighters “are still detained by the Ethiopian forces that are carrying extensive investigations with them”.

UAE

SANA’A, Jan. 21(Saba)- President Ali Abdullah Saleh would pay a visit to the United Arab Emirates on January 30 in a response to an invitation from the UEA’s president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nuhyan,the official Al-Thawra newspaper reported Sunday.

The sources highlighted that the two presidents would hold talks on several Arab and international issues topped by the situations in Palestine, Iraq, Somalia and Sudan in addition to the agenda of the coming Arab Summitto be held in Saudi Arabia.

The two sides would discuss relations between Yemen and United Arab Emirates and means of cooperation in various areas.

Pakistan

SANA : (Yemen), Jan 20 APP:General Ehsan Ul Haq, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee called on Yemeni Defence Minister, Major General Nassir Ahmed Ali here Saturday at the Defence Ministry. General Ehsan Ul Haq arrived here on a four-day official visit.

Earlier, on arrival, a warm red carpet reception was extended to the CJCSC and was received by Major General Ahmed Ali Al Ashwal, Chief of the General Staff of the Yemeni Armed Forces. A ceremonial honour guard presented salute.
Later in the day, General Ehsan Ul Haq visited the Special Forces Headquarters of the Armed Forces and the War Museum.
The first ever visit of the highest ranking military officer of the Pakistan Armed Forces is being seen here with great interest and step towards further cooperation between the two armed forces and the two friendly countries of the region.
A lunch in the honour of CJCSC was also hosted by the Yemeni Chief of General Staff which was also attended by the Defence Minister and senior military officers.

Iran

TAHRAN, Jan. 23(Saba)- Yemeni ambassador in Tehran Jamal al-Salal held talks on Tuesday with minister of agriculture in Iran, Mohammed Escandry and discussed the agenda of the joint committee to be held next month in Sana’a.

During the meeting, ambassador delivered greetings of minister of planning and international cooperation and head of the Yemeni-Iranian Joint Committee Abdul-Karim al-Arhabi and minister of agriculture and irrigation, Jalal Faqira.

US

ADEN, Jan. 22( Saba)- The governor of Aden Ahmad al-Kuhlani held talks with the visiting US military delegation headed by commander of the US Joint Forces in the African Horn, Richard Hent.

During the meeting, they reviewed means of mutual cooperation between the two countries, particularly in terms of fighting terror and building the capacities of coast guards. They also discussed bad situation in Somalia.

The governor expressed his appreciation for the US support for Yemeni coast Guards. Both sides affirmed the necessity of peace and
stabilityin the region.

Saudi Arabia

Almotamar.net – Almotamar.net has Thursday learnt from government sources that Yemen has handed over five Saudi citizens to Saudi Arabia. They were in detention in Yemen.

The source said that citizens Majid al-Zahrani, Mohammed al-Qarashi, Sad al-Blushi, Mohammed al-0Qahtani and Mohammed Baleid returned on Tuesday to their country following a court judgment issued the beginning of last November acquitting them from charges for which they were detained in a prison.

The specialized appeals section in Yemen at the beginning of last November decided the acquittal of 19 persons accused of forming an armed gang, among them five Saudis while it condemned six of them on charges of planning to attack Arab interests in Yemen and possessing forged official documents.
It is worthwhile mentioning that Yemen and Saudi Arabia have an agreement of security cooperation according to which they exchange persons wanted in issues of terror, security and other crimes from both countries.

Libya

NY: Some news reports are talking about Yemeni mediation in secret talks between the Somali Islamic courts and the US authorities about the fate of the second man in the Somali Islamic courts, Sharif Sheikh Ahmad, the head of the Islamic courts executive council.
Kinyan sources said that Sharif might be handed over to an Arab state, expected to be Yemen.
On the other hand, news reports said that the Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, Zian al-Abidein bin Ali of Tunis and Omer al-Basheer of Sudan did not take part in the small Arab summit which was started Tuesday in Sert city in Libya.
Sources said that the summit grouped only the leaders Moamar al-Qadafi of Libya, Hussni Mubarak of Egypt and Abdul-Aziz Butafliqa of Algeria for talks over the Arab situations in the African Horn.

