Armies of Liberation

I’m joking of course.

Syrian drug smuggling into Lebanon is a major source of funding, and drug smuggling through Yemen into the Gulf is quite a route for all those keptagon tablets.

Yemeni-Syrian security committee holds 1st mission

[06 January 2009]

SANA’A , Jan. 06 (Saba) - The first talks session of the Yemen-Syrian security committee started on Tuesday in Sana’a.

The session was chaired by Undersecretary of Interior Minster for General Security Major General Mohammed al-Qawsi and Assistant of Syrian Interior Minister for Organizing and Training Affairs Major General Ibrahim Salman Ali .

The two dealt with the bilateral security cooperation, particularly coordinating aspects in fighting terrorism, organized crime, and drugs as well as the areas of training and qualification, discussing the special procedures for facilitating the entering and departing process and residence of people between the two brotherly countries.

After the first session, the Syrian delegation paid a visit to the Counter-Terrorism Unit in the Central Security Forces and got acquainted with its tasks, achievements and establishing phases, praising the unit’s role in fighting terrorism and expressing their admiration in the advanced level to which the unit reached in its training and combating terrorist crimes .

That’s a good point and this is an interesting analysis on Yemen’s external affairs from the Yemen Post, if only because it says some different things. The relationship between Iran, Yemen and the war in Iraq is an important point. (There’s no mention of Syria, Iran’s proxy state but if you take a good look at Yemen and Syria, you get a sense of things.) Yemen is the playground between Saudi Arabia and Libya, and the Sa’ada War in some ways reflects that.

Yemen has a strategic location; however, there has been constant increase of weakness points and waste of strength factors. The strategic location is connected with the interests of regional and international powers. What happens nowadays is a clear manifestation of the feverish conflict between these countries over the Yemeni field.

Active Diplomacy

The authority has turned to be diplomatically active and through different manifestations:

- President Saleh made two telephone calls with Libyan President Col. Mu’amar Al-Qadhafi and Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz.

- Sending Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs Rashad Al-Alimi to Saudi Arabia.

- Sending Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi to Oman

- Sending Col. Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, Commander of the Republican Guards, to the United Arab Emirates.

Regional Struggle

At the present time, there are four main players in the Yemeni field: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Libya and Qatar and these contesting parties have different goals to achieve.

(Read on …)

President Saleh or should I say Marshal Saleh has no sense of humor apparently.

Sahwa Net - The Yemen Observatory for Human Rights has expressed its denunciation at the authorities’ procedures aiming at prosecuting al-Masdar newspaper on charges of insulting president Saleh, stressing that al-Masdar did not violate the state-constitution or laws.

YOHR also condemned threats of closing down the paper with feckless excuses, saying that such act is clear crackdown of the expression freedom.

The Press and Publications Court has summoned the editor-in-chief of al-Masdar newspaper Samir Jubran and the Yemeni-American journalist Munir al-Mawri on charges of publishing an article which insults president Saleh.

A suit was filed by the ruling party, GPC, against al-Masdar due to the article written by al-Mawri , according to the paper’s lawyer Khalid al-Anisi.

This was the offending article written by Yemeni American journalist Munier al-Mawari:

Dear Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of the Republic of Yemen:

I hesitated to address you with that title because I did not know that there still existed in this world someone holding the rank of “Marshall” — or Mushir as you say it in Arabic. I thought that “Field Marshal Idi Amin” was the last Marchalat in the developing world. Vice President Elect Joe Biden, who is expert in foreign affairs, however, assured me that there are still several field marshals in the countries of the Middle East, some of whom have never participated in any war to defend their people and country, but who, instead, got their titles fighting internal wars against their own people within their own territory! This delivered quite a surprise to me; one learns a lot from Joe Biden.

At any rate, Dear Marshal Saleh:

We are following carefully what is happening in your country, and we know very well that you have recently waged five wars against a part of your country, which now enjoys semi-autonomy in the north-western part of Yemen. We also know very well that the provinces in the entire southern part of your country have expelled the representatives of the election committee you placed there, rejecting in advance a sham election that does not reflect the true democracy.

We also know that al-Qaeda is alive and well in Yemen, and that the attack on our Embassy was only the latest terrorist act.. It killed 12 of your innocent people, including a number of the brave Embassy guards. We also know that you are trying to hold a parliamentary election without the opposition parties, who claim with some credibility that the upcoming election is simply a tool meant to reproduce the same faces – and the same anti-democratic forces – that have occupied your parliament for the last 30 years.

