Source: AP,28/09/2011
UNITED NATIONS — Yemen’s foreign minister on Tuesday said the opposition’s refusal to accept the results of the 2006 presidential election was to blame for the unrest in the country and warned that, unchecked, the tension could escalate into a civil war.
Abu Bakr al-Qidri also told the United Nations General Assembly that President Ali Abdullah Saleh remains committed to a U.S.-backed Gulf Cooperation Council initiative as a means to resolving a crisis that has left hundreds dead over the past seven months in the Arab world’s poorest nation.
The foreign minister’s remarks spoke a day after the U.N. Security Council urged all sides in Yemen to reject violence and take urgent steps toward a political transition, offering its support for the GCC plan that calls on Saleh to resign and hand over power to his vice president in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Saleh — who returned recently from Saudi Arabia where he was recovering from injuries sustained months earlier during a rocket attack on a mosque in which he was praying — has said before that he intends to sign the deal, only to back away from the move at the last minute.
Al-Qidri said that the opposition groups, realizing that they were not going to get into office through the ballot box after the 2006 presidential elections, “turned to maneuvers, including violence, that threaten (to lead to) the outbreak of civil war and devastating conflicts in Yemen.”
“The opposition powers used the tidal wave of change being witnessed by Arab countries to prevent Yemen from achieving democratic change through elections,” he said. “However, we respected the demands of the youth and we started a dialogue with them in order to respond to their request” for reform.
Human Rights Watch said the speech “flies in the face of reality.”
“If they are serious about upholding human rights, the Yemeni authorities should stop security forces from shooting peaceful protesters, allow an international inquiry into the bloodshed, and let the United Nations establish a human rights monitoring office in Yemen,” the organization said in a statement.
Al-Qidri said that Yemen “adheres to the initiative by the GCC as a foundation for (resolving) the political crisis,” adding that Saleh has asked the vice president to work with the Gulf states to “achieve a mechanism in order to guarantee a smooth and democratic transition of power.”
The remarks echoed those of Saleh who, in his first public speech since his return, said on Sunday that those who are “chasing power” should go to the polls instead of the streets.
Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 33 years, has come under tremendous and mounting pressure from street protests and neighboring Arab nations to transfer power.
In his televised address, he said he was committed to the deal drafted by the GCC, which includes Gulf powerhouse Saudi Arabia, but his opponents dismissed his offer as a stalling tactic to allow him to consolidate his hold on power.
The mass protests that rolled into Yemen after taking root and ousting the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt have been particularly devastating for the impoverished nation.
Al-Qidri said the country had lost over $2 billion in the months since the protests began — a hefty sum for a nation with few resources aside from limited quantities of oil on which it relies on for revenue.
In addition, the Arabian Peninsula country, which was united in 1990 after a grueling war between the south and the north, is grappling with the influence of al-Qaida.
The terror group has capitalized on the deteriorating security and the ongoing conflict to make bold grabs for power in several regions, including capturing entire towns. Its presence and ability to operate relatively freely in Yemen is a source of major concern for the United States as several nearly successful terror plots against the U.S. have originated in Yemen.
Saleh was seen as a key, if somewhat unreliable, ally by Washington in its fight against terrorism and al-Qidri referenced the concerns about terrorism in calling on the international community to help Yemen through a “comprehensive global strategy” that would build the country’s “national capacities so as to fight extremism and terrorist ideology.”
He said such a plan did not hinge on military action, but on helping the country with political, social and economic efforts that could address some of the key factors that contribute to the rise of extremism. That would include, presumably, dealing with youth unemployment that, in Yemen, stands at over 35 percent.
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Monday, 26 September 2011
Yemen Old Rivalries Hijacked Revolution
Source : HRW Foreign Affairs,
By Letta Tayler,27/09/2011
Last week in Yemen, in the worst bloodshed since anti-government rallies began in January, attacks by government security forces against peaceful protesters devolved into armed clashes in the heart of the capital. Although the spasm of violence looked like the latest case of a brutal government suppressing demonstrators as part of the Arab Spring, it was propelled by an internal power struggle that had percolated for several years – and that took a complicated new twist with the surprise return of the country's wounded president on Friday.
A popular uprising has indeed gripped Yemen for months now, but the movement has been hijacked by three elite factions vying for control of the government. President Ali Abdullah Saleh's impromptu return may simply harden the battle lines, plunging the country into civil war. Since arriving in Sanaa, the president has continued to sidestep accelerating international demands for his immediate resignation and has accused his opponents of supporting al Qaeda.
Initially inspired by revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, students and other protesters began taking to the streets in cities across Yemen in January. They demanded greater democratic freedoms, an end to corruption and poverty, and the resignation of Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 33 years. They are the public faces of the movement – and they are also the primary victims of the violence the government has unleashed in response. State security forces and pro-government assailants have killed at least 225 protesters and bystanders during largely peaceful demonstrations, with dozens left dead in recent days alone.
Had influential governments such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia moved swiftly, they might have pressured Saleh to heed the protesters' calls. Instead, the international community dithered as Saleh feigned interest in a deal to step down from power. By June, when Saleh was badly wounded by an assassination attempt and fled to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment, the world's attention was already turning to uprisings in Libya, Syria, Bahrain, and elsewhere. Yemen's pro-democracy protests became overshadowed by a power play among the three top contenders to run the country: General Ali Muhsin al-Ahmar, a renegade army commander who was once the president's confidant; Hamid al-Ahmar (no relation), a billionaire entrepreneur from the prominent Hashid tribe; and Saleh's eldest son, Ahmed, who leads the elite Republican Guard.
General al-Ahmar and Hamid al-Ahmar threw their weight behind the protest movement early on: the general with his soldiers, and the businessman, by many media accounts, with his wallet. Yet it should be said that both men are entrenched in the very power structure that the protesters hope to uproot. Fending them off during the president's nearly four-month convalescence in Riyadh was Ahmed Saleh, whose Republican Guard has led many of the attacks on largely peaceful protesters. The onetime heir apparent to his father, Ahmed Saleh is an old rival of General al-Ahmar.
This internecine battle of the elites has not just displaced the grassroots coalition of young people and activists whose demonstrations first put pressure on Saleh; it has also sidelined Yemen's weak but functional political parties and parliament, as well as its resilient civil-society movement – all of which are potential building blocks for a new, democratic Yemen. And the infighting has further challenged central authority in a country where the writ of law already runs shallow and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has found safe haven.
General al-Ahmar, who is related by marriage to the president, helped Saleh win a 1994 civil war against southern Yemen before leading the government's brutal six-year war, which began a decade later, against the Huthis, a Shia rebel group in the north. It was during the latter campaign that he developed a rivalry with Ahmed Saleh, who was already eyeing the presidency.
According to a U.S. Embassy cable released by Wikileaks, Yemeni generals in 2009 told their Saudi counterparts who had joined the fight against the Huthis to bomb a site that turned out to be General al-Ahmar's base. But the Saudi pilots became suspicious and aborted the strike. (It is widely believed that the general, along with his rivals in the Ahmar clan, are clients of Saudi Arabia, which wields vast influence in Yemen.)
General al-Ahmar defected to the anti-Saleh movement with his powerful First Armored Division in March, after pro-government snipers fired on a peaceful protest in Sanaa, killing at least 49 people. The general said he left to protest the bloodbath, but critics viewed the move as opportunistic. Since then, his soldiers have ringed the demonstrators' camp at "Change Square" outside Sanaa university to protect the protesters from attacks by the Republican Guard and Central Security, a paramilitary force led by the president's nephew, General Yahya Mohammed Abdullah Saleh.
For months, General al-Ahmar limited the role of his First Armored Division to protecting the protesters, but that changed September 18, when security forces again attacked demonstrators who, increasingly frustrated by months of political impasse, tried to march beyond their protected sit-in area. Witnesses said Central Security forces hosed the marchers with sewage, the marchers threw rocks in return, and security forces and snipers responded with gunfire. The attacks spawned street fights, and soon both the general's soldiers and the tribal fighters of the al-Ahmar clan were battling government forces, including Ahmed Saleh's Republican Guard.
Saleh was able to keep the rivalry with Hamid al-Ahmar in check until the 2007 death of Sheikh Abdullah al-Ahmar, the clan's patriarch. Sheikh Abdullah was Yemen's paramount sheikh in a country where tribes are integral to the power structure; he also was speaker of Parliament and head of Islah, the largest opposition party. Islah espouses an Islamist ideology but includes an array of tribes, businessmen, and political moderates. Sheikh Abdullah developed a complex power-sharing arrangement with Saleh, brokering deals between the president and sheikhs within the Hashid confederation, of which the president's Sanhan tribe is a part. But the sheikh's ten sons had their own agendas.
Sadiq, the eldest, took over from his father as chief of the Hashid. Another son, Himyar, was a member of the ruling party and the deputy speaker of parliament. Hamid, a member of Islah who wears an ornate jambiya, the traditional Yemeni dagger, thrust into his belt, is a billionaire with interests in a cell phone network, Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises, and media outlets. He has made no secret of his political ambitions.
In fact, Hamid al-Ahmar's dreams of unseating Saleh may have begun well before the Arab Spring. In a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks,] a U.S. Embassy official in Sanaa describes meeting Hamid in 2009 and hearing of his plan to organize mass protests to unseat Saleh, modeled after the 1998 uprisings that helped topple Indonesian President Suharto. "The idea is controlled chaos," the cable quoted Hamid as saying.
The first clashes between tribal fighters of the al-Ahmar clan and government forces erupted in May, after Saleh for a third time backed out of a deal to leave office. The accord, brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council and backed by the United States and the European Union, offered the president and his family immunity from prosecution in exchange for his resignation.
Saleh's forces then attacked the al-Ahmar clan's compound in Sanaa, setting off days of armed clashes. On June 3, an explosion inside the presidential palace gravely wounded Saleh, prompting his flight to Saudi Arabia. But he refused to relinquish power. His son Ahmed moved into the presidential palace, where he assumed de facto power until his father's surprise return.
Last week's violence erupted as international pressure was increasing on Saleh to sign an exit pact. On September 12, the president authorized his vice-president, Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi, to negotiate a power transfer, a move that opponents immediately labeled a delay tactic, prompting their deadly march on September 18.
It remains impossible to say whether the latest clashes were provoked by one side or the other to scuttle those negotiations, or what Saleh's motives are for returning as the United States and European states have been stepping up their demands for his resignation. Saleh immediately called for a ceasefire and negotiations, but fighting has continued and he has backpedaled on his words many times this year.
What is clear at this is that the civilian population is bearing the brunt even beyond the bloodshed. Food, water, and power have become increasingly scarce since the protests began. As a report released this month from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights put it, some elements among those "seeking to achieve or retain power" are tying to "collectively punish" Yemen's civilians.
More than 100,000 people have been internally displaced in a patchwork of conflicts outside the capital. In the highland city of Taizz and in Arhab, where some have sought shelter in caves, tribal fighters of local sheikhs have been clashing since May with the Republican Guard. In the south, since March, military units have been fighting Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), a group backed by foreign fighters and perhaps linked to al Qaeda.
There is no quick fix to Yemen's crisis. But events of the last week suggest that only firm and sustained international attention, coupled with the prospect of targeted sanctions, will persuade the country's warring factions to swap arms for dialogue and to include the street protesters in the talks.
To that end, the United States, the European Union, and Gulf states including Saudi Arabia should freeze the foreign assets of President Saleh and his top security officials and officially suspend all security assistance until the authorities stop attacks on protesters and start bringing those responsible to justice. They also should press Yemen to stop resisting the presence of UN human rights monitors. At the same time, the UN Security Council should make it clear to all clashing factions in Yemen that it will not tolerate disregard for restraint. And would-be dealmakers, including Saudi Arabia, should pull any immunity offer for international crimes off the table.
If Washington, Riyadh, and other key players do not move swiftly, Yemen could be headed down the path of Somalia, a failed state just across the Gulf of Aden where armed Islamist militants have imposed draconian rule across vast swaths of territory, and famine and fighting have ravaged the population. In that scenario, last week's mayhem could be just a taste of the killing and suffering to come.
Letta Tayler is the Yemen and Counterterrorism Researcher at Human Rights Watch
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Security Council urges Yemeni parties to show maximum restraint, implement GCC initiative
Source: KUNA,25/09/2011
UNITED NATIONS- The Security Council late Saturday urged all sides in Yemen, after President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s return to the country Friday, to reject violence, including against peaceful and unarmed civilians, show maximum restraint, and act on a political transition on the basis of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative.
Council President Nawaf Salam of Lebanon said, in a press statement circulated here, that the Council members “called on all parties to move forward urgently in an inclusive, orderly, and Yemeni-led process of political transition, on the basis of the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative that meets the needs and aspirations of the Yemeni people for change.
“They also called upon all the parties to respect their obligations under applicable international law and expressed their grave concern at the continued serious deterioration of the economic and humanitarian situation in Yemen.
“Deeply concerned by the worsening security situation, including the threat from Al-Qaida in parts of Yemen, the Council members urged all parties to ensure access for the provision of humanitarian assistance, expressed their concern about the increasing interruption of basic supplies, and urged the partied not to target vital infrastructure.
“Welcoming the continued efforts of the good offices of the Secretary-General and the GCC, the Council members looked forward to an update on the situation from Special Adviser Jamal Benomar on his return from Sana’a, and agreed to continue to actively monitor the security, political, and humanitarian situation there.
The framework of the GCC Yemen initiative is that Saleh hands over power to his deputy, that a national coalition government be formed that groups representatives from both the current government and the opposition and other political parties, and that Saleh and his family, as well as figures from his regime, be given guarantees they would not be prosecuted.