From AFP, reprinted on Sudan.Net, via PoP
Libya’s leader Moamer Kadhafi on Tuesday hosted an Arab mini-summit with his counterparts from Algeria and Egypt to review developments in the Middle East and Africa, a Libyan official said.

The official, declining to be named, told AFP that Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak were attending the summit, but he declined to say if other leaders would join the talks. A Libyan official had said [on] Monday that the summit would also bring together the heads of state of Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen, but an official in Sanaa [Yemen's capital] said [that] his country would not be present.

from al-Motamar:

almotamar.net Elaf – SANAA- Elaf website disclosed Wednesday that Saudi Arabian authorities circulated to its security bodies a list carrying names of Yemeni personalities accusing them of terrorist acts and hostile activities against it in favor of an Arab country they said the personalities visited it several times.

Saudi authorities clarified those measures came at backdrop of information they got that those political and economic and sheikhs personalities travelled to Libya several times and held meetings with Libyan intelligence with the aim of planning for terrorists acts and activities hostile to the kingdom….It has pointed out that the list contains names of Yemeni personalities, some of whom weapon traders and sons of well-known sheikhs.

Exiled MP Yahya al-Houthi objects to Saudi Arabia treating Yemen as a vassel state:

Well-informed sources in Sana’a said lately that that the Saudi authorities have circulated a secret list containing names of Yemeni personalities mostly thought to have relations with the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and involved in terrorist operations and hostile activities. The sources, refusing to be identified, added that the Saudi authorities circulated the list among its security apparatuses especially in its southern governorates bordering Yemen, in addition to neighboring countries including Yemen, indicating the Yemeni authorities received a copy of the list.

The circulation of instructions stipulates to arrest any person trying to enter Saudi territories and Saudi Arabia can coordinate with the neighboring countries to have access to the wanted persons. The source said the instructions came in the wake of information Saudi Arabia obtained that there are persons who had traveled to Libya more than once and held meetings with Libyan intelligence authorities aimed at planning for terrorist acts and hostile activities hostile to the kingdom.

The source pointed out that among those names are senior Yemeni personalities, commercial and political, as well as sheikhs. I say this piece of news has no hidden implications and meanings of the Saudi haughtiness and arrogance towards the Yemenis it is also clearly proves Saudi interference with Yemen’s affairs. (read the rest)

Thats an interesting article from Yahya but not nearly as interesting as the interview he gave to the Yemen Times last year where he says the regime asked the Houthis to go fight in Iraq, and that the regime is supporting, facilitating and arming terrorists.

Yemen Times

“We came to know from historical events that violence begets violence,” said Al-Houthi

Unfortunately, the Yemeni authorities have been entangled in the Houthi crisis since the middle of last year. Everyone is looking after his own benefits, regardless of the peoples’ blood that is being shed.
Although they know very well that the planes, tanks, missiles and all destructive weapons which are being used, will not exterminate extremism, but furthermore, escalate it. Moreover, it could probably create an underground movement out of it. They also know that law and not violence is capable to re-establish social order again.

We wish that the authority will be credible enough to find a fair solution that takes the Houthi crisis from the confrontation to the law field and replace the bloodshed, death and destruction of property and public facilities to peace and justice. In an effort to resolve the problem, we contacted Yahia Badriddeen Al-Houthi brother of late Hussien Al-Houthi, founder of the (Believing Youth) who was killed by government forces last September. Yahia is an MP of the ruling party. Now he is living in Germany. He agreed to hold an exclusive interview with the Yemen Times. Now to the details:

Q1: What is your opinion of the conflicts that are going on in Saada between the authorities and the Believing Youth (Al-Shabab Al-Mum’en)?

A: The authorities’ practice in Saada and other governorates are a violation to Sharia, constitution, international laws, charters, and conventions. It is against Humanitarian ethics. Many reliable sources and lawyers described it as genocide and a crime against humanity. Here is a study from an international lawyer:
Yemeni authorities had violated the basic rights of the Houthi groups. It is considered by the international community to be serious violations. The crimes are categorized as follows: genocide and crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture and terror crimes.
According to these criteria, the actions committed against the Houthies are considered to be a genocide, this is according to articles that are contained in convention of 1948, of the genocide combat and their punishments, especially articles (b) and (c), which describe genocide as all actions that are meant for destroying totally or partially an ethnic or religious group.
The eviction, exile or displacement are considered genocide if they aim at total or partial destruction, for a human group. The Cairo declaration of April 1992 confirms that eviction and displacement are genocide crimes. In short, all that happened in Saada, according to international agreements and conventions, in addition to specialized court martial is a crime against humanity, committed against the Houthis.