We also know that chaos and instability are prevailing in many parts of your country because of the lack of a real local government system which would allow citizens to elect their representatives and manage their own affairs. We are afraid that the discontent in Yemen now will not only prevent the holding of elections, it might even force the international community to make some tough choices leading to the acceptance of a new state or states in the region.

Such new states might show more willingness to combat pirates on land and at sea; such new states might demonstrate real support for efforts to combat terrorism and corruption. The governments of such new states might actually arrest known terrorists and hand them over to the offices of international justice, thus ensuring the safety and prosperity of the citizens, and maintaining their property on their land. Such new states might be devoted to protecting their people against the possibility of falling under the control of destructive ideologies.

These possibilities exist for the future of Yemen, make no mistake about it.

Mr. Marshall:

Finally, I apologize that I cannot accept your offer, which we have received through two U.S. university scholars, to solve the Guantanamo dilemma by adopting a Yemeni System that could invoke only gales of mockery and genuine horror on the part of any civilized people: I speak of the system of releasing detainees while arresting and keeping their innocent relatives as hostages in your prisons, to be funded by the United States taxpayers! Any high school civics student in American would call that idea “retarded.”

We are the nation that protected the relatives of Osama bin Laden, the day after the attacks of September 11th 2001; we sent them back to their own country safely, realizing they were not to be held culpable for the act of their relative. How dare you, Marshall, ask us to help you legitimize a manifestly unjust system of keeping innocent people hostages in your abusive facilities? Are you not aware that this disreputable system was one of the main reasons that the Yemeni people revolted in 1962, and John F Kennedy recognized the new regime set up at that time for that very reason?

Aw, come on, thats hysterical and if its true, well then the problem is not with Munier or the newspaper.

PM welcomes final statement of Gulf summit

SANA’A, Dec. 30 (Saba)- Prime Minister Ali Mujawar welcomed on Tuesday the final statement of the Gulf summit 29th round which was held in the Omani capital, Muscat, regarding Yemen’s joining to four other Gulf institutions.

He noted that the decision to join Yemen to the Gulf Standardization and Metrology Organization, Organization for Industrial Consulting, Accounting and Audit Organization and the Radio and TV Body embodies the continuous development witnessed by Yemen and the GCC member states.

Mujawar noted that the importance of this vital decision which comes within the practical steps which reinforce concern to qualify Yemen to completely join the GCC countries.

He expressed hope of Yemen to increase steps and procedures to accelerate joining of Yemen to the GCC as Yemen represents a strategic depth for the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula.

AM/AM

al-Sahwa

Sahwa Net – The Secretary-General the local council of Dhala governorate Mohammad al-Atabi was subjected to a failed assassination attempt on Sunday.

Unknown gunmen shot fire on Al-atabi’s car while he was heading to his office and escaped after he was wounded in his right arm.

Fadhal al-Jaadi , top leader of Dhala’a local council , demanded the authorities to bring the criminal to justice, dubbing the act as a crime.

Earth Times

Sana’a - Attackers, believed to be tribesmen, blew up a major oil pipeline in western Yemen on Sunday, but there were no reports of casualties, police said. The explosion occurred in the Khawlan area, some 60 kilometres south-east of the capital Sana’a, where the pipeline runs to the Red Sea exporting facility of Rass Essa.

Witnesses said thick black smoke billowed over the blast scene for several hours following the explosion.

Police officials told Deutsche-Presse Agentur

A 15 year old included.

One says he signed a blank paper and the security faked the confession, not implausable.

(AFP) - Four alleged members of an Al-Qaeda cell, the youngest just 15, appeared before a special security court in Yemen on Saturday charged with plotting “terror” acts and possessing explosives.

The group is accused of conspiring to attack tourists and government facilities to avenge the killing by security forces of another militant, Hamza al-Kaithi.

Mohammed al-Saadi, 24, Issam Gheilan, 24, Munir al-Bouni, 23, and Osama al-Saadi, 15, listened as the prosecution outlined evidence against them including Bouni’s statement to police, after which Bouni denied all charges.

“I signed blank bits of paper — I have no idea where these confessions came from,” he said.

(Read on …)

The pirates wanted to use the boats in future pirate attacks. But there was a sit down.
Yemen on Line

Pirates Release Second Yemeni Boat
Somali pirates have released the second Yemeni fishing boat, al-Qana’a, they had hijacked early in December off Somalia’s coast along with another boat, Faluja, head of the Coastguards Ali Ahmed Rasi has said.

Yemen news agency, Saba, reported that 8 fishermen were onboard the boat when it arrived in the Aden port on January 1.

The release of the al-Qana’a boat came almost a week after pirates released the other boat along with 10 fishermen.

The two boats were seized by Somali pirates while fishing in the international waters off the Somali coast.