UNITED NATIONS- The Security Council late Saturday urged all sides in Yemen, after President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s return to the country Friday, to reject violence, including against peaceful and unarmed civilians, show maximum restraint, and act on a political transition on the basis of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative.
Council President Nawaf Salam of Lebanon said, in a press statement circulated here, that the Council members “called on all parties to move forward urgently in an inclusive, orderly, and Yemeni-led process of political transition, on the basis of the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative that meets the needs and aspirations of the Yemeni people for change.
“They also called upon all the parties to respect their obligations under applicable international law and expressed their grave concern at the continued serious deterioration of the economic and humanitarian situation in Yemen.
“Deeply concerned by the worsening security situation, including the threat from Al-Qaida in parts of Yemen, the Council members urged all parties to ensure access for the provision of humanitarian assistance, expressed their concern about the increasing interruption of basic supplies, and urged the partied not to target vital infrastructure.
“Welcoming the continued efforts of the good offices of the Secretary-General and the GCC, the Council members looked forward to an update on the situation from Special Adviser Jamal Benomar on his return from Sana’a, and agreed to continue to actively monitor the security, political, and humanitarian situation there.
The framework of the GCC Yemen initiative is that Saleh hands over power to his deputy, that a national coalition government be formed that groups representatives from both the current government and the opposition and other political parties, and that Saleh and his family, as well as figures from his regime, be given guarantees they would not be prosecuted.
Saturday, 24 September 2011
President Saleh should resign if he could not protect civilians from the defected general's war, official says
By Nasser Arrabyee,24/09/2011
The deputy minister of information, Abdul Janadi called President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign if he could not stop the defected general Ali Muhsen from waging the war in the streets of the capital Sanaa.
" We want president Saleh to force Ali Muhsen to stop this crazy war in the streets where civilians are killed," said Abdu Al Janadi in his weekly press conference held Saturday in Sanaa.
"If the president could not stop the war and protect the innocents in the streets, then he should resign, and that's better for him," Al Janadi added.
Earlier in the day and last night clashes and explosions could be heard around the sit-in square between opposition forces including defected troops and armed tribesmen fighting with them and Saleh forces despite a fragile truce called for by President Saleh after he returned.
Shortly after his return from Saudi Arabia on Friday September 23, President Saleh said " I came back with olive branch and doves of peace. I am not malicious and will not take revenge against anyone."
The deputy minister of information, Abdul Janadi called President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign if he could not stop the defected general Ali Muhsen from waging the war in the streets of the capital Sanaa.
" We want president Saleh to force Ali Muhsen to stop this crazy war in the streets where civilians are killed," said Abdu Al Janadi in his weekly press conference held Saturday in Sanaa.
"If the president could not stop the war and protect the innocents in the streets, then he should resign, and that's better for him," Al Janadi added.
Earlier in the day and last night clashes and explosions could be heard around the sit-in square between opposition forces including defected troops and armed tribesmen fighting with them and Saleh forces despite a fragile truce called for by President Saleh after he returned.
Shortly after his return from Saudi Arabia on Friday September 23, President Saleh said " I came back with olive branch and doves of peace. I am not malicious and will not take revenge against anyone."
Friday, 23 September 2011
President Saleh calls for truce, power-transfer deal to be signed Sunday
By Nasser Arrabyee/23/09/2011
Explosions and clashes could be heard late Friday in the Yemeni capital despite a call for a cease-fire and truce from President Saleh.
The explosions and clashes could be heard at about 7:00 Pm in Al Hasaba area, the places around the Palace of the opposition tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar.
Earlier Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh called for a cease-fire and full truce just hours after he arrived in the capital Sana’a today Friday from Saudi Arabia where had treatments for more than three months.
“We call all parties, political, military, security in the ruling and opposition for a cease-fire and full truce, for finding a solution,” President was Saleh by the State-run agency as saying.
“The solution is not in the mouths of artilleries , but it is in the dialogue and talks and saving blood and maintaining security and stability and preserving the achievements of the nation,” he said.
After his return today Friday, millions of Saleh’s supporters expressed their happiness over his return by taking to the streets and demanding him to stay in power until his term is finished on September 20th, 2013.
However, the American government and European Union urged Saleh to immediately transfer power and start preparing for early elections to held by the end of this year according the GCC deal was signed by the opposition and the ruling party, but Saleh has not endorsed it yet.
Spokesman of the ruling party, Tarek Al Shami, said that the GCC deal would be signed after tomorrow Sunday.
The official news agency said Saleh would deliver a speech next Sunday on the 49th anniversary of the 26 September revolution.
Earlier in the day The Presiden Saleh arrived in the Yemeni capital after more than three months in Saudi Arabia for treatment from injuries he suffered in a failed assassination attempt on June 3 in the mosque of his Palace.
Fireworks and live bullets to the air could be heard everywhere in the capital to celebrate the return of President Saleh.
The spokesman of the opposition, Mohammed Qahtan, said they do not care about Saleh’s return and they would continue their “revolution until all its goals are achieved”.
The expected return of Saleh came after almost a week of direct confrontation between his troops and defected troops supported by opposition tribesmen in the Yemeni capital Sana’a.
UN and Gulf mediation failed to the stop the confrontation.
The GCC head who mediates between Yemenis to stop the on going war returned home empty-handed after opposition refused to see him.
The billionaire tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar arrogantly ordered the Gulf official,Abdul Latif Al Zayani to leave Yemen and Hamid and opposition parties would go to revolutionary action, war, rather than "useless" talks.
The UN envoy Jamal Bin Onar insisted, however, to continue efforts to defuse the war and bring the conflicting parties to dialogue.
Sporadic clashes continued between defected forces and security forces and armed tribesmen from both sides despite a cease-fire.
Firing and explosions could be heard Fay and night in different places in the capital and in the bordering places around the sit-in square where defected troops and armed tribesmen allegedly protect protesters.
Earlier in the week, two international envoys arrived in Yemen earlier this week after conflicting parties went on a war ignoring a world-supported proposal to end the 8-month crisis.
The UN envoy Jamal bin Omar and head of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Abdul Latif Al Zauani, arrived only to see bloodshed and hear explosions in the capital Sana’a almost around the clock.
Both of them were a little bit late. They were supposed to arrive before the breakout of the war to help the Yemeni conflicting parties reach an agreement on a mechanism previously suggested by Bin Omar, for implementing a Saudi-led GCC deal for transferring the power from President Saleh through democratic elections.
The "still controllable" war erupted while the opposition leaders and the ruling party were in their talks about an authorization decree issued earlier this month from President Saleh to his deputy for preparing for electing a new president by the end of this year.
Two influential leaders from the opposition, other than those involved in the talks with vice president, were obviously behind this war which killed more than 50 Yemenis and injured hundreds of others so far during three days of fierce clashes in which all kinds of weapons were used.
These two effective leaders, the defected general Ali Muhsen, and the billionaire tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar, felt they were ignored and excluded from the talks especially after the arrival of the two international envoys, Bin Omar and Al Zayani.
Hamid Al Ahamar, who has been mainly financing and orchestrating the anti-Saleh protests, said arrogantly through his satellite TV that the two envoys "must leave" the country immediately if they came to bring Yemenis back to dialogue.
For general Muhsen, his defected troops are in direct confrontations with Saleh's forces in many streets around the sit-in square at the gate of Sanaa university for the first time since he defected.
His troops closed the university and dismissed the students and professors in the first day of the new academic year, September 17th, and turned it to a military barrack.
The two leaders were also behind what was called the “revolutionary action and end ” of the 8-month long peaceful protests demanding the ouster of President Sale.
In a secret document leaked to media this week, Hamid Al Ahmar asked the general Muhsen to arm 3,000 young man from the protesters to protect the “the revolutionary end” demonstrations which started Sunday September 18th, 2011 and led to the current war.
Last May, with his armed tribesmen and 10 brothers, the rich businessman Hamid Al Ahmar himself led a two-week war against Saleh’s forces around his palace in Al Hasaba area, in which about 150 people were killed from both sides.
The Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Azeez imposed a truce on both sides after President Saleh arrived in Riyadh for treatment from injuries he suffered in the June 3 failed assassination attempt, which Hamid Al Ahmar and Ali Muhsen were accused of being behind it.
The May war was locally known as Al Ahmar-Saleh war and this war is known now as Ali Muhsen-Saleh war. When it comes to war, no one talk about the opposition parties or about the independent young people who demand the ouster of Saleh.
Both Saudi Arabia and the United States are doing their best to contain the situation and stop the “seemingly controllable” war between two armies and armed supporters of both sides.
In a statement, the US embassy in Sana’a called upon all parties to exercise restraint, and refrain from actions that provoke further violence.
“We reject actions that undermine productive efforts underway to achieve a political resolution to the current crisis,” said the US embassy statement.
“The United States continues to support a peaceful and orderly transition in Yemen, one which addresses the Yemeni people’s aspirations for peace and security. We remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached that leads to the signing of the GCC Initiative within one week.”
From his side, the Saudi King who met President Saleh in Riyadh earlier this week immediately after the war erupted in Sana’a, showed a great of support for Yemen’s security and stability and unity, according to the Saudi news agency.
The Yemeni prime minister, Ali Mujawar, and speaker of Parliament Yahya Al Raye’e attended the meeting. Both Mujawar and Al Raye’e are still recovering in Saudi Arabia from injuries they suffered in the June assassination attempt.
And although what’s going now in Sana’a seems like any war between two big forces in addition to armed tribesmen involved from both sides, the government keeps saying it’s only the security forces which confront the defected troops and their armed supporters.
The government denies that the republican guards, the highly qualified and trained forces led by Ahmed Ali, Saleh’s son, are participating in the ongoing street to street confrontations. Although this republican guards forces are really deployed in the streets.
“The security forces only are responsible for protecting the capital Sana’a from the defected troops, and the extremists of brotherhood, and the sons of Al Ahmar,” said an official statement.
On his part, deputy minister of information Abdul Janadi said that this war was planned for thwarting the efforts being exerted now by the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to reach a compromise with the opposition parties for preparing for presidential elections according to the UN and GCC suggestions.
Although opposition publically refuse any dialogue or initiative now and insist only on what they called “revolutionary action and end” , their leaders are still involved in the talks going on now despite the war.
“Talks are still going on with all parties, and a solution will be reached in less than a week,” said a senior officials involved in the talks.
“There will be no civil war, what’s happening now is still controlled and it’s for good negotiations for some parties,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
"the two international envoys Bin Omar and Al Zayani met and would meet all parties," he said.
Explosions and clashes could be heard late Friday in the Yemeni capital despite a call for a cease-fire and truce from President Saleh.
The explosions and clashes could be heard at about 7:00 Pm in Al Hasaba area, the places around the Palace of the opposition tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar.
Earlier Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh called for a cease-fire and full truce just hours after he arrived in the capital Sana’a today Friday from Saudi Arabia where had treatments for more than three months.
“We call all parties, political, military, security in the ruling and opposition for a cease-fire and full truce, for finding a solution,” President was Saleh by the State-run agency as saying.
“The solution is not in the mouths of artilleries , but it is in the dialogue and talks and saving blood and maintaining security and stability and preserving the achievements of the nation,” he said.
After his return today Friday, millions of Saleh’s supporters expressed their happiness over his return by taking to the streets and demanding him to stay in power until his term is finished on September 20th, 2013.
However, the American government and European Union urged Saleh to immediately transfer power and start preparing for early elections to held by the end of this year according the GCC deal was signed by the opposition and the ruling party, but Saleh has not endorsed it yet.
Spokesman of the ruling party, Tarek Al Shami, said that the GCC deal would be signed after tomorrow Sunday.
The official news agency said Saleh would deliver a speech next Sunday on the 49th anniversary of the 26 September revolution.
Earlier in the day The Presiden Saleh arrived in the Yemeni capital after more than three months in Saudi Arabia for treatment from injuries he suffered in a failed assassination attempt on June 3 in the mosque of his Palace.
Fireworks and live bullets to the air could be heard everywhere in the capital to celebrate the return of President Saleh.
The spokesman of the opposition, Mohammed Qahtan, said they do not care about Saleh’s return and they would continue their “revolution until all its goals are achieved”.
The expected return of Saleh came after almost a week of direct confrontation between his troops and defected troops supported by opposition tribesmen in the Yemeni capital Sana’a.
UN and Gulf mediation failed to the stop the confrontation.
The GCC head who mediates between Yemenis to stop the on going war returned home empty-handed after opposition refused to see him.
The billionaire tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar arrogantly ordered the Gulf official,Abdul Latif Al Zayani to leave Yemen and Hamid and opposition parties would go to revolutionary action, war, rather than "useless" talks.
The UN envoy Jamal Bin Onar insisted, however, to continue efforts to defuse the war and bring the conflicting parties to dialogue.
Sporadic clashes continued between defected forces and security forces and armed tribesmen from both sides despite a cease-fire.
Firing and explosions could be heard Fay and night in different places in the capital and in the bordering places around the sit-in square where defected troops and armed tribesmen allegedly protect protesters.
Earlier in the week, two international envoys arrived in Yemen earlier this week after conflicting parties went on a war ignoring a world-supported proposal to end the 8-month crisis.
The UN envoy Jamal bin Omar and head of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Abdul Latif Al Zauani, arrived only to see bloodshed and hear explosions in the capital Sana’a almost around the clock.