Q2: Why, in your opinion, did the government choose this time in particular to resume escalation of the crisis in Saada?

A: I have no clear idea of the motivation of the timing of the authorities for the offensive against Al-Khafji on 28 November 2005. The preparations for this offensive took place two weeks before it started. However, what I noticed is that it is synchronized with the Saddam’s trial, which the media began broadcasting. I thought perhaps by starting this war, they want to achieve two things:

First, to turn away the attention from a trial of a tyrant whom they have stood to his side for a long time. This happened during his war with Iran and when he invaded Kuwait. In 1990, the authorities mobilized the people to go to the streets in most Yemeni cities, demanding Saddam to attack the neighboring countries with chemical weapons. This was followed by the firing of the Saudis to the Yemeni workers who were misguided by their authorities to demonstrate in favor of Saddam inside Saudi Arabia. This happened while he was attacking Riyadh with missiles.

Secondly: This timing could be a cipher for the Yemenis in Iraq, with their fighting mates, to escalate their insurgency during the trial, so as to terrorize the judges, the witnesses and the investigators. This is aimed at preventing a death penalty and to deprive the Iraqi people of the enjoyment of this historical event. And by the way, many Arab countries are exerting efforts to undermine the process of change in Iraq so that it would not extend into their own countries. They do this even if it is on the expense of the stability and peace of the Iraqi people, if this could contribute to the continuity of their regimes. I noticed this at the Al-Quds conference in Sana’a, in which Some Iraqis praised the Yemenis fighting in Iraq. More over, they thanked them, to prompt them to volunteer and lead the same violent track in which their colleagues have killed hundreds of Iraqis in the streets, mosques and markets.

Q 3: In your view, what is behind the search for presumed terrorists?

A: If the authorities claim that they are looking for terrorists in Saada then this is untrue. It is an indication of the unrest of the government because of the terrorism issue. The terrorists are in Sana’a and not in Saada. They should first extradite those who are wanted by international courts and then look for other terrorists. If the authorities are honest, why did they attack our people in the market places and villages? Why don’t they give them photos, of those terrorists, and ask them for help? Surely, they would cooperate, to avoid the catastrophe that is incurred on them by those terrorists.

However, things are not as the government claims. It is only an escapist attempt to escape from its terror liabilities, to avoid handing over regional leaders. This explains why the war against us, in Saada, is escalated by the time the president returned from America. He faced the demands for handing terrorists. He tries to create confrontations with others to convince the American administration, but the Americans know what is happening. They also know such games, which are like tat of the fox that ate the sheep and threw the bones beside the sleeping wolf to hold him accountable for stealing the sheep. I also do not think that they are ignorant of the fact that the Yemeni fighters in Iraq have a connection with the Yemeni authorities. They know that they have facilitated their travel to Iraq. The committee for dialogue that is headed by Hitar is one of his escapist devices. They were convinced by this committee to go to Iraq.

I rightfully say that the authorities asked our followers to go to Iraq before and during the war. The pressure on them is due to their refusal to go there. I am ready to prove that in an appropriate time. If the authorities and the terrorists have any matters to settle with Americans in Iraq, our followers have nothing to do with that. The ones who have taken the American dollars should bear their responsibilities. As for the Afghani Arabs, they are under protection of the authorities. They are in the army, and they fought in Maran and some were killed there.