Somali pirates attacked 25 fishermen onboard the two boats, but seven managed to escape.

Coastguards became aware of the incident through those who could escape.

The boats were released without ransoms, Rasi said.

The pirates captured the two boats to use them for carrying out pirate attacks against vessels and merchant ships which pass through the Gulf of Aden.

Piracy has been active in recent month with more than 100 vessels attacked in the last year so far.

To read the website in Arabic

use this link: http://armiesofliberation.com/ar/

or Click Here.

Thanks to Blogs About.

al-Motamar

- The leaders of Sana’a Coalition have on Tuesday confirmed their full commitment to work for achieving security, peace and sustainable development the Horn of Africa region and in south of the Red Sea and solving disputes in peaceful ways.

In the closing statement issued by Sana’a Gathering 6th summit on Tuesday the leaders of the Gathering welcomed invitation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh to host the 7th summit in the Yemeni capital Sana’a.

The closing statement of Sana’a Gathering held in the Sudanese capital Khartoum emphasized the necessity of enhancing and developing the level of cooperation between the Gathering member states in all areas. The summit was attended by President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the Prime Minister of Somalia Nur Hassan Hussein, the President of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh who participated as observer.

(Read on …)

Yemen to receive $2.5 billon during 2009-2010

(Saba) - Yemen will receive $ 2.5 billion of commitments offered by the donors during 2009-2010.

Speaking to the state-run 26september weekly, undersecretary of Planning and International Cooperation Ministry Hesham Sharaf said that 2009 will be a year of investment in Yemen.

Sharaf said that $ 2.5 billion allocated to support the main and service sectors such energy, electricity and technical education.

Sharaf pointed out the current arrangements to provide more facilities to companies and businessmen.

He affirmed talks with donors will be held during the first quarter of the new year to agree on the support program for the coming period, pointing out the new directions by Germany, china, European Union to finance development process in the country.

Isn’t this is the same prison 10 terrorists tunneled out of in 2003? I’m not quite sure what I make of this story.

Yemen Post

Aden security authorities managed to foil an escape attempts by a group of suspected Al-Qaeda members, according to official media sources.

Al-Mansoura Prison Authorities discovered that the suspects were trying to escape through a six-meter tunnel they dug.

The security sources blamed prisoners involved in terrorist attacks for digging the tunnel which leads into the outer walls of the prison. However, the plot was foiled as security guards discovered it.

(Read on …)

Egypt reports itself displeased

SANAA, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) — Hundreds of angry protesters stormed the Egyptian consulate in southern Yemeni city Aden to protest against Cairo’s role in the ongoing Israeli military offensive on Gaza.

(Read on …)

al-Hadath

Local sources said Ja’ar in the city of Abyan province, the “mujahideen”, or Army of Aden Abyan know, chasing young people in the region and to provide that those accused of killing young gay ومن ” المثليين ” It is “gay”

وأضافت المصادر لـ ” الحدث ” أن المجاهدين المسلحين أقدموا على قتل 3 أشخاص حتى الآن بذات التهمة ، وسط صمت من قبل الأجهزة الأمنية وعلى مرأى ومسمع من الجميع . The sources said the “event” that the Mujahideen militants they killed 3 people so far the same charge, amid the silence of the security organs and the eyes and ears of everyone. مشيراً إلى أن هؤلاء المجاهديـن يسيطرون على منطقة جعار وينتقلون فيها بأسلحتهم بطريقة أشبه بالحكم الذاتي . He pointed out that the Mujahideen Ja’ar control of the region and move the way their arms like a self-governing.

(Read on …)

SANAA, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Yemeni tribesmen have kidnapped a South African woman and her two sons, demanding that authorities release a group of prisoners, a local government official said on Friday.

The three tourists were kidnapped in the province of Abyan, the official said. The prisoners whose release the abductors were demanding were relatives of the tribesmen, he added.

Also Germans released
(Read on …)

Maybe Saleh can ask Assad to extradite the Yemeni Fatah al-Islami who was on Syrian TV in Novemember taking responsibility for the September Damascus terror attack. He’s pretty much served his purpose already.

Sana’a to host Yemeni-Syrian security cooperation meetings

(Saba) - Sana’a is to host the Yemeni-Syrian permanent committee 3rd meeting to follow up security cooperation agreement between the two countries which is to be held during January 5-8.

The Syrian participating delegation in the meeting would arrive in Sana’a on Monday, the day the first session of meetings would start under the auspices of
Minister of Interior Mutahar Rashad al-Masri.

Deputy Minister of Interior for general security sector, head of Yemeni side in the meeting, said that during the meetings a number of subjects relating to developing cooperation ties between the two countries and steps accomplished on this regard would be discussed.