Both of them were a little bit late. They were supposed to arrive before the breakout of the war to help the Yemeni conflicting parties reach an agreement on a mechanism previously suggested by Bin Omar, for implementing a Saudi-led GCC deal for transferring the power from President Saleh through democratic elections.
The "still controllable" war erupted while the opposition leaders and the ruling party were in their talks about an authorization decree issued earlier this month from President Saleh to his deputy for preparing for electing a new president by the end of this year.
Two influential leaders from the opposition, other than those involved in the talks with vice president, were obviously behind this war which killed more than 50 Yemenis and injured hundreds of others so far during three days of fierce clashes in which all kinds of weapons were used.
These two effective leaders, the defected general Ali Muhsen, and the billionaire tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar, felt they were ignored and excluded from the talks especially after the arrival of the two international envoys, Bin Omar and Al Zayani.
Hamid Al Ahamar, who has been mainly financing and orchestrating the anti-Saleh protests, said arrogantly through his satellite TV that the two envoys "must leave" the country immediately if they came to bring Yemenis back to dialogue.
For general Muhsen, his defected troops are in direct confrontations with Saleh's forces in many streets around the sit-in square at the gate of Sanaa university for the first time since he defected.
His troops closed the university and dismissed the students and professors in the first day of the new academic year, September 17th, and turned it to a military barrack.
The two leaders were also behind what was called the “revolutionary action and end ” of the 8-month long peaceful protests demanding the ouster of President Sale.
In a secret document leaked to media this week, Hamid Al Ahmar asked the general Muhsen to arm 3,000 young man from the protesters to protect the “the revolutionary end” demonstrations which started Sunday September 18th, 2011 and led to the current war.
Last May, with his armed tribesmen and 10 brothers, the rich businessman Hamid Al Ahmar himself led a two-week war against Saleh’s forces around his palace in Al Hasaba area, in which about 150 people were killed from both sides.
The Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Azeez imposed a truce on both sides after President Saleh arrived in Riyadh for treatment from injuries he suffered in the June 3 failed assassination attempt, which Hamid Al Ahmar and Ali Muhsen were accused of being behind it.
The May war was locally known as Al Ahmar-Saleh war and this war is known now as Ali Muhsen-Saleh war. When it comes to war, no one talk about the opposition parties or about the independent young people who demand the ouster of Saleh.
Both Saudi Arabia and the United States are doing their best to contain the situation and stop the “seemingly controllable” war between two armies and armed supporters of both sides.
In a statement, the US embassy in Sana’a called upon all parties to exercise restraint, and refrain from actions that provoke further violence.
“We reject actions that undermine productive efforts underway to achieve a political resolution to the current crisis,” said the US embassy statement.
“The United States continues to support a peaceful and orderly transition in Yemen, one which addresses the Yemeni people’s aspirations for peace and security. We remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached that leads to the signing of the GCC Initiative within one week.”
From his side, the Saudi King who met President Saleh in Riyadh earlier this week immediately after the war erupted in Sana’a, showed a great of support for Yemen’s security and stability and unity, according to the Saudi news agency.
The Yemeni prime minister, Ali Mujawar, and speaker of Parliament Yahya Al Raye’e attended the meeting. Both Mujawar and Al Raye’e are still recovering in Saudi Arabia from injuries they suffered in the June assassination attempt.
And although what’s going now in Sana’a seems like any war between two big forces in addition to armed tribesmen involved from both sides, the government keeps saying it’s only the security forces which confront the defected troops and their armed supporters.
The government denies that the republican guards, the highly qualified and trained forces led by Ahmed Ali, Saleh’s son, are participating in the ongoing street to street confrontations. Although this republican guards forces are really deployed in the streets.
“The security forces only are responsible for protecting the capital Sana’a from the defected troops, and the extremists of brotherhood, and the sons of Al Ahmar,” said an official statement.
On his part, deputy minister of information Abdul Janadi said that this war was planned for thwarting the efforts being exerted now by the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to reach a compromise with the opposition parties for preparing for presidential elections according to the UN and GCC suggestions.
Although opposition publically refuse any dialogue or initiative now and insist only on what they called “revolutionary action and end” , their leaders are still involved in the talks going on now despite the war.
“Talks are still going on with all parties, and a solution will be reached in less than a week,” said a senior officials involved in the talks.
“There will be no civil war, what’s happening now is still controlled and it’s for good negotiations for some parties,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
"the two international envoys Bin Omar and Al Zayani met and would meet all parties," he said.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
President Saleh returns home despite detractors' war
Millions of Saleh's supporters celebrate and rejoice over the long-awaited return
By Nasser Arrabyee/23/09/2011
The President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived in the Yemeni capital early morning today Friday, September 23rd, 2011, after three more than three months in Saudi Arabia for treatment from injuries he suffered in a failed assassination attempt on June 3 in the mosque of his Palace.
Fireworks and live bullets to the air could be heard everywhere in the capital to celebrate the return of President Saleh.
The expected return of Saleh came after almost a week of direct confrontation between his troops and defected troops supported by opposition tribesmen in the Yemeni capital Sana’a.
UN and Gulf mediation failed to the stop the confrontation.
The GCC head who mediates between Yemenis to stop the on going war returned home empty-handed after opposition refused to see him.
The billionaire tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar arrogantly ordered the Gulf official,Abdul Latif Al Zayani to leave Yemen and Hamid and opposition parties would go to revolutionary action, war, rather than "useless" talks.
The UN envoy Jamal Bin Onar insisted, however, to continue efforts to defuse the war and bring the conflicting parties to dialogue.
Sporadic clashes continued between defected forces and security forces and armed tribesmen from both sides despite a cease-fire.
Firing and explosions could be heard Fay and night in different places in the capital and in the bordering places around the sit-in square where defected troops and armed tribesmen allegedly protect protesters.
Earlier in the week, two international envoys arrived in Yemen earlier this week after conflicting parties went on a war ignoring a world-supported proposal to end the 8-month crisis.
The UN envoy Jamal bin Omar and head of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Abdul Latif Al Zauani, arrived only to see bloodshed and hear explosions in the capital Sana’a almost around the clock.
Both of them were a little bit late. They were supposed to arrive before the breakout of the war to help the Yemeni conflicting parties reach an agreement on a mechanism previously suggested by Bin Omar, for implementing a Saudi-led GCC deal for transferring the power from President Saleh through democratic elections.
The "still controllable" war erupted while the opposition leaders and the ruling party were in their talks about an authorization decree issued earlier this month from President Saleh to his deputy for preparing for electing a new president by the end of this year.
Two influential leaders from the opposition, other than those involved in the talks with vice president, were obviously behind this war which killed more than 50 Yemenis and injured hundreds of others so far during three days of fierce clashes in which all kinds of weapons were used.
These two effective leaders, the defected general Ali Muhsen, and the billionaire tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar, felt they were ignored and excluded from the talks especially after the arrival of the two international envoys, Bin Omar and Al Zayani.
Hamid Al Ahamar, who has been mainly financing and orchestrating the anti-Saleh protests, said arrogantly through his satellite TV that the two envoys "must leave" the country immediately if they came to bring Yemenis back to dialogue.
For general Muhsen, his defected troops are in direct confrontations with Saleh's forces in many streets around the sit-in square at the gate of Sanaa university for the first time since he defected.
His troops closed the university and dismissed the students and professors in the first day of the new academic year, September 17th, and turned it to a military barrack.
The two leaders were also behind what was called the “revolutionary action and end ” of the 8-month long peaceful protests demanding the ouster of President Sale.
In a secret document leaked to media this week, Hamid Al Ahmar asked the general Muhsen to arm 3,000 young man from the protesters to protect the “the revolutionary end” demonstrations which started Sunday September 18th, 2011 and led to the current war.
Last May, with his armed tribesmen and 10 brothers, the rich businessman Hamid Al Ahmar himself led a two-week war against Saleh’s forces around his palace in Al Hasaba area, in which about 150 people were killed from both sides.
The Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Azeez imposed a truce on both sides after President Saleh arrived in Riyadh for treatment from injuries he suffered in the June 3 failed assassination attempt, which Hamid Al Ahmar and Ali Muhsen were accused of being behind it.
The May war was locally known as Al Ahmar-Saleh war and this war is known now as Ali Muhsen-Saleh war. When it comes to war, no one talk about the opposition parties or about the independent young people who demand the ouster of Saleh.
Both Saudi Arabia and the United States are doing their best to contain the situation and stop the “seemingly controllable” war between two armies and armed supporters of both sides.
In a statement, the US embassy in Sana’a called upon all parties to exercise restraint, and refrain from actions that provoke further violence.
“We reject actions that undermine productive efforts underway to achieve a political resolution to the current crisis,” said the US embassy statement.
“The United States continues to support a peaceful and orderly transition in Yemen, one which addresses the Yemeni people’s aspirations for peace and security. We remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached that leads to the signing of the GCC Initiative within one week.”
From his side, the Saudi King who met President Saleh in Riyadh earlier this week immediately after the war erupted in Sana’a, showed a great of support for Yemen’s security and stability and unity, according to the Saudi news agency.
The Yemeni prime minister, Ali Mujawar, and speaker of Parliament Yahya Al Raye’e attended the meeting. Both Mujawar and Al Raye’e are still recovering in Saudi Arabia from injuries they suffered in the June assassination attempt.
And although what’s going now in Sana’a seems like any war between two big forces in addition to armed tribesmen involved from both sides, the government keeps saying it’s only the security forces which confront the defected troops and their armed supporters.
The government denies that the republican guards, the highly qualified and trained forces led by Ahmed Ali, Saleh’s son, are participating in the ongoing street to street confrontations. Although this republican guards forces are really deployed in the streets.
“The security forces only are responsible for protecting the capital Sana’a from the defected troops, and the extremists of brotherhood, and the sons of Al Ahmar,” said an official statement.
On his part, deputy minister of information Abdul Janadi said that this war was planned for thwarting the efforts being exerted now by the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to reach a compromise with the opposition parties for preparing for presidential elections according to the UN and GCC suggestions.
Although opposition publically refuse any dialogue or initiative now and insist only on what they called “revolutionary action and end” , their leaders are still involved in the talks going on now despite the war.
“Talks are still going on with all parties, and a solution will be reached in less than a week,” said a senior officials involved in the talks.
“There will be no civil war, what’s happening now is still controlled and it’s for good negotiations for some parties,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
"the two international envoys Bin Omar and Al Zayani met and would meet all parties," he said.
By Nasser Arrabyee/23/09/2011
The President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived in the Yemeni capital early morning today Friday, September 23rd, 2011, after three more than three months in Saudi Arabia for treatment from injuries he suffered in a failed assassination attempt on June 3 in the mosque of his Palace.
Fireworks and live bullets to the air could be heard everywhere in the capital to celebrate the return of President Saleh.
The expected return of Saleh came after almost a week of direct confrontation between his troops and defected troops supported by opposition tribesmen in the Yemeni capital Sana’a.
UN and Gulf mediation failed to the stop the confrontation.
The GCC head who mediates between Yemenis to stop the on going war returned home empty-handed after opposition refused to see him.
The billionaire tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar arrogantly ordered the Gulf official,Abdul Latif Al Zayani to leave Yemen and Hamid and opposition parties would go to revolutionary action, war, rather than "useless" talks.
The UN envoy Jamal Bin Onar insisted, however, to continue efforts to defuse the war and bring the conflicting parties to dialogue.
Sporadic clashes continued between defected forces and security forces and armed tribesmen from both sides despite a cease-fire.
Firing and explosions could be heard Fay and night in different places in the capital and in the bordering places around the sit-in square where defected troops and armed tribesmen allegedly protect protesters.
Earlier in the week, two international envoys arrived in Yemen earlier this week after conflicting parties went on a war ignoring a world-supported proposal to end the 8-month crisis.
The UN envoy Jamal bin Omar and head of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Abdul Latif Al Zauani, arrived only to see bloodshed and hear explosions in the capital Sana’a almost around the clock.
Both of them were a little bit late. They were supposed to arrive before the breakout of the war to help the Yemeni conflicting parties reach an agreement on a mechanism previously suggested by Bin Omar, for implementing a Saudi-led GCC deal for transferring the power from President Saleh through democratic elections.
The "still controllable" war erupted while the opposition leaders and the ruling party were in their talks about an authorization decree issued earlier this month from President Saleh to his deputy for preparing for electing a new president by the end of this year.
Two influential leaders from the opposition, other than those involved in the talks with vice president, were obviously behind this war which killed more than 50 Yemenis and injured hundreds of others so far during three days of fierce clashes in which all kinds of weapons were used.
These two effective leaders, the defected general Ali Muhsen, and the billionaire tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar, felt they were ignored and excluded from the talks especially after the arrival of the two international envoys, Bin Omar and Al Zayani.
Hamid Al Ahamar, who has been mainly financing and orchestrating the anti-Saleh protests, said arrogantly through his satellite TV that the two envoys "must leave" the country immediately if they came to bring Yemenis back to dialogue.
For general Muhsen, his defected troops are in direct confrontations with Saleh's forces in many streets around the sit-in square at the gate of Sanaa university for the first time since he defected.
His troops closed the university and dismissed the students and professors in the first day of the new academic year, September 17th, and turned it to a military barrack.
The two leaders were also behind what was called the “revolutionary action and end ” of the 8-month long peaceful protests demanding the ouster of President Sale.
In a secret document leaked to media this week, Hamid Al Ahmar asked the general Muhsen to arm 3,000 young man from the protesters to protect the “the revolutionary end” demonstrations which started Sunday September 18th, 2011 and led to the current war.