I believe that the Americans will not forgive its humiliation and the strikes against its people. They do not believe our authorities, but now they are playing with them the game of hide and seek. They will also not forgive those who send fighters to Iraq. Although most of the death toll is among Iraqi people, the Americans will not tolerate being defeated. The repentance attempts of visiting America will be fruitless because America knows that it is a preservative measure and it is not true as long as they did not hand over those who are wanted. They are also accused of increasing the number of terrorists in Yemen and in the African Horn region. The cases of weapons distributed to the Somalis and those, which were used in attacking the American Consulate in Jeddah, are good examples. Added to that, is the case of the Yemeni weapons in Sudan. They distributed weapons to ailing and starving people. I suggest that the authority should have saved our people from the expected destruction, by handing those who are wanted, and break relations with terrorist’s organizations. They should stop aids to them and close their overt and secret schools in order to save Yemen and its people. I also request the Allied Countries to find a quick resolve to the Yemeni terrorist’s case. They either pardon them or receive them. Leaving them as an undecided matter destabilizes the country and the people, because they often look for unreal excuses, cases and exits. Yemen became like a school of troublemaking students. This has its negative effects on the life of the Yemeni people.

Q 4 : Why are some lobby centers trying to undermine the presidents amnesty that he announced last September, what benefits will they gain?

A: Some of these lobbies are involved in terror. Others represent the environment that spawns terror. Those are the warlords, who benefit from war and the end of war means an end to their trade. It would have been a privilege if the President kept his word, on the resolution he announced on 25 September 2005. He would have saved his prestige among the international leaders. It was aired in all languages by all news agencies. It will be for the good of the Yemeni people, and all the wars that they fought were only sources for damage, poverty and diseases.

Q5: What in your opinion is the way out of your crisis with the Authorities?

A: If the President was keen to resolve the Saada crisis, it would have been an easy matter, but as I said before, we will say what is true if our point of view is being asked.

Q6: What is to become of the ideological call, which was founded by late Sheikh Hussein Bedridden Al-Houthi? Will it continue or is it going to diminish, as it is the case with some political ideologies?

A: My brother’s ideology is bound by its substantiality and its ability to convince people. This will be left to time.

Q7: How is your father cleric Bedridden Al-Houthi’s health? Is he in a safe place?

A: He is in a good health, and he is not in need of hospitals. Many of his followers are around him and ready to protect him, while he is moving from one country to another.

Q8: What questions were you expecting and was not asked?

A: My question is that why did not the partisan and independent media tackle our case and bring it to the public so that they could know our oppression. Why do not they criticize the authority, like the brave Al-Khaiwany?

Q9: Any last comment?

A: It is contained in my previous answers, with compliments

from News Yemen:

President Salih is visiting China and many westerners are asking “does Salih consider this a chance to escape from international obligations?” They do not express their fear about this option, but rather the misunderstanding of these options which assuredly will tire all parties involved.
Of course, the president does not think about this. That is what his trip to Japan proved. China did not become a world economic power simply by wishing. Instead it opened up the private sector and saw results. This occurred thanks to activities between China, Europe, and America. This is a testament of China’s success and presents a model for the ability of international cooperation to create interests without sacrificing the plight of the conflict. However, let this plight remain in its natural context.
Let me know praise the historic role of Pres. Salih who managed the first Arab policy not subject to the Kremlin or Pentagon during the Cold War. He managed with them and enjoyed a balanced relationship. This is what he is currently doing with American and France. He is an ally of America in terms of security, but he managed to expel the largest American company working in Yemen, Hunt, in exchange for the entrance of the largest French company, Total.
However, his visit to China could affect the official discourse. It could cut off relations with the international community. Hence we have begun to hear reports about aggression aimed at Yemen. Of course we know that these activities are not intended by Al-Qaeda (where 23 escaped from the political security prison) neither will it come in the form of Libya’s support for the northern tribes in a push to improve relations between the big neighbor and Sheikh Al-Ahmar.
Hence, the security report halts in the end at the Journalists’ Syndicate. They launch accusations at one for merely visiting America or meeting one of its citizens. It is as if we are living in a Bolshevik state! Hence, the visit to China comes at a time when the government says “we are a threatened state in the whole world!”
I wonder about the haughtiness that accompanies every visit of Salih’s to the world. I wonder is there a place for him this time as he scurries off to a state that has consigned to us failure? Shanghai is unmentioned, but we celebrate our free port at Aden. Shanghai visited Aden in the 90s to learn from our example and to plan and develop itself as a free region. Shanghai has since led China to a significant world position. As for Yemen, its success in Aden is yet to be seen.
I say will the president be haughty during his trip to China or will we see a change in the discourse towards the political enemy that is Washington and the greatest ally of the American private sector, China?

A Bolshevick state indeed.