He confirmed that the meeting will open new horizons in front of security cooperation between Yemen and Syria to serve the two countries security.

Meanwhile Syrian drug smuggling into Lebanon is a major activity.

Yemeni-Syrian security committee holds 1st mission

[06 January 2009]

SANA’A , Jan. 06 (Saba) - The first talks session of the Yemen-Syrian security committee started on Tuesday in Sana’a.

The session was chaired by Undersecretary of Interior Minster for General Security Major General Mohammed al-Qawsi and Assistant of Syrian Interior Minister for Organizing and Training Affairs Major General Ibrahim Salman Ali .

The two dealt with the bilateral security cooperation, particularly coordinating aspects in fighting terrorism, organized crime, and drugs as well as the areas of training and qualification, discussing the special procedures for facilitating the entering and departing process and residence of people between the two brotherly countries.

After the first session, the Syrian delegation paid a visit to the Counter-Terrorism Unit in the Central Security Forces and got acquainted with its tasks, achievements and establishing phases, praising the unit’s role in fighting terrorism and expressing their admiration in the advanced level to which the unit reached in its training and combating terrorist crimes .

HAPPY NEW YEAR

from Jane

Yemen the main source of illegal arms to Somalia: UN
———————————————-

Jane Novak for the Yemen Times

SANA’A, Dec. 27— A UN investigation found Yemen is the primary source of arms and ammunition to Somalia which has been under an arms embargo since 1992. The panel of independent experts monitoring the embargo also reported arms smuggling from Yemen intersects with acts of piracy and human trafficking. The findings were presented in a December 10 report to the UN Security Council.

The report notes commercial weapons imports from Yemen supply Somali retail markets as well as opposition and criminal groups. The Yemeni government’s inability to stem the large scale arms trafficking is “a key obstacle to the restoration of peace and security to Somalia,” the panel found. The UN Security Council extended the monitoring group’s mandate for another year.

Yemen plans to refute the charges. SABA news agency dubbed the report “misleading” and noted that “smuggling weapons is sometimes associated with the arriving of displaced Somalis.” A Foreign Ministry statement said that one million Somali refugees in Yemen create an economic burden that “sometimes leads to social, security and health repercussions.” Nearly 50,000 Somali refugees made the maritime crossing to Yemen in 2008, authorities reported.

In prior years, about 30,000 Somalis migrated annually.

The UN report ties together weapons smuggling, human trafficking and piracy, noting some small boats used in acts of piracy also “move refugees and economic migrants from Somalia to Yemen, bringing arms and ammunition on the return journey,” Piracy in the waters between Yemen and Somalia spiked dramatically with over 100 pirate attacks and over 40 vessels captured by pirates this year. The authorities in Puntland and Somaliland told the UN monitoring group that “maritime traffic from Yemen, across the Gulf of Aden, remains their largest single source of arms.” Weapons purchased in Yemen are also smuggled to insurgent groups in Ethiopia, the investigation found. One intercepted shipment included 101 anti-tank mines, 100 hand grenades, 170 rocket-propelled grenade-7 rounds, and 170 boxes of 7.62 mm ammunition.

Increased activity by the Yemeni Coast Guard between Aden and al Mukalla impacted arms shipments from ports in the patrolled areas. However, the monitoring group found that the lack of regular patrols in al Mukalla “means that arms traffic continues unabated.” The group recommended capacity building programs for the Coast Guard and direct naval interdiction.

Yemen’s coast line extends 1906 km. The Coast Guard, created in 2003, is working towards taking control of Mocha and al Mukalla from the military. The Republican Guard and Central Security forces have authority at ports where the Coast Guard has limited presence. The Coast Guard has nine operational ships in a fleet of 15, and only two with deep water capacity.

Inadequate funding is an obstacle to increased capacity, Coast Guard Commander Ali Ahmed Ras’ee said in May.

The US provides some operational and training support and in 2004 donated seven patrol boats. With Italian financing, the Italian firm SELEX is implementing a coastal radar system that will eventually cover 450km of coast line including hot spots for piracy and smuggling.

Responding to the UN report, the Foreign Ministry said, “Yemen reiterates its readiness to cooperate with the UN and all regional concerned parties to fight piracy and all forms of weapon smuggling, the issues resulted due to the situation in Somalia where there is not a central government.”

Yemen has the second most heavily armed citizenry per capita after the United States. In August 2007, authorities implemented a ban against carrying weapons in cities and have confiscated over 150,000 weapons since the program began. Over 200 weapons shops were also closed.