Last May, with his armed tribesmen and 10 brothers, the rich businessman Hamid Al Ahmar himself led a two-week war against Saleh’s forces around his palace in Al Hasaba area, in which about 150 people were killed from both sides.
The Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Azeez imposed a truce on both sides after President Saleh arrived in Riyadh for treatment from injuries he suffered in the June 3 failed assassination attempt, which Hamid Al Ahmar and Ali Muhsen were accused of being behind it.
The May war was locally known as Al Ahmar-Saleh war and this war is known now as Ali Muhsen-Saleh war. When it comes to war, no one talk about the opposition parties or about the independent young people who demand the ouster of Saleh.
Both Saudi Arabia and the United States are doing their best to contain the situation and stop the “seemingly controllable” war between two armies and armed supporters of both sides.
In a statement, the US embassy in Sana’a called upon all parties to exercise restraint, and refrain from actions that provoke further violence.
“We reject actions that undermine productive efforts underway to achieve a political resolution to the current crisis,” said the US embassy statement.
“The United States continues to support a peaceful and orderly transition in Yemen, one which addresses the Yemeni people’s aspirations for peace and security. We remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached that leads to the signing of the GCC Initiative within one week.”
From his side, the Saudi King who met President Saleh in Riyadh earlier this week immediately after the war erupted in Sana’a, showed a great of support for Yemen’s security and stability and unity, according to the Saudi news agency.
The Yemeni prime minister, Ali Mujawar, and speaker of Parliament Yahya Al Raye’e attended the meeting. Both Mujawar and Al Raye’e are still recovering in Saudi Arabia from injuries they suffered in the June assassination attempt.
And although what’s going now in Sana’a seems like any war between two big forces in addition to armed tribesmen involved from both sides, the government keeps saying it’s only the security forces which confront the defected troops and their armed supporters.
The government denies that the republican guards, the highly qualified and trained forces led by Ahmed Ali, Saleh’s son, are participating in the ongoing street to street confrontations. Although this republican guards forces are really deployed in the streets.
“The security forces only are responsible for protecting the capital Sana’a from the defected troops, and the extremists of brotherhood, and the sons of Al Ahmar,” said an official statement.
On his part, deputy minister of information Abdul Janadi said that this war was planned for thwarting the efforts being exerted now by the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to reach a compromise with the opposition parties for preparing for presidential elections according to the UN and GCC suggestions.
Although opposition publically refuse any dialogue or initiative now and insist only on what they called “revolutionary action and end” , their leaders are still involved in the talks going on now despite the war.
“Talks are still going on with all parties, and a solution will be reached in less than a week,” said a senior officials involved in the talks.
“There will be no civil war, what’s happening now is still controlled and it’s for good negotiations for some parties,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
"the two international envoys Bin Omar and Al Zayani met and would meet all parties," he said.
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
US drone attack kills 10 Qaeda suspects in south Yemen
Source: AFP, 22/09/2011
ADEN — Ten Al-Qaeda suspects were killed while a top leader in the network escaped death as US drones carried out several air strikes on their strongholds in Yemen's south, local officials said Wednesday.
"US drones carried out two air strikes on Al-Mahfad (in the southern Abyan province) where Al-Qaeda militants -- among them Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP) number two Saeed al-Shehri -- are present," said a local official in the village.
Four suspected militants were killed while Shehri escaped, said the well-informed official who requested anonymity.
Another local official from the town of Shaqra -- controlled by the militants since June -- said that six other "Al-Qaeda gunmen" were killed and three were wounded in two separate air raids on the town.
Since anti-government protests swept Yemen in late January, militants have taken advantage of the weakening of central authority to set up base in several southern provinces as well as Marib province in the east.
In May, a group who name themselves the Partisans of Sharia (Islamic Law), believed to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda, seized control of many regions across Abyan province.
Washington and other Western governments have repeatedly expressed growing concern about the role Al-Qaeda might play in Yemen if the regime of veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh collapses and a power vacuum ensues.
Late on Tuesday, the Washington Post said that the United States is building an array of secret new drone bases to conduct strikes against Al-Qaeda targets in Somalia and Yemen.
The Post said the United States is also conducting drone missions over Yemen and Somalia from Djibouti, seeking to weaken Al-Qaeda affiliates in both countries.
"It?s a conscious recognition that those are the hot spots developing right now," it quoted a former senior US military official as saying.
The United States regularly launches drone strikes against suspected militants along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where it claims to have greatly degraded Al-Qaeda's core leadership.
ADEN — Ten Al-Qaeda suspects were killed while a top leader in the network escaped death as US drones carried out several air strikes on their strongholds in Yemen's south, local officials said Wednesday.
"US drones carried out two air strikes on Al-Mahfad (in the southern Abyan province) where Al-Qaeda militants -- among them Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP) number two Saeed al-Shehri -- are present," said a local official in the village.
Four suspected militants were killed while Shehri escaped, said the well-informed official who requested anonymity.
Another local official from the town of Shaqra -- controlled by the militants since June -- said that six other "Al-Qaeda gunmen" were killed and three were wounded in two separate air raids on the town.
Since anti-government protests swept Yemen in late January, militants have taken advantage of the weakening of central authority to set up base in several southern provinces as well as Marib province in the east.
In May, a group who name themselves the Partisans of Sharia (Islamic Law), believed to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda, seized control of many regions across Abyan province.
Washington and other Western governments have repeatedly expressed growing concern about the role Al-Qaeda might play in Yemen if the regime of veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh collapses and a power vacuum ensues.
Late on Tuesday, the Washington Post said that the United States is building an array of secret new drone bases to conduct strikes against Al-Qaeda targets in Somalia and Yemen.
The Post said the United States is also conducting drone missions over Yemen and Somalia from Djibouti, seeking to weaken Al-Qaeda affiliates in both countries.
"It?s a conscious recognition that those are the hot spots developing right now," it quoted a former senior US military official as saying.
The United States regularly launches drone strikes against suspected militants along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where it claims to have greatly degraded Al-Qaeda's core leadership.
Fragile cease-fire of war seemingly erupted for negotiation gains
By Nasser Arrabyee/21/09/2011
Sporadic clashes continued today Wednesday between defected forces and security forces and armed tribesmen from both sides despite a cease-fire.
Firing and explosions could be heard early morning and during the night in the bordering places around the sit-in square where defected troops and armed tribesmen allegedly protect protesters.
Earlier in the week, two international envoys arrived in Yemen earlier this week after conflicting parties went on a war ignoring a world-supported proposal to end the 8-month crisis.
The UN envoy Jamal bin Omar and head of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Abdul Latif Al Zauani, arrived only to see bloodshed and hear explosions in the capital Sana’a almost around the clock.
Both of them were a little bit late. They were supposed to arrive before the breakout of the war to help the Yemeni conflicting parties reach an agreement on a mechanism previously suggested by Bin Omar, for implementing a Saudi-led GCC deal for transferring the power from President Saleh through democratic elections.
The "still controllable" war erupted while the opposition leaders and the ruling party were in their talks about an authorization decree issued earlier this month from President Saleh to his deputy for preparing for electing a new president by the end of this year.
Two influential leaders from the opposition, other than those involved in the talks with vice president, were obviously behind this war which killed more than 50 Yemenis and injured hundreds of others so far during three days of fierce clashes in which all kinds of weapons were used.
These two effective leaders, the defected general Ali Muhsen, and the billionaire tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar, felt they were ignored and excluded from the talks especially after the arrival of the two international envoys, Bin Omar and Al Zayani.
Hamid Al Ahamar, who has been mainly financing and orchestrating the anti-Saleh protests, said arrogantly through his satellite TV that the two envoys "must leave" the country immediately if they came to bring Yemenis back to dialogue.
For general Muhsen, his defected troops are in direct confrontations with Saleh's forces in many streets around the sit-in square at the gate of Sanaa university for the first time since he defected.
His troops closed the university and dismissed the students and professors in the first day of the new academic year, September 17th, and turned it to a military barrack.
The two leaders were also behind what was called the “revolutionary action and end ” of the 8-month long peaceful protests demanding the ouster of President Sale.
In a secret document leaked to media this week, Hamid Al Ahmar asked the general Muhsen to arm 3,000 young man from the protesters to protect the “the revolutionary end” demonstrations which started Sunday September 18th, 2011 and led to the current war.
Last May, with his armed tribesmen and 10 brothers, the rich businessman Hamid Al Ahmar himself led a two-week war against Saleh’s forces around his palace in Al Hasaba area, in which about 150 people were killed from both sides.
The Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Azeez imposed a truce on both sides after President Saleh arrived in Riyadh for treatment from injuries he suffered in the June 3 failed assassination attempt, which Hamid Al Ahmar and Ali Muhsen were accused of being behind it.
The May war was locally known as Al Ahmar-Saleh war and this war is known now as Ali Muhsen-Saleh war. When it comes to war, no one talk about the opposition parties or about the independent young people who demand the ouster of Saleh.
Both Saudi Arabia and the United States are doing their best to contain the situation and stop the “seemingly controllable” war between two armies and armed supporters of both sides.
In a statement, the US embassy in Sana’a called upon all parties to exercise restraint, and refrain from actions that provoke further violence.
“We reject actions that undermine productive efforts underway to achieve a political resolution to the current crisis,” said the US embassy statement.
“The United States continues to support a peaceful and orderly transition in Yemen, one which addresses the Yemeni people’s aspirations for peace and security. We remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached that leads to the signing of the GCC Initiative within one week.”
From his side, the Saudi King who met President Saleh in Riyadh earlier this week immediately after the war erupted in Sana’a, showed a great of support for Yemen’s security and stability and unity, according to the Saudi news agency.
The Yemeni prime minister, Ali Mujawar, and speaker of Parliament Yahya Al Raye’e attended the meeting. Both Mujawar and Al Raye’e are still recovering in Saudi Arabia from injuries they suffered in the June assassination attempt.
And although what’s going now in Sana’a seems like any war between two big forces in addition to armed tribesmen involved from both sides, the government keeps saying it’s only the security forces which confront the defected troops and their armed supporters.
The government denies that the republican guards, the highly qualified and trained forces led by Ahmed Ali, Saleh’s son, are participating in the ongoing street to street confrontations. Although this republican guards forces are really deployed in the streets.
“The security forces only are responsible for protecting the capital Sana’a from the defected troops, and the extremists of brotherhood, and the sons of Al Ahmar,” said an official statement.
On his part, deputy minister of information Abdul Janadi said that this war was planned for thwarting the efforts being exerted now by the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to reach a compromise with the opposition parties for preparing for presidential elections according to the UN and GCC suggestions.
Although opposition publically refuse any dialogue or initiative now and insist only on what they called “revolutionary action and end” , their leaders are still involved in the talks going on now despite the war.
“Talks are still going on with all parties, and a solution will be reached in less than a week,” said a senior officials involved in the talks.
“There will be no civil war, what’s happening now is still controlled and it’s for good negotiations for some parties,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
"the two international envoys Bin Omar and Al Zayani met and would meet all parties," he said.
Sporadic clashes continued today Wednesday between defected forces and security forces and armed tribesmen from both sides despite a cease-fire.
Firing and explosions could be heard early morning and during the night in the bordering places around the sit-in square where defected troops and armed tribesmen allegedly protect protesters.
Earlier in the week, two international envoys arrived in Yemen earlier this week after conflicting parties went on a war ignoring a world-supported proposal to end the 8-month crisis.
The UN envoy Jamal bin Omar and head of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Abdul Latif Al Zauani, arrived only to see bloodshed and hear explosions in the capital Sana’a almost around the clock.
Both of them were a little bit late. They were supposed to arrive before the breakout of the war to help the Yemeni conflicting parties reach an agreement on a mechanism previously suggested by Bin Omar, for implementing a Saudi-led GCC deal for transferring the power from President Saleh through democratic elections.
The "still controllable" war erupted while the opposition leaders and the ruling party were in their talks about an authorization decree issued earlier this month from President Saleh to his deputy for preparing for electing a new president by the end of this year.
Two influential leaders from the opposition, other than those involved in the talks with vice president, were obviously behind this war which killed more than 50 Yemenis and injured hundreds of others so far during three days of fierce clashes in which all kinds of weapons were used.
These two effective leaders, the defected general Ali Muhsen, and the billionaire tribal leader Hamid Al Ahmar, felt they were ignored and excluded from the talks especially after the arrival of the two international envoys, Bin Omar and Al Zayani.
Hamid Al Ahamar, who has been mainly financing and orchestrating the anti-Saleh protests, said arrogantly through his satellite TV that the two envoys "must leave" the country immediately if they came to bring Yemenis back to dialogue.
For general Muhsen, his defected troops are in direct confrontations with Saleh's forces in many streets around the sit-in square at the gate of Sanaa university for the first time since he defected.
His troops closed the university and dismissed the students and professors in the first day of the new academic year, September 17th, and turned it to a military barrack.
The two leaders were also behind what was called the “revolutionary action and end ” of the 8-month long peaceful protests demanding the ouster of President Sale.
In a secret document leaked to media this week, Hamid Al Ahmar asked the general Muhsen to arm 3,000 young man from the protesters to protect the “the revolutionary end” demonstrations which started Sunday September 18th, 2011 and led to the current war.
Last May, with his armed tribesmen and 10 brothers, the rich businessman Hamid Al Ahmar himself led a two-week war against Saleh’s forces around his palace in Al Hasaba area, in which about 150 people were killed from both sides.
The Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Azeez imposed a truce on both sides after President Saleh arrived in Riyadh for treatment from injuries he suffered in the June 3 failed assassination attempt, which Hamid Al Ahmar and Ali Muhsen were accused of being behind it.
The May war was locally known as Al Ahmar-Saleh war and this war is known now as Ali Muhsen-Saleh war. When it comes to war, no one talk about the opposition parties or about the independent young people who demand the ouster of Saleh.
Both Saudi Arabia and the United States are doing their best to contain the situation and stop the “seemingly controllable” war between two armies and armed supporters of both sides.
In a statement, the US embassy in Sana’a called upon all parties to exercise restraint, and refrain from actions that provoke further violence.
“We reject actions that undermine productive efforts underway to achieve a political resolution to the current crisis,” said the US embassy statement.
“The United States continues to support a peaceful and orderly transition in Yemen, one which addresses the Yemeni people’s aspirations for peace and security. We remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached that leads to the signing of the GCC Initiative within one week.”
From his side, the Saudi King who met President Saleh in Riyadh earlier this week immediately after the war erupted in Sana’a, showed a great of support for Yemen’s security and stability and unity, according to the Saudi news agency.
The Yemeni prime minister, Ali Mujawar, and speaker of Parliament Yahya Al Raye’e attended the meeting. Both Mujawar and Al Raye’e are still recovering in Saudi Arabia from injuries they suffered in the June assassination attempt.
And although what’s going now in Sana’a seems like any war between two big forces in addition to armed tribesmen involved from both sides, the government keeps saying it’s only the security forces which confront the defected troops and their armed supporters.
The government denies that the republican guards, the highly qualified and trained forces led by Ahmed Ali, Saleh’s son, are participating in the ongoing street to street confrontations. Although this republican guards forces are really deployed in the streets.
“The security forces only are responsible for protecting the capital Sana’a from the defected troops, and the extremists of brotherhood, and the sons of Al Ahmar,” said an official statement.
On his part, deputy minister of information Abdul Janadi said that this war was planned for thwarting the efforts being exerted now by the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to reach a compromise with the opposition parties for preparing for presidential elections according to the UN and GCC suggestions.
Although opposition publically refuse any dialogue or initiative now and insist only on what they called “revolutionary action and end” , their leaders are still involved in the talks going on now despite the war.
“Talks are still going on with all parties, and a solution will be reached in less than a week,” said a senior officials involved in the talks.
“There will be no civil war, what’s happening now is still controlled and it’s for good negotiations for some parties,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
"the two international envoys Bin Omar and Al Zayani met and would meet all parties," he said.
Monday, 19 September 2011
Yemen’s deadly game of elite brinkmanship still exploding
Source: BBC, By Ginny Hill , Chatham House
19/09/2011
When the ripple effect of the Arab Spring spread to Yemen earlier this year, it sparked a popular youth-led revolution and a parallel power struggle between three rival factions.
These three factions - President Ali Abdullah Saleh's family, the Ahmar family and leading army general Ali Mohsin - all belong to a privileged elite at the heart of Yemen's regime.
But pressures generated by successive weeks of street protests throughout the spring, combined with their existing suspicions and jealousies of one another, forced long-standing rivalries into the open.
In March, following a sniper attack on the protesters' camp in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, Gen Ali Mohsin broke ranks with Mr Saleh.
In May, fighting broke out between Mr Saleh's family and the Ahmar family in the Hasaba district of Sanaa when the president refused to sign a Gulf-backed transition deal. Clashes were abruptly halted after a botched bomb plot to kill the president left him badly injured.
Mr Saleh was evacuated to Riyadh for medical treatment, and Vice-President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi assumed nominal control.
Yemen's constitution allows for the emergency transfer of power to the vice-president for up to 60 days, but the 60-day deadline came and went at the start of August, and Mr Saleh continued to insist that he was still in charge.
As the summer wore on, negotiations over the transition of power were sliding into stalemate. Instead of outright confrontation, competing factions took part in proxy clashes in Arhab - just north of Sanaa airport - the highland city of Taiz and Abbyan, a southern coastal province.
By late August, at the end of Ramadan, Mr Saleh was still recuperating in Riyadh.
His repeated promises to return to Sanaa, which had kept Yemenis on tenterhooks for months, had come to nothing.
But Mr Saleh's son, Ahmed Ali, and Ahmed Ali's three cousins, Tarik, Amar and Yahya - who control the Republican Guard and other elite security and intelligence units - remained embedded in the presidential palace in Sanaa.
Fresh tensions
Tensions began to rise again in early September.
On 12 September, Mr Saleh issued a decree granting his deputy, Mr Hadi, authority to negotiate a transition deal.
The international community welcomed the move, and the US government confidently voiced expectations that arrangements for a "peaceful and orderly transition" would be agreed within a week.
However, Mr Saleh's opponents were sceptical, sensing more delaying tactics.
The ensuing days saw renewed clashes in Sanaa between security forces under the control of Mr Saleh's family and the Ahmar brothers.
On Sunday, protesters - determined to break the stalemate over the transition talks and maintain momentum for change - marched outside the boundaries of their camp, along Zubayri Street.
Gunmen under the control of Mr Saleh's family opened fire on the protesters on Zubayri Street, killing 26 people and injuring many more.
Sunday's assault provoked immediate retaliation from Gen Ali Mohsin, who had pledged to protect the protest camp, known as Change Square.
Clashes between units under the control of Mr Saleh's family and Gen Ali Mohsin's division continued on Monday, centred around Zubayri Street and Change Square. At least another 20 people have been killed by security forces in the continuing crackdown.
Reports on Twitter suggested Ali Mohsin's division was also trying to push south towards the presidential palace.
Fighting has closed off one of Sanaa's main arterial roads, creating traffic jams and extended queues at petrol stations, as drivers anticipate future shortages and price rises.
Monday's violence came as the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva condemned the excessive use of lethal force by security forces under the control of Mr Saleh's family.
A report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued last week, noted that Yemen's authorities "appeared to have lost effective control of parts of the country and within the major cities" and warned that Yemen was confronted by the prospect of civil war.
19/09/2011
When the ripple effect of the Arab Spring spread to Yemen earlier this year, it sparked a popular youth-led revolution and a parallel power struggle between three rival factions.
These three factions - President Ali Abdullah Saleh's family, the Ahmar family and leading army general Ali Mohsin - all belong to a privileged elite at the heart of Yemen's regime.
But pressures generated by successive weeks of street protests throughout the spring, combined with their existing suspicions and jealousies of one another, forced long-standing rivalries into the open.
In March, following a sniper attack on the protesters' camp in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, Gen Ali Mohsin broke ranks with Mr Saleh.
In May, fighting broke out between Mr Saleh's family and the Ahmar family in the Hasaba district of Sanaa when the president refused to sign a Gulf-backed transition deal. Clashes were abruptly halted after a botched bomb plot to kill the president left him badly injured.
Mr Saleh was evacuated to Riyadh for medical treatment, and Vice-President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi assumed nominal control.
Yemen's constitution allows for the emergency transfer of power to the vice-president for up to 60 days, but the 60-day deadline came and went at the start of August, and Mr Saleh continued to insist that he was still in charge.
As the summer wore on, negotiations over the transition of power were sliding into stalemate. Instead of outright confrontation, competing factions took part in proxy clashes in Arhab - just north of Sanaa airport - the highland city of Taiz and Abbyan, a southern coastal province.
By late August, at the end of Ramadan, Mr Saleh was still recuperating in Riyadh.
His repeated promises to return to Sanaa, which had kept Yemenis on tenterhooks for months, had come to nothing.
But Mr Saleh's son, Ahmed Ali, and Ahmed Ali's three cousins, Tarik, Amar and Yahya - who control the Republican Guard and other elite security and intelligence units - remained embedded in the presidential palace in Sanaa.
Fresh tensions
Tensions began to rise again in early September.
On 12 September, Mr Saleh issued a decree granting his deputy, Mr Hadi, authority to negotiate a transition deal.
The international community welcomed the move, and the US government confidently voiced expectations that arrangements for a "peaceful and orderly transition" would be agreed within a week.
However, Mr Saleh's opponents were sceptical, sensing more delaying tactics.
The ensuing days saw renewed clashes in Sanaa between security forces under the control of Mr Saleh's family and the Ahmar brothers.
On Sunday, protesters - determined to break the stalemate over the transition talks and maintain momentum for change - marched outside the boundaries of their camp, along Zubayri Street.
Gunmen under the control of Mr Saleh's family opened fire on the protesters on Zubayri Street, killing 26 people and injuring many more.
Sunday's assault provoked immediate retaliation from Gen Ali Mohsin, who had pledged to protect the protest camp, known as Change Square.
Clashes between units under the control of Mr Saleh's family and Gen Ali Mohsin's division continued on Monday, centred around Zubayri Street and Change Square. At least another 20 people have been killed by security forces in the continuing crackdown.
Reports on Twitter suggested Ali Mohsin's division was also trying to push south towards the presidential palace.
Fighting has closed off one of Sanaa's main arterial roads, creating traffic jams and extended queues at petrol stations, as drivers anticipate future shortages and price rises.
Monday's violence came as the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva condemned the excessive use of lethal force by security forces under the control of Mr Saleh's family.
A report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued last week, noted that Yemen's authorities "appeared to have lost effective control of parts of the country and within the major cities" and warned that Yemen was confronted by the prospect of civil war.
Armed confrontations continue in the Yemeni capital after more than 20 killed
Source: Reuters, 19/09/2011
SANAA - Government forces and fighters backing protesters seeking President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ouster clashed anew with rocket and machine gun fire in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday a day after 26 demonstrators were shot dead.
Sunday's violence, jolting an uneasy, weeks-long stalemate, was the worst in recent months. Hundreds of people in an anti-government march were wounded as well when security forces fired on protesters who charged police lines.
Opposition organizers called for more action on Monday, rousing sleeping protesters who have been camped in Sanaa's Change Square for eight months to demand an end to 33 years of autocratic Saleh rule in impoverished Yemen.
Shouting over loudspeakers, organizers urged protesters to head back to a junction they had taken on Sunday night, known locally as Kentucky roundabout, and hinted they planned to push further into territory held by government forces.
The area had previously marked the dividing line between the parts of Sanaa held by loyalist troops and defected forces.
"Come on everyone, we will have breakfast at Kentucky roundabout and later we will have lunch somewhere else further down!" the speaker shouted.
But blocking the way of protesters trying to move forward were troops belonging to defected General Ali Mohsen, who threw his support behind the anti-Saleh movement some months ago but now seemed to be trying to defuse the situation.
In Geneva on Monday, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr Abdullah Al-Qirbi said Sunday's bloodshed would be investigated and perpetrators would be prosecuted.
In a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council, he said: "The government of Yemen expresses its sorrow and condemnation for all acts of violence and bloodshed as those that happened yesterday in Sanaa. The government will investigate and hold accountable all those in charge of these acts."
Sanaa for months has been divided between Mohsen's defected troops and loyalist forces in a maze of checkpoints, roadblocks and armored vehicles that many worry could quickly tip inflamed tensions into military confrontation.
Protesters on Monday managed to extend the territory of their camp by around one km, and hundreds slept there overnight. Ali Mohsen's troops entered the area and were fortifying it with sandbags.
The new staked-out area brought protesters and the defected troops backing them within 500 meters of Ahmed Ali Saleh, the president's son and head of the Republican Guard units loyal to the government.
Yemen for months has been mired in a political stalemate as Saleh, who is currently being treated in Saudi Arabia after an June assassination attempt, clings to power despite mass protests across the country.
Unrest extended to the south of Yemen as well.
In Taiz, another hotbed of anti-government protests, opposition sources said there was heavy shelling overnight by security forces after they too held large rallies on Sunday.
In the southern port city of Aden, witnesses said some residents were burning cars and blocking roads with rocks, frustrated by long hours without electricity as temperatures rose to 54 degrees Celsius (129 degrees Fahrenheit).
(Reporting by Erika Solomon and Khaled al-Mahdy in Sanaa, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
SANAA - Government forces and fighters backing protesters seeking President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ouster clashed anew with rocket and machine gun fire in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday a day after 26 demonstrators were shot dead.
Sunday's violence, jolting an uneasy, weeks-long stalemate, was the worst in recent months. Hundreds of people in an anti-government march were wounded as well when security forces fired on protesters who charged police lines.
Opposition organizers called for more action on Monday, rousing sleeping protesters who have been camped in Sanaa's Change Square for eight months to demand an end to 33 years of autocratic Saleh rule in impoverished Yemen.
Shouting over loudspeakers, organizers urged protesters to head back to a junction they had taken on Sunday night, known locally as Kentucky roundabout, and hinted they planned to push further into territory held by government forces.
The area had previously marked the dividing line between the parts of Sanaa held by loyalist troops and defected forces.
"Come on everyone, we will have breakfast at Kentucky roundabout and later we will have lunch somewhere else further down!" the speaker shouted.
But blocking the way of protesters trying to move forward were troops belonging to defected General Ali Mohsen, who threw his support behind the anti-Saleh movement some months ago but now seemed to be trying to defuse the situation.
In Geneva on Monday, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr Abdullah Al-Qirbi said Sunday's bloodshed would be investigated and perpetrators would be prosecuted.
In a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council, he said: "The government of Yemen expresses its sorrow and condemnation for all acts of violence and bloodshed as those that happened yesterday in Sanaa. The government will investigate and hold accountable all those in charge of these acts."
Sanaa for months has been divided between Mohsen's defected troops and loyalist forces in a maze of checkpoints, roadblocks and armored vehicles that many worry could quickly tip inflamed tensions into military confrontation.
Protesters on Monday managed to extend the territory of their camp by around one km, and hundreds slept there overnight. Ali Mohsen's troops entered the area and were fortifying it with sandbags.