Weapons smuggling from Yemen to Saudi Arabia is also a concern. In July, Saudi Arabia announced that in a three month period, border guards confiscated over a ton of explosives and a large number of arms including 13 rocket-propelled grenades, 99 sticks of dynamite, 100 fuses, 12 detonators, more than 100 guns and 15,000 cartridges.

If Saleh ordered the Sa’ada prisoners released on 12/08 and they are still in jail, then its either a ploy or he can’t get his own directives implemented.

The order: (Read on …)

Spending 28% of income in low income homes.
Some children start chewing as young as seven.

Yemen Times

Julie G. Viloria-Williams has over 25 years of experience with the World Bank in sustainable people-based development. She held positions in Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Eastern and Central Asian countries before becoming the Middle East and North Africa regional expert in September last year. She is the team leader in the Qat dialogue task in Yemen, which represents the World Bank’s assistance to Yemen in dealing with this issue. Her job involves research into the issues and development needs of countries within the MENA region, and identification of potential threats, especially on the issues that affect the livelihood of citizens.

“Because of the urgency of the Qat problem in Yemen, it has become the World Bank’s fourth pillar in the bank’s new country assistance strategy along with growth, governance and the Millenium Development Goals,” she said. Based on the December country assistance strategy consultation, the World Bank’s assistance to Yemen will take the form of grants, rather than loans, to be provided over the next three years.

During her recent visit to Yemen, Viloria-Williams met with the various stakeholders and discussed with them the issue of Qat. She also attended some focus groups, during which she realized just how deep the problem is.

“In many families children as young as seven start chewing because of parental influence, especially because mothers, who are usually uneducated, think of Qat as means to bind their children to the family,” she said.

As a part of its campaign against Qat, the WB will be producing a documentary on Qat in Yemen, in both Arabic and English, she anticipates that it will be broadcast on Yemeni TV among other media channels in a bid to spread awareness.

Size of the problem

According to a detailed survey carried out by the World Bank in mid 2006, 72 percent of men and 33 percent of women chew Qat for an average of 6 hours per day. Qat absorbs 10 percent of the average household income and over 28 percent for low income groups. Qat production, trade and consumption accounts for 10 percent of GDP, and is the cause of many health problems. The study sampled more than four thousand Yemenis from around the Republic.

(Read on …)

1- The regime itself talks to and is allied with al-Qaeda.

2- This seems a propaganda ploy to connect the southerners with terrorists. Next things will start blowing up (poorly and at 6 am), then security forces will have a four hour shoot out and kill some terror mastermind and the government will declare itself victorious.

3- The southerners dont need al-Qaeda if they decide to engage in violence, which they have not.

AKI
Sanaa, 24 Dec. (AKI) - Leaders of a Yemeni Al-Qaeda cell have reportedly allied themselves with separatists opposing the government in southern Yemen. Unnamed security sources told the daily , al-Quds al-Arabi, that leaders of the Al-Qaeda cell in Yemen recently held a summit with leaders of the separatist group.

The separatists want to restore the former South Yemen regime, which was united with the Yemen Arab Republic, or North Yemen in 1994.

Among the Al-Qaeda leaders reported to have been at the meeting were Salem al-Radwui, who had returned from fighting in Afghanistan, and other militants wanted by police for allegedly taking part in terror attacks against Yemeni security forces and government institutions.

During the summit, the parties reportedly reached an agreement to carry out a series of attacks against businessmen and government buildings in the capital, Sanaa.

Police are reported to have discovered a terrorist hideout in the province of Abin in the past few days.

If the projects came to completion, they would have employed 26,000 people

Nearly 78 percent of investment projects in Aden have stalled, says a recent study

Yemen Times: A recent study conducted by the government revealed that 1132 investment projects in the Aden governorate have stalled or are no longer active, accounting for 78 percent of the total projects registered by the General Investment Authority.

The study was undertaken by a team from the branch of the investment authority in Aden and was headed by Mohammed Hilbub, professor of investment and supply in Aden University. The report also received support from the Germen Organization for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). According to the study, between 1992 and 2008, 601 projects have stalled and 531 remain registered by the authority but have failed to proceed as investors were unable to find land and supplies for the projects.

(Read on …)

the Yemen Times

TAIZ, Dec. 21 — The Taiz Governorate has been hit hard by a recent outbreak of Dengue Fever, with Al-Jumhoori Hospital reporting up to 525 cases in the past three months alone.

Dengue Fever can be tested for by two methods, the Test Cassette and the Elisa Test, according to Dr. Ahmed Abddulaah Mansur, Chairman of Virology Department at Al-Jumhoori Hospital. However, the availability of such methods is reportedly inadequate. “The Elisa Test is available only at the Aljumhuri Hospital, where cases are referred to from all other private or public hospitals and laboratories,” Mansur said.