The new staked-out area brought protesters and the defected troops backing them within 500 meters of Ahmed Ali Saleh, the president's son and head of the Republican Guard units loyal to the government.
Yemen for months has been mired in a political stalemate as Saleh, who is currently being treated in Saudi Arabia after an June assassination attempt, clings to power despite mass protests across the country.
Unrest extended to the south of Yemen as well.
In Taiz, another hotbed of anti-government protests, opposition sources said there was heavy shelling overnight by security forces after they too held large rallies on Sunday.
In the southern port city of Aden, witnesses said some residents were burning cars and blocking roads with rocks, frustrated by long hours without electricity as temperatures rose to 54 degrees Celsius (129 degrees Fahrenheit).
(Reporting by Erika Solomon and Khaled al-Mahdy in Sanaa, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Two key Qaeda members killed in Yemen
Source: Okaz, By Abdullah Al-Oraifij
19/09/2011
Riyadh- Naji Abdul Aziz Al-Zaidi, Governor of the Yemeni Governorate of Marib, disclosed to Okaz/Saudi Gazette that two Saudis who were among top commanders of the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were killed during recent battles with Yemeni security forces in the city of Zinjibar.
For the last three months, the city in the southern part of Yemen was controlled by the terrorist organization, but government forces regained control and managed to break Al-Qaeda’s siege of an important military base, where some government forces were trapped, Al-Zaidi said.
Al-Zaidi, who did not disclose the names of the two Saudis who were killed in the battles, said they were among the top 30 members of the terrorist organization.
Al-Zaidi, who survived an assassination attempt on Sept. 7, said the two were in their 20s and had been active in financing Al-Qaeda in Yemen through secret societies.
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Bloody demonstration kills 10 at least in Sana’a
By Nasser Arrabyee/18/09/2011
At least 10 protesters were killed and tens of others injured late Sunday when security forces opened fired on angry demonstrators demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The demonstration came after a call from the opposition leaders for what they called “revolutionary end” for their 8-month long protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
This bloody demonstration took place while talks are going on between the opposition and the ruling party after Saleh authorized his deputy to do that talks for reaching an agreement on electing new president in free and fair elections.
The government accused the opposition of distributing guns to some of people loyal to them to help the defected the army.
The regulation committee of the demonstration distributed masks, onions and other liquids against tear gases about two hours before the demonstration which started 330 pm and ended about 5 pm local time.
The firing started when the angry protesters wanted to go beyond the limits between the loyal forces and defected forces.
The firing started exactly nearby the electricity corporation in Al Qa’a when the protesters started to set fire to the gas station outside the corporation.
Al Qa’a area, in the middle of the town, is close to the pro-demonstrators and close to one of the Presidential Palace, the Republican Palace.
The opposition banned women from this demonstration as they were expecting violence.
At least 10 protesters were killed and tens of others injured late Sunday when security forces opened fired on angry demonstrators demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The demonstration came after a call from the opposition leaders for what they called “revolutionary end” for their 8-month long protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
This bloody demonstration took place while talks are going on between the opposition and the ruling party after Saleh authorized his deputy to do that talks for reaching an agreement on electing new president in free and fair elections.
The government accused the opposition of distributing guns to some of people loyal to them to help the defected the army.
The regulation committee of the demonstration distributed masks, onions and other liquids against tear gases about two hours before the demonstration which started 330 pm and ended about 5 pm local time.
The firing started when the angry protesters wanted to go beyond the limits between the loyal forces and defected forces.
The firing started exactly nearby the electricity corporation in Al Qa’a when the protesters started to set fire to the gas station outside the corporation.
Al Qa’a area, in the middle of the town, is close to the pro-demonstrators and close to one of the Presidential Palace, the Republican Palace.
The opposition banned women from this demonstration as they were expecting violence.
Saturday, 17 September 2011
Yemen transition could be agreed "in 10-15 days"
Source: Reuters,17/09/2011
By Erika Solomon
SANAA - A deal to ease Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power could be ready for signing with opposition parties within 15 days, a senior ruling party official said on Saturday.
Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) and the opposition coalition, the Joint Meetings Parties (JMP), have been wrangling for months over a Gulf-brokered transition plan, even as Yemeni protesters demand the president steps down immediately.
Despite widespread skepticism that any deal is within reach, Sultan al-Barakani, deputy head of the GPC and part of Saleh's close circle, told Reuters the two sides would soon conclude talks on preparing for a new government and signing the deal.
"All of these steps, I'm optimistic will be completed in the next 10 to 15 days," he said in an interview. "What we need more time for is finding a new (presidential) election date."
Barakani said negotiations over how to run the election could delay the poll until January or February. "The conditions in the country for elections are not there yet," he said. "We're used to these things taking six months."
Tensions remain high in Yemen, where eight months of anti-Saleh protests, sporadic armed clashes and economic disruption have pushed the country deeper into misery. The United States and neighboring Saudi Arabia fear the turmoil may give al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing more freedom to operate.
Saleh, who has been convalescing in Riyadh since a June bomb attack on his compound, last week gave Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour the authority to sign the Gulf transition plan on his behalf, in what some analysts saw as a way for him to allow the plan to pass without stooping to sign it himself.
But some diplomats in Sanaa expressed concerns that Saleh, a master of political survival, may later use his remaining presidential powers to reject the deal.
Saleh has three times backed out of signing the Gulf Cooperation Council's original plan, which stipulated that he would resign 30 days after signing.
The opposition and ruling party recently agreed to modify the plan to allow the transition to occur via an early election.
STICKING POINT
At least one sticking point remains. The opposition wants Saleh to transfer all his powers to the vice president before the poll to prevent him from using them to sway the vote. The ruling party says Saleh should quit only after the election.
"The president leaving through a political agreement? I reject it today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow," Barakani said at his office in Sanaa, surrounded by presidential guards.
Ruling party moderates have been willing to concede the opposition demand, but hardliners like Barakani have resisted.
"We have a political system built on a constitution. We need to respect it," Barakani said. "The presidency is selected based on an electoral system. Why should we destroy this government just to satisfy a few dozen people?"
Tens of thousands of Yemenis have staged sustained protests demanding Saleh's unconditional removal. Many say they will stay on the streets until Saleh and all of his relatives and allies are out of power, no matter whether a political deal is reached.
Speculation has swirled over when Saleh might come back from Saudi Arabia -- and whether his return might push Yemen back to the edge of civil war between his forces and opposing tribesmen.
Barakani said he expected Saleh back in Yemen by October, as long as doctors approved, arguing that Sanaa would remain secure and that the president would return "long before elections."
"My sense after speaking to the doctors over the (Ramadan) holidays was that his treatment is ending, so he could come around the end of September or the beginning of October."
By Erika Solomon
SANAA - A deal to ease Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power could be ready for signing with opposition parties within 15 days, a senior ruling party official said on Saturday.
Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) and the opposition coalition, the Joint Meetings Parties (JMP), have been wrangling for months over a Gulf-brokered transition plan, even as Yemeni protesters demand the president steps down immediately.
Despite widespread skepticism that any deal is within reach, Sultan al-Barakani, deputy head of the GPC and part of Saleh's close circle, told Reuters the two sides would soon conclude talks on preparing for a new government and signing the deal.
"All of these steps, I'm optimistic will be completed in the next 10 to 15 days," he said in an interview. "What we need more time for is finding a new (presidential) election date."
Barakani said negotiations over how to run the election could delay the poll until January or February. "The conditions in the country for elections are not there yet," he said. "We're used to these things taking six months."
Tensions remain high in Yemen, where eight months of anti-Saleh protests, sporadic armed clashes and economic disruption have pushed the country deeper into misery. The United States and neighboring Saudi Arabia fear the turmoil may give al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing more freedom to operate.
Saleh, who has been convalescing in Riyadh since a June bomb attack on his compound, last week gave Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour the authority to sign the Gulf transition plan on his behalf, in what some analysts saw as a way for him to allow the plan to pass without stooping to sign it himself.
But some diplomats in Sanaa expressed concerns that Saleh, a master of political survival, may later use his remaining presidential powers to reject the deal.
Saleh has three times backed out of signing the Gulf Cooperation Council's original plan, which stipulated that he would resign 30 days after signing.
The opposition and ruling party recently agreed to modify the plan to allow the transition to occur via an early election.
STICKING POINT
At least one sticking point remains. The opposition wants Saleh to transfer all his powers to the vice president before the poll to prevent him from using them to sway the vote. The ruling party says Saleh should quit only after the election.
"The president leaving through a political agreement? I reject it today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow," Barakani said at his office in Sanaa, surrounded by presidential guards.
Ruling party moderates have been willing to concede the opposition demand, but hardliners like Barakani have resisted.
"We have a political system built on a constitution. We need to respect it," Barakani said. "The presidency is selected based on an electoral system. Why should we destroy this government just to satisfy a few dozen people?"
Tens of thousands of Yemenis have staged sustained protests demanding Saleh's unconditional removal. Many say they will stay on the streets until Saleh and all of his relatives and allies are out of power, no matter whether a political deal is reached.
Speculation has swirled over when Saleh might come back from Saudi Arabia -- and whether his return might push Yemen back to the edge of civil war between his forces and opposing tribesmen.
Barakani said he expected Saleh back in Yemen by October, as long as doctors approved, arguing that Sanaa would remain secure and that the president would return "long before elections."
"My sense after speaking to the doctors over the (Ramadan) holidays was that his treatment is ending, so he could come around the end of September or the beginning of October."
Friday, 16 September 2011
President Saleh should return home and help solve the problem, diplomat says
Source : The Interpreter, By Philip Eliason
17/09/2011
Yemen is a state of dynamic stasis. It has now had about seven months of political turmoil, many deaths, economic stagnation and rising internal security problems.
Its national leadership — made up of political office holders, custodians of traditional authority, religious leaders and the pro-change youth movement — is divided and without a centre of gravity powerful enough to commence consolidation. Its president may soon return from his extended post-assassination-attempt hospitalisation in Saudi Arabia.
Despite the daily bad news from Yemen, particularly in the south, Yemenis do not see their country as being on the way to collapse. Yet in my discussions with Yemenis recently, I heard that they did fear a real collapse which would result in far graver and more violent fighting across the country than we have seen to date, as each power base and its affiliate tribes and military elements mobilise to protect territory and economic interests and, according to tradition, seize those of others.
The endemic poverty of Yemen and its universal ownership of weapons make it surprising that Yemen is so far so stable. But Yemenis know what the next step means. One of my interlocutors said there are signs of clannish regional divisions beginning.
The Government in Sana'a sees the heart of the current popular revolution as being based in the former Yemeni capital Taez. Taez is the gateway to southern Yemen, reasonably well educated, industrious and influential but, compared to the north and Sana'a, relatively lightly armed. The Government may believe that the suppression of demonstrations and political activism in Taez will stifle political movements in Sana'a, hence Taez has been hit hard by security forces and their proxies.
If Taez is a Government target, then it is also a target for southern Yemenis. In a sign that regional and clan identification is deepening, southern Yemenis are now even talking in public of slaughtering Taez people living in Aden (migrants from Taez have made up a large proportion of Aden's population over nearly 200 years).
Aden and the south of Yemen are no strangers to bloody sortings out (many thousands were killed in the 1986 split in the Aden-based Yemeni Socialist Party). Taez people believe the Government is arming loyalists in the Taez region to attack them. Many may sell these weapons as poverty knocks but the civil protest movement is being increasingly surrounded by weapons.
The political dialogue in Sana'a is complex and multipolar. The swing factor at present is Saudi Arabia, which may be spreading its bets through funding and patronage either as a deliberate policy or as a consequence of powerful individuals in Saudi Arabia supporting their favourites. Many Yemenis see Riyadh as much more influential than Washington in Yemeni politics.
Should the future of Yemen be in Saudi Arabia's hands then we should consider the consequences. Yemenis see their country's increasing religious conservatism a result of Saudi influence. Should Saudi Arabia take a more direct role, Yemen's historical cohabitation between Sunni and Zaidi Shia Muslims would be at risk from Riyadh's visceral dislike of the Shia.
There are two things now to consider: how to maintain Western influence in Yemen for political diversity and economic development and how to ensure any transition of power is as bloodless as possible.
The following steps are needed to address both points. First, Yemen's situation needs to be internationalised further. Most donors are waiting to see what happens in Sana'a's presidential palace before committing further development assistance. They are frightened off by the security situation. This needs to be reversed. Substantive and visible development projects can happen, it is just more complex to achieve them.
Second, the president retains an ability to help the people of Yemen and he can do so by returning to the country within a framework of leadership transition (which is clearly on his mind). He must also unblock political processes and administration, and try to stabilise a difficult security situation. But this needs to be wrapped in an internationalised process.
Yemen is simply too important to leave to Saudi Arabia to manage. Yemenis say they want a good leader, they want independence and they need funds. Being bought off by Saudi Arabia will not give Yemenis the type of independence they want.
Philip Eliason is a former diplomat who has worked on Libyan issues and is a member of the Advisory Board to the Macquarie University Centre for Middle East and North African Studies.
17/09/2011
Yemen is a state of dynamic stasis. It has now had about seven months of political turmoil, many deaths, economic stagnation and rising internal security problems.
Its national leadership — made up of political office holders, custodians of traditional authority, religious leaders and the pro-change youth movement — is divided and without a centre of gravity powerful enough to commence consolidation. Its president may soon return from his extended post-assassination-attempt hospitalisation in Saudi Arabia.