(Read on …)

Yemen Post

As cold weather gripping several provinces in the republic dips to 2-6 degrees below zero affecting crops badly, two of the war-displaced people in the northern province of Saada died as a result of the low temperatures.

Some of the displaced at one of the displaced camps, where almost 450 citizens are living, confirmed Saleh Abdullah al-Urdha, 46, and Ali Nassir, 35, died as a direct result of cold weather as there was no sufficient medical care.

Citizens at these camps complain of slowness of authorities to provide an effective treatment of their conditions.

Earlier, competent authorities warned of bad low temperatures predicting cold weather could badly affect crops.

Last reports said the temperature in Sana’a, Dhamar and al-Dhale dipped below zero to 2 degrees; however, it was in some nearby areas 6 degrees below zero. As crops are affected by cold weather, their prices soar.

Thousand displaced people in the province live at camps after they fled confrontations between government troops and the Houthi rebels.

The rebellion ended in late July after almost more than four years of clashes.

The US-based Human Rights Watch then accused the government and the Houthis of hindering organizations from providing humanitarian aids to war-displaced people, saying they blocked free movement of aids to reach out the affected.

The administration is utterly dysfunctional.

Yemen Times

SANA’A, Dec 23 — As the spread of myiasis, a condition where animal or human tissue is infested with fly larvae or maggots, in the Mahwit governorate rapidly accelerates, field teams from the General Department for Animal Resources (GDAR) have ceased working towards combating this potentially fatal disease.

The teams stopped work three weeks ago because, according to Ahmed Al-Hasibi, director of the Animal Wealth Administration in Mahwit governorate, “the vector is out of control, it is a fly in the air.”

However, two teams in Bani Sa’ad, one in Al-Khabt and another in Milhan are still working towards eradicating the disease.

“At the moment, GDAR field teams have stopped fighting the epidemic. Because they have not received their salaries from the Ministry of Agriculture since the 3rd December, they have decided to quit,” Al-Hasibi said.

(Read on …)

ME Online

Yemen has long provided a safe haven for jihadists. And there were some 3,000 Yemenis among the Afghan Arabs. After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, the Yemeni authorities accepted returning Yemenis, but also jihadists from other countries. North and south Yemen united in 1990, but contradictions between the regime of Ali Abdallah Saleh and his southern Socialist partners were clear. During the 1994 civil war that followed, Afghan Arabs played a leading role in suppressing southern moves towards secession.

Yemen is also the ancestral home of the Bin Laden family. And after 9/11, Yemen came under heavy pressure amid US suspicions that the country was a logistical base for militants. According to a specialist in jihadist networks based in the Yemeni capital Sana’a: “There has been no al-Qaida operation without a link to Yemen: It is always either a source of arms or money, or one of the perpetrators is a Yemeni, or one of the operatives has passed through it.” Fearing a US attack on Yemen, Saleh flew to Washington and agreed to cooperate with the US war on terror. However, Yemeni policy towards jihadist movements was multi-layered: While dozens of jihadists were arrested after 9/11, including the Egyptian jihad theoretician Sayed Imam al-Sharif (better known as Doctor Fadl), others remained at large.

Opening a dialogue

The Yemeni authorities also launched a project to establish dialogue with imprisoned jihadists, led by Judge Hamoud al-Hitar, now minister of religious affairs. “The dialogue project is one of the cornerstones of official Yemeni policies to fight terrorism,” he told me.

“We found that every terrorist movement has an ideological basis, and that ideas can only be countered by an opposing idea. The use of force in Afghanistan and Iraq has failed to bring peace and stability to those regions. Al-Qaida is based on two ideas: takfir of Arab regimes and ejecting foreign armies. In our dialogue we show that the Yemeni government is legitimate. We also show that differences in religion or religious practices cannot justify war.”

The dialogue project was designed to correct these misconceptions based on religious references. Al-Hitar said the project ended in 2005, as a result of pressure from within the Yemeni government, which wanted to use other means to fight “terrorism.” He added that the project had been for Afghan Arabs but not for returnees from Iraq.

(Read on …)

Aden, Laziqia ports to be twined
LAZIQIA, Dec. 19 (Saba) - Yemen ambassador to Syria Abdul-Wahab Tawaf discussed on Friday with the governor of the Syrian city governorate of El-Laziqia the executive procedures of the Joint Yemeni-Syrian Committee regarding twining the two ports of Aden city and El-Laziqia as well as establishing a direct sea line between them.