Despite the daily bad news from Yemen, particularly in the south, Yemenis do not see their country as being on the way to collapse. Yet in my discussions with Yemenis recently, I heard that they did fear a real collapse which would result in far graver and more violent fighting across the country than we have seen to date, as each power base and its affiliate tribes and military elements mobilise to protect territory and economic interests and, according to tradition, seize those of others.
The endemic poverty of Yemen and its universal ownership of weapons make it surprising that Yemen is so far so stable. But Yemenis know what the next step means. One of my interlocutors said there are signs of clannish regional divisions beginning.
The Government in Sana'a sees the heart of the current popular revolution as being based in the former Yemeni capital Taez. Taez is the gateway to southern Yemen, reasonably well educated, industrious and influential but, compared to the north and Sana'a, relatively lightly armed. The Government may believe that the suppression of demonstrations and political activism in Taez will stifle political movements in Sana'a, hence Taez has been hit hard by security forces and their proxies.
If Taez is a Government target, then it is also a target for southern Yemenis. In a sign that regional and clan identification is deepening, southern Yemenis are now even talking in public of slaughtering Taez people living in Aden (migrants from Taez have made up a large proportion of Aden's population over nearly 200 years).
Aden and the south of Yemen are no strangers to bloody sortings out (many thousands were killed in the 1986 split in the Aden-based Yemeni Socialist Party). Taez people believe the Government is arming loyalists in the Taez region to attack them. Many may sell these weapons as poverty knocks but the civil protest movement is being increasingly surrounded by weapons.
The political dialogue in Sana'a is complex and multipolar. The swing factor at present is Saudi Arabia, which may be spreading its bets through funding and patronage either as a deliberate policy or as a consequence of powerful individuals in Saudi Arabia supporting their favourites. Many Yemenis see Riyadh as much more influential than Washington in Yemeni politics.
Should the future of Yemen be in Saudi Arabia's hands then we should consider the consequences. Yemenis see their country's increasing religious conservatism a result of Saudi influence. Should Saudi Arabia take a more direct role, Yemen's historical cohabitation between Sunni and Zaidi Shia Muslims would be at risk from Riyadh's visceral dislike of the Shia.
There are two things now to consider: how to maintain Western influence in Yemen for political diversity and economic development and how to ensure any transition of power is as bloodless as possible.
The following steps are needed to address both points. First, Yemen's situation needs to be internationalised further. Most donors are waiting to see what happens in Sana'a's presidential palace before committing further development assistance. They are frightened off by the security situation. This needs to be reversed. Substantive and visible development projects can happen, it is just more complex to achieve them.
Second, the president retains an ability to help the people of Yemen and he can do so by returning to the country within a framework of leadership transition (which is clearly on his mind). He must also unblock political processes and administration, and try to stabilise a difficult security situation. But this needs to be wrapped in an internationalised process.
Yemen is simply too important to leave to Saudi Arabia to manage. Yemenis say they want a good leader, they want independence and they need funds. Being bought off by Saudi Arabia will not give Yemenis the type of independence they want.
Philip Eliason is a former diplomat who has worked on Libyan issues and is a member of the Advisory Board to the Macquarie University Centre for Middle East and North African Studies.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Three bomb attacks hit intelligence, security HQs in Yemen' s Aden, two killed
Source: Xinhua, 15/09/2011
ADEN/SANAA,Three loud blasts hit intelligence headquarters and a police station in Yemen's southern port city of Aden midnight Wednesday, leaving one soldier and one passerby killed, and 13 others injured, local officials and residents told Xinhua.
A local security official, who asked not to be named, said that three bomb attacks hit the local military intelligence headquarters and police station in al-Mansoura and al-Mullat districts, killing at least one soldier.
"The first blast at the police station of al-Mualla was caused by two stun grenades at the gate of the building," the official said, adding that "the blasts bear the hallmarks of al-Qiada in the Arabian Peninsula."
Police forces fired back following the explosions and a passerby was accidentally shot dead, residents said.
Another provincial official told Xinhua that "two blasts hit the intelligence headquarters and another blast rocked the police station 10 minutes later, leaving up to 13 security soldiers slightly injured."
The blasts came just hours after the authorities approved at a meeting tightened security measures across Aden to prevent any infiltration by al-Qaida militants from the neighboring province of Abyan, according to local government sources.
The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has vowed to avenge the recent Yemeni-U.S. joint military air strikes on their hideouts in Zinjibar and Jaar cities of Abyan province and Rawda town of Shabwa province, and to move guerrilla warfare into Aden and other provinces
ADEN/SANAA,Three loud blasts hit intelligence headquarters and a police station in Yemen's southern port city of Aden midnight Wednesday, leaving one soldier and one passerby killed, and 13 others injured, local officials and residents told Xinhua.
A local security official, who asked not to be named, said that three bomb attacks hit the local military intelligence headquarters and police station in al-Mansoura and al-Mullat districts, killing at least one soldier.
"The first blast at the police station of al-Mualla was caused by two stun grenades at the gate of the building," the official said, adding that "the blasts bear the hallmarks of al-Qiada in the Arabian Peninsula."
Police forces fired back following the explosions and a passerby was accidentally shot dead, residents said.
Another provincial official told Xinhua that "two blasts hit the intelligence headquarters and another blast rocked the police station 10 minutes later, leaving up to 13 security soldiers slightly injured."
The blasts came just hours after the authorities approved at a meeting tightened security measures across Aden to prevent any infiltration by al-Qaida militants from the neighboring province of Abyan, according to local government sources.
The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has vowed to avenge the recent Yemeni-U.S. joint military air strikes on their hideouts in Zinjibar and Jaar cities of Abyan province and Rawda town of Shabwa province, and to move guerrilla warfare into Aden and other provinces
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Al Qaeda in Yemen the most dangerous, and cooperation better than before, CIA director says
Source : Reuters, 13/09/2011
WASHINGTON- Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen, has emerged as the "most dangerous" affiliate of the extremist group as the terrorism threat shifts to outside South Asia, CIA Director David Petraeus said on Tuesday.
The threat from a weakened core al Qaeda remains a concern for the United States a decade after the September 11 attacks, but the group's vulnerability offers a window of opportunity, Petraeus said in prepared testimony for a joint House-Senate intelligence committee hearing.
"Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has emerged as the most dangerous regional node in the global jihad," Petraeus said in his first congressional testimony as CIA chief.
AQAP was behind the December 2009 plot to blow up a U.S. airliner as it approached Detroit and a 2010 effort to send bombs hidden in computer printers on two cargo aircraft, he said.
Political unrest in Yemen has helped AQAP "co-opt local tribes and extend its influence," Petraeus said.
"Despite all of this, counterterrorism cooperation with Yemen has, in fact, improved in the past few months," he said. "That is very important, as we clearly have to intensify our collaboration and deny AQAP the safe haven that it seeks to establish."
While the affiliates are linked to al Qaeda, they have their own command structures, resources, and operational agendas, and largely operate autonomously, Petraeus said.
Southern Somalia has become "one of the world's most significant havens for terrorists" and the al Qaeda affiliate there is large, well-funded, and has attracted and trained hundreds of foreign fighters, including Americans, he said.
The United States continues to face a serious threat from al Qaeda and its worldwide network of affiliates and sympathizers despite heavy losses to the group's senior leadership, Petraeus said.
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's death in May was a "stunning blow" to the group and his successor, Ayman al-Zawahri, is considered "less compelling as a leader" by the group's followers, he said.
"We thus assess that he will have more difficulty than did Osama bin Laden in maintaining the group's cohesion and its collective motivation in the face of continued pressure," Petraeus said.
A vulnerable core al Qaeda amounts to "a window of opportunity for us and our allies. We must maintain the pressure. We must exploit the opportunity," he said
WASHINGTON- Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen, has emerged as the "most dangerous" affiliate of the extremist group as the terrorism threat shifts to outside South Asia, CIA Director David Petraeus said on Tuesday.
The threat from a weakened core al Qaeda remains a concern for the United States a decade after the September 11 attacks, but the group's vulnerability offers a window of opportunity, Petraeus said in prepared testimony for a joint House-Senate intelligence committee hearing.
"Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has emerged as the most dangerous regional node in the global jihad," Petraeus said in his first congressional testimony as CIA chief.
AQAP was behind the December 2009 plot to blow up a U.S. airliner as it approached Detroit and a 2010 effort to send bombs hidden in computer printers on two cargo aircraft, he said.
Political unrest in Yemen has helped AQAP "co-opt local tribes and extend its influence," Petraeus said.
"Despite all of this, counterterrorism cooperation with Yemen has, in fact, improved in the past few months," he said. "That is very important, as we clearly have to intensify our collaboration and deny AQAP the safe haven that it seeks to establish."
While the affiliates are linked to al Qaeda, they have their own command structures, resources, and operational agendas, and largely operate autonomously, Petraeus said.
Southern Somalia has become "one of the world's most significant havens for terrorists" and the al Qaeda affiliate there is large, well-funded, and has attracted and trained hundreds of foreign fighters, including Americans, he said.
The United States continues to face a serious threat from al Qaeda and its worldwide network of affiliates and sympathizers despite heavy losses to the group's senior leadership, Petraeus said.
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's death in May was a "stunning blow" to the group and his successor, Ayman al-Zawahri, is considered "less compelling as a leader" by the group's followers, he said.
"We thus assess that he will have more difficulty than did Osama bin Laden in maintaining the group's cohesion and its collective motivation in the face of continued pressure," Petraeus said.
A vulnerable core al Qaeda amounts to "a window of opportunity for us and our allies. We must maintain the pressure. We must exploit the opportunity," he said
Qaeda claims attack on rebels in north Yemen: SITE
Source:AFP
13\09\2011
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claims responsibility for a suicide bombing against a Shiite Huthi gathering in mid-August
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has claimed a suicide bombing in mid-August against a gathering of Shiite Huthi rebels in northern Yemen, monitoring group SITE Intelligence said on Tuesday.
Witnesses at the time said two people were killed and several wounded in the August 15 car bomb attack at a government administration complex at Al-Matamma, in Al-Jawf province, while leaders of the Shiite rebellion were meeting.
In a statement on jihadist forums posted Monday, AQAP declared that the attack "comes within the framework of its repelling the Huthis' alleged aggression against Sunnis" in Al-Jawf and Saada provinces, SITE said.
The US monitoring service added that AQAP claimed in its statement the blast "inflicted mass casualties in excess of 100 in the Huthi ranks" and named the suicide bomber as Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Najda.
The attack came two days after the signing of a truce by the Shiite rebels and the Islamist Al-Islah party, in a bid to stop the fighting that since March has flared intermittently in the area near the border with Saudi Arabia.
Yemen's mountainous far north is a stronghold of the rebels from the Zaidi Shiite community, who from 2004 fought six wars with central government forces before signing a truce in February 2010. The rebellion claimed thousands of lives.
Yemen as a whole is mainly Sunni Muslim but the Zaidis are the majority community in the north. Embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh is himself a Zaidi.
AQAP is an affiliate of the global jihadist network accused of anti-US plots, including an attempt to blow up a US-bound aircraft on Christmas Day 2009.
13\09\2011
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claims responsibility for a suicide bombing against a Shiite Huthi gathering in mid-August
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has claimed a suicide bombing in mid-August against a gathering of Shiite Huthi rebels in northern Yemen, monitoring group SITE Intelligence said on Tuesday.
Witnesses at the time said two people were killed and several wounded in the August 15 car bomb attack at a government administration complex at Al-Matamma, in Al-Jawf province, while leaders of the Shiite rebellion were meeting.
In a statement on jihadist forums posted Monday, AQAP declared that the attack "comes within the framework of its repelling the Huthis' alleged aggression against Sunnis" in Al-Jawf and Saada provinces, SITE said.
The US monitoring service added that AQAP claimed in its statement the blast "inflicted mass casualties in excess of 100 in the Huthi ranks" and named the suicide bomber as Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Najda.
The attack came two days after the signing of a truce by the Shiite rebels and the Islamist Al-Islah party, in a bid to stop the fighting that since March has flared intermittently in the area near the border with Saudi Arabia.
Yemen's mountainous far north is a stronghold of the rebels from the Zaidi Shiite community, who from 2004 fought six wars with central government forces before signing a truce in February 2010. The rebellion claimed thousands of lives.
Yemen as a whole is mainly Sunni Muslim but the Zaidis are the majority community in the north. Embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh is himself a Zaidi.
AQAP is an affiliate of the global jihadist network accused of anti-US plots, including an attempt to blow up a US-bound aircraft on Christmas Day 2009.
Yemen to make or to break after President Saleh threw the ball to others
Yemen to make or to break after
President Saleh threw the ball to others
By Nasser Arrabyee/13/09/2011
Two significant things happened this week in Yemen and might lead to an end of the 8-month crisis.
The President Ali Abdullah Saleh authorized Monday his deputy for talking with opposition until a new president is democratically elected,the long awaited step that the international and regional community wanted from Saleh to do.
The second was liberating two southern towns from Al Qaeda after they were declared Taliban-style Islamic-Emirates for more than five months.
Both steps were widely welcomed inside and outside Yemen as a sign of success of the great efforts made by United States, Saudi Arabia,UN,and EU to find a peaceful,democratic, and orderly way for power transition.
the Vice President, Abdu Rabu Mansor Had, respected and accepted by all, is supposed to start talks with the opposition to prepare for electing a new president, the only way for avoiding wars and wars.
All conflicting parties should find a mechanism for implementing a power-transfer deal proposed by Saudi Arabia and all gulf countries earlier this year and still supported by the whole international community.