The discussed the executive steps of the cabinet regarding Yemen’s joining to the Syrian-Jordanian Company for Maritime Navigation.

On the other hand, Tawaf also met with rector of Tashreen University of El-Laziqia Mohammed Muala and discussed with him situations of Yemeni students in the university and means of reinforcing scientific cooperation between Yemeni and Syrian universities

They need to get corruption and spending on military hardware under control, but the people who have to do it are the same ones profiting.

Salaries exempt from 50 percent cuts in 2009 budget
almotamar.net,Saba - An official source at the Cabinet said on Saturday the cabinet has approved 50 percent cuts in the 2009 general budget.

Under the decision No. 467 for 2008, which was approved at the minister council last meeting, salaries are exempt from the cuts, the source says.

The move comes due to the fall in oil prices which slumped down $ 36 for the barrel of crude oil lately, the source made clear, adding the drop in oil prices will consequently lead to financial deficit in the 2009 budget increasing from YR 427 billion to YR 532 billion as the price of a barrel reaches $ 30.

The Reality of Female Participation in Public Institutions

Yemen Times

Despite the presence of women in elections, their contribution in decision-making is still weak. In the legislative field, there is a single seat for women in the entire parliament, from a total of 301. In the Shura Council, women occupy only 2 of 111 seats. On the level of the executive authority, only 2 of 33 ministries are directed by women. There are 39 women deputy ministers and assistants compared with 1210 men in similar positions. Out of 44490 general directors in Yemen, only 168 of them are women. In the diplomatic field, women represent a mere 10 percent of all diplomats, and in the judiciary field they represent 7 percent.

Female participation in the parliamentary elections of 1993 was low as they represented only 18 percent of the total voters. In 1997, this level of participation increased to 27 percent, and by the 2003 elections, the level of women participation increased to 42 percent of the total voters.

Interestingly, it is true that the number of women candidates decreases whenever the number of women voters increases. In the 1993 elections, women candidates represented 1.3 percent, yet in 1997 the percentage of women candidates was down to 1.4. This trend has continued, as in the 2003 elections the ratio of women candidates was only .8 percent.

The GPC attains the highest ratio of women votes, such as in the 2003 elections where it captured 60 percent of the female vote - 43 percent of the total votes for that party. The Islah party received 22 percent of the female vote, which represented 40 percent of the total votes for that party. Only 5 percent of female votes went to the socialist party, which represented 39 percent of the total votes that the party attained. The Nasserite party gained 2 percent of the women’s votes, which represented 39 percent of the party’s total.

Voting for parties is not based entirely on their programs. It is right that women in the Yemeni society have a negative view of the extremist religious powers and their rigid stance toward women. However, votes are also affected by other issues. The presence of women in these parties affects the distribution of votes. For example, women represent 31 percent of GPC members, which may account for its popularity among women voters. In the GPC’s General Committee, women represent 12.8 percent of its members, and 9.1 percent of its Permanent Committee.

In the Islah Shura Council, women represent 9.1 percent, and in its General Secretariat they represent 6.3 percent of the total members. Women represent 9.01 percent of the total members in the Socialist Party’s Central Committee, and 10.52 percent in the General Secretariat.

Yemen Post

The State Specialized Penal Prosecution has just completed its investigations with three people accused of spying for Israel and their case will soon be referred to the Penal Court for trial.

Informed official sources revealed that the three individuals admitted to their crime, spying for the Israeli intelligence, Mossad. The sources added that the suspects used to contact the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and Israeli Intelligence Agencies and showed readiness to provide them with information over the net.

Moreover, the Israelis accepted the suspects’ offer; however, they conditioned that they work regionally for them and not just to provide information about Yemen.

Two months ago, a security source noted that the terrorist cell whose members were arrested last October, belonging to Islamic Jihad Organizations have connections with the Israeli intelligence, hinting that the organizations have posted different threats to target foreign and Arab embassies in Yemen including the embassies of Saudi Arabia, America, Britain and United Arab Emirates.

The source also revealed correspondence between one of the cell members and Israel where the former sought financial support to launch terrorist operations in Yemen.

Sponsored by Hands Across the Middle East Support Alliance and the American Islamic Congress. From what I can gather, al-Khaiwani is a judge, that’s neat.

الممثل خالد أبو النجا والخيواني ضمن لجنة التحكيم
مسابقة “الحلم المؤجل” الرابعة … جوائز للشباب عن مقالات الحقوق المدنية..
تنظم منظمة للعام الرابع على التوالي مسابقة الحلم المؤجل الذي تقدمها منظمة المؤتمر الاسلامي الأميركي للشباب دون سن السادسة والعشرين في الشرق الاوسط يتنافس فيها شباب المنطقة على كتابة مقالات عن الحرية والحقوق المدنية ووصف احلامهم المؤجلة في منطقة الشرق الأوسط التي تصفها الأمم المتحدة بأنها أقل مناطق العالم حرية.
ووفقا لقواعد المسابقة فإنه ينبغي على الشباب الكتابة في احدى ثلاثة محاور: الأول الرد على سؤال لماذا تعد الحقوق الفردية مهمة بالنسبة لك؟ يستعرض فيها الكاتب تجربة شخصية منعته فيها القيود من التعبير عن نفسك – كموقف منعه فيه الخوف من الحديث بصراحة, أو كنت منعه من الإطلاع على معلومات كونها ممنوعة بأمر من الرقابة, أو أنه كان هدفاُ للتمييز العنصري بسبب الهوية, وينبغي على الكاتب أن يناقش هذا السؤال من خلال تناول تأثير القمع على المجتم و على حياته الشخصية, مستعينا بأمثلة حية لشرح وجهة نظره، ويمكنه قراءة قصيدة الحلم المؤجل (عنوان المسابقة) لانجستون هيوز لمزيد من الإلهام.
المحور الثاني : كيف تستطيع كفرد دعم الكفاح من أجل الحقوق المدنية؟ على الرغم من تفشي القمع, تتاح الآن فرصا جديدة للتعبير عن رأيك و الوقوف في وجه الظلم, فإن توافرت لك الوسائل التكنولوجية الحديثة و الإنترنت و مساعدة الآخرين في الدول الأخرى المهتمين بالقضية, كيف يمكنك أخذ المبادرة العملية لإصلاح مجتمعك, أطلعنا على أفكارك الخلاقة بشأن الحملات و البرامج الهادفة إلى حماية الحقوق الفردية.
المحور الثالث: ما هو “حلمك المؤجل” أي رؤيتك لمجتمعك حيث يمتلك فيه الكل حقوقهم المدنية؟ أعرض أفكارك حول مستقبل يخلو من القمع. صف ما يجري الآن في الشوارع و النقاشات في الفصول الدراسية و النقد العلني للزعماء في وسائل الإعلام. صف كيف يمكن أن تؤثر المساواة في الحقوق للمرأة و الأقليات على مجريات الحياة اليومية. إن كنت تريد، أجب السؤال بكتابة مقال صحفي في سنة2010 معلقاً فيه على حدث جذري.
ويشترط للدخول في المسابقة أن لا يزيد طول المقال عن 2000 كلمة ولا يقل عن 600 كلمة، لا تدخل فيها الهوامش والاقتباسات، وبإمكان الراغبين في الاطلاع زيارة موقع مبادرة همسه للحقوق المدنية للاطلاع على المقالات الفائزة في العام الماضي لكسب المزيد من الالهام وذلك على الرابط التالي: http://www.hamsaweb.org/essay/ar-index.html، وعبر ذات الموقع يمكن ارسال المقالة..
وتعرض المقالات على هيئة التحكيم التي تضم عددا من المهتمين أبرزهم زينب السويج رئيس منظمة المؤتمر الاسلامي الأميركي، والممثل السينمائي المصري ومقدم البرامج خالد أبو النجا، والصحفي اليمني عبدالكريم الخيواني والمفكر العالمي الدكتور توم بالمر من جامعة كاتو، وآخرين..
وتقدر الجائزة الأولى بمبلغ 2000 دولار لأفضل مقالة، والثانية 1500 دولار، والثالثة 500 دولار، بالاضافة إلى عدد من الكتب والاصدارات المتعلقة بالحقوق المدنية، كما سيكون أصحاب المقالات من بين المدعوين لحضور فعاليات وانشطة منظمة المؤتمر الاسلامي التي تقام سنويا في بعض دول الشرق الأوسط كالأردن والمغرب ومصر، وآخر يوم لتقديم المقالات هو التاسع من يناير 2009.

The UN monitoring group on the 1992 arms embargo on Somalia finds “Yemen remains the most important source of commercial arms transfers to Somalia.”

One shipment for the ONLF in Ethiopia contained 101 anti-tank mines, 100 hand grenades, 170 rocket-propelled grenade-7 rounds, and 170 boxes of 7.62 mm ammunition, each containing 440 rounds. The mines were packed in rice sacks from a company in Sana’a. The same boats that bring the migrants bring back weapons and are involved in piracy.

143. Not surprisingly, there appears to be an intersection between piracy and other
criminal activities, such as arms trafficking and human trafficking, both of which
involve the movement of sma