The decree of authorization came after Mr. Hadi held a series of meetings this week with the ambassadors of US, EU, Russia, and China who all support the Gulf (GCC) deal which was modified by UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar who wants to end the crisis by electing a new president for Yemen by the end of this year.
Mr. Hadi is supposed now to sign the GCC, which was already signed by the ruling party and opposition, for President Saleh according to the authorization decree.
However, the opposition refuse to start any talks before President signs the GCC deal, which means they want him to step down first.
" We authorize Vice President with constitutional powers required for conducting talks with the parties that signed the GCC deal,” the decree said.
“And to reach an agreement on a timed mechanism for implementing this deal.”
“And sign the GCC deal on our behalf, and start to follow up the implementation under regional and international sponsorship.”
“That (implementation) should lead to early presidential elections with its timing agreed upon by all”
“This elections should guarantee peaceful and democratic transition of power,” the decree said.
The decree was issued according to the article 124 of the Yemeni constitution which gives the President the right to authorize some of his powers to his deputy when the supreme national interest needs that.
The opposition considered the decree of authorization just as a way of wasting time and misleading people.
It seems, however, that the opposition can not explicitly refuse the Saudi-led GCC deal nor can they convince the international community to support them and ignore President Saleh who is still the legitimate President in their eyes (world) and in eyes of millions of his supporters.
The independent political analyst Ali Saif Hassan,said the ball now is in the court of the opposition.
"The authorization decree is enough to implement the GCC deal and elect a new president for Yemen in a democratic way," he said.
Al Qaeda defeat
A total of 230 military individuals were killed and more than 600 others injured before Al Qaeda was defeated and driven away earlier this week from two cities declared as Taliban-style Islamic Emirates earlier this year, according to military officials.
About 30 famous Al Qaeda leaders were killed during the three months battles of the liberation.
Those killed and injured were from the brigades of the southern military region that restored total control on Zinjubar on Saturday after Al Qaeda fighters escaped to the mountains of neighboring provinces like Shabwah and Hatat in the same province of Abyan, according to the military officials and local sources.
Meanwhile, the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi said that about 30 of Al Qaeda well-known leaders were killed during the battles of liberating the two towns of Zinjubar and Ja’ar.
About 90 soldiers and officers were killed from the brigade 25th Mica which was blockaded by Al Qaeda for about three months at the outskirts of Zinjubar, according to Mr. Hadi who was briefing the EU ambassadors in Sana’a about the military victory over Al Qaeda earlier in the week.
The confrontations between the government troops and Al Qaeda operatives forced tens of thousands to displace from the two towns and areas around them.
Now that Al Qaeda is gone, the minister of State Ahmed Al Kuhlani expected that all the displaced persons would return home very soon.
He said in a press statement this week that about 180,000 refugees would return as soon as the military and security forces made sure the areas are cleaned from mines and explosives planted by the terrorists of Al Qaeda.
((((
From Saudi Arabia where he is still recovering and preparing to return, the President Saleh congratulated his army for victory, and thanked Saudi monarch for logistic cooperation and United States for intelligence cooperation in that victory against Al Qaeda.
The Counter-terrorism forces were deployed all over the city of Zinjubar and the local government is supposed to re-start work soon.
In a lengthy letter sent from Saudi Arabia to minister of defense and all generals of his army in the southern region, Saleh said “ The victory came from Allah and because of the direct supervision and good planning of vice president and the cooperation of citizens.”
AQAP leadership seen in neighboring province after defeat
The leadership of Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was seen in the southern province of Shabwah after they were defeated in Abyan, reliable sources in Shabwah told the weekly on Tuesday.
The sources said they saw Fahd Al Qusu, Qasem Al Raimi, and Saeed Al Shihri along with tens of their companions including Saudis and Egyptians.
Many of those injured in the last battles in Zinjubar and Ja’ar were also seen in one car at least heading to Azzan town close to Al Huta, the stronghold of AQAP leadership, the sources added.
The two top leaders Nasser Al Wahayshi and Anwar Al Awlaki were not seen with the group , the sources said.
The sources declined to say where in Shabwah he saw the AQAP leaders, and he said it was not clear where they were going to.
After the government troops defeated Al Qaeda groups in Zinjubar and Ja’ar, leaders and remnants of operatives escaped to their respective hideouts in other areas in the same province of Abyan like Hatat, and to other neighboring provinces like Shabwa, Hudhrmout, Mareb and Al Jawf.
Shabwah (Azzan and Huta and other hideouts) is considered the main stronghold of AQAP.
And Hatat in Abyan is the stronghold of the Jihadists of the Aden-Abyan army since early 1990s.
President Saleh threw the ball to others
By Nasser Arrabyee/13/09/2011
Two significant things happened this week in Yemen and might lead to an end of the 8-month crisis.
The President Ali Abdullah Saleh authorized Monday his deputy for talking with opposition until a new president is democratically elected,the long awaited step that the international and regional community wanted from Saleh to do.
The second was liberating two southern towns from Al Qaeda after they were declared Taliban-style Islamic-Emirates for more than five months.
Both steps were widely welcomed inside and outside Yemen as a sign of success of the great efforts made by United States, Saudi Arabia,UN,and EU to find a peaceful,democratic, and orderly way for power transition.
the Vice President, Abdu Rabu Mansor Had, respected and accepted by all, is supposed to start talks with the opposition to prepare for electing a new president, the only way for avoiding wars and wars.
All conflicting parties should find a mechanism for implementing a power-transfer deal proposed by Saudi Arabia and all gulf countries earlier this year and still supported by the whole international community.
The decree of authorization came after Mr. Hadi held a series of meetings this week with the ambassadors of US, EU, Russia, and China who all support the Gulf (GCC) deal which was modified by UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar who wants to end the crisis by electing a new president for Yemen by the end of this year.
Mr. Hadi is supposed now to sign the GCC, which was already signed by the ruling party and opposition, for President Saleh according to the authorization decree.
However, the opposition refuse to start any talks before President signs the GCC deal, which means they want him to step down first.
" We authorize Vice President with constitutional powers required for conducting talks with the parties that signed the GCC deal,” the decree said.
“And to reach an agreement on a timed mechanism for implementing this deal.”
“And sign the GCC deal on our behalf, and start to follow up the implementation under regional and international sponsorship.”
“That (implementation) should lead to early presidential elections with its timing agreed upon by all”
“This elections should guarantee peaceful and democratic transition of power,” the decree said.
The decree was issued according to the article 124 of the Yemeni constitution which gives the President the right to authorize some of his powers to his deputy when the supreme national interest needs that.
The opposition considered the decree of authorization just as a way of wasting time and misleading people.
It seems, however, that the opposition can not explicitly refuse the Saudi-led GCC deal nor can they convince the international community to support them and ignore President Saleh who is still the legitimate President in their eyes (world) and in eyes of millions of his supporters.
The independent political analyst Ali Saif Hassan,said the ball now is in the court of the opposition.
"The authorization decree is enough to implement the GCC deal and elect a new president for Yemen in a democratic way," he said.
Al Qaeda defeat
A total of 230 military individuals were killed and more than 600 others injured before Al Qaeda was defeated and driven away earlier this week from two cities declared as Taliban-style Islamic Emirates earlier this year, according to military officials.
About 30 famous Al Qaeda leaders were killed during the three months battles of the liberation.
Those killed and injured were from the brigades of the southern military region that restored total control on Zinjubar on Saturday after Al Qaeda fighters escaped to the mountains of neighboring provinces like Shabwah and Hatat in the same province of Abyan, according to the military officials and local sources.
Meanwhile, the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi said that about 30 of Al Qaeda well-known leaders were killed during the battles of liberating the two towns of Zinjubar and Ja’ar.
About 90 soldiers and officers were killed from the brigade 25th Mica which was blockaded by Al Qaeda for about three months at the outskirts of Zinjubar, according to Mr. Hadi who was briefing the EU ambassadors in Sana’a about the military victory over Al Qaeda earlier in the week.
The confrontations between the government troops and Al Qaeda operatives forced tens of thousands to displace from the two towns and areas around them.
Now that Al Qaeda is gone, the minister of State Ahmed Al Kuhlani expected that all the displaced persons would return home very soon.
He said in a press statement this week that about 180,000 refugees would return as soon as the military and security forces made sure the areas are cleaned from mines and explosives planted by the terrorists of Al Qaeda.
((((
From Saudi Arabia where he is still recovering and preparing to return, the President Saleh congratulated his army for victory, and thanked Saudi monarch for logistic cooperation and United States for intelligence cooperation in that victory against Al Qaeda.
The Counter-terrorism forces were deployed all over the city of Zinjubar and the local government is supposed to re-start work soon.
In a lengthy letter sent from Saudi Arabia to minister of defense and all generals of his army in the southern region, Saleh said “ The victory came from Allah and because of the direct supervision and good planning of vice president and the cooperation of citizens.”
AQAP leadership seen in neighboring province after defeat
The leadership of Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was seen in the southern province of Shabwah after they were defeated in Abyan, reliable sources in Shabwah told the weekly on Tuesday.
The sources said they saw Fahd Al Qusu, Qasem Al Raimi, and Saeed Al Shihri along with tens of their companions including Saudis and Egyptians.
Many of those injured in the last battles in Zinjubar and Ja’ar were also seen in one car at least heading to Azzan town close to Al Huta, the stronghold of AQAP leadership, the sources added.
The two top leaders Nasser Al Wahayshi and Anwar Al Awlaki were not seen with the group , the sources said.
The sources declined to say where in Shabwah he saw the AQAP leaders, and he said it was not clear where they were going to.
After the government troops defeated Al Qaeda groups in Zinjubar and Ja’ar, leaders and remnants of operatives escaped to their respective hideouts in other areas in the same province of Abyan like Hatat, and to other neighboring provinces like Shabwa, Hudhrmout, Mareb and Al Jawf.
Shabwah (Azzan and Huta and other hideouts) is considered the main stronghold of AQAP.
And Hatat in Abyan is the stronghold of the Jihadists of the Aden-Abyan army since early 1990s.
AQAP leadership seen in Shabwah after defeat in Zinjubar
By Nasser Arrabyee/13/09/2011
The leadership of Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was seen in the southern province of Shabwah after they were defeated in Abyan, reliable sources in Shabwah said Tuesday.
The sources said they saw Fahd Al Qusu, Qasem Al Raimi, and Saeed Al Shihri along with tens of their companions including Saudis and Egyptians.
Many of those injured in the last battles in Zinjubar and Ja’ar were also seen in one car at least heading to Azzan town close to Al Huta, the stronghold of AQAP leadership, the sources added.
The top leaders Nasser Al Wahayshi and Anwar Al Awlaki were not seen with the group on Monday the sources said.
The sources declined to say in Shabwah he saw the AQAP leaders, and he said it was not clear where they were going to.
After the government troops defeated Al Qaeda groups in Zinjubar and Ja’ar, leaders and remnants of operatives escaped to their respective hideouts in other areas in the same province of Abyan like Hatat, and to other neighboring provinces like Shabwa, Hudhrmout, Mareb and Al Jawf.
Shabwah (Azzan and Huta and other hideouts) is considered the main stronghold of AQAP.
And Hatat in Abyan is the stronghold of the Jihadists of the Aden-Abyan army since early 1990s.
The leadership of Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was seen in the southern province of Shabwah after they were defeated in Abyan, reliable sources in Shabwah said Tuesday.
The sources said they saw Fahd Al Qusu, Qasem Al Raimi, and Saeed Al Shihri along with tens of their companions including Saudis and Egyptians.
Many of those injured in the last battles in Zinjubar and Ja’ar were also seen in one car at least heading to Azzan town close to Al Huta, the stronghold of AQAP leadership, the sources added.
The top leaders Nasser Al Wahayshi and Anwar Al Awlaki were not seen with the group on Monday the sources said.
The sources declined to say in Shabwah he saw the AQAP leaders, and he said it was not clear where they were going to.
After the government troops defeated Al Qaeda groups in Zinjubar and Ja’ar, leaders and remnants of operatives escaped to their respective hideouts in other areas in the same province of Abyan like Hatat, and to other neighboring provinces like Shabwa, Hudhrmout, Mareb and Al Jawf.
Shabwah (Azzan and Huta and other hideouts) is considered the main stronghold of AQAP.
And Hatat in Abyan is the stronghold of the Jihadists of the Aden-Abyan army since early 1990s.
Monday, 12 September 2011
Vice President authorized to talk with opposition on electing new president for Yemen
By Nasser Arrabyee/12/09/2011
The Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh authorized Monday his deputy for talking with opposition until a new president is democratically elected.
Respected and accepted by all, the Vice President, Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi, is supposed to start talks with the opposition to prepare for electing the new president.
All conflicting parties should find a mechanism for implementing a power-transfer deal proposed by Saudi Arabia and all gulf countries earlier this year and still supported by the whole international community.
The decree of authorization came after Mr. Hadi held a series of meetings this week with the ambassadors of US, EU, Russia, and China who all support the Gulf (GCC) deal which was modified by UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar who wanted to end the crisis by electing a new president for Yemen by the end of this year.
Mr. Hadi is supposed now to sign the GCC, which was already signed by the ruling party and opposition, for President Saleh according to the authorization decree.
However, the opposition refuse to start any talk except after President signs the GCC deal, which means step-down.
“ We authorize Vice President with the constitutional power required for conducting talks with the parties that signed the GCC deal,” the decree said.
“And to reach an agreement on a timed mechanism for implementing this deal.”
“And sign the GCC deal on our behalf, and start to follow up the implementation under regional and international sponsorship.”
“That (implementation) should lead to early presidential elections with its timing agreed upon by all”
“This elections should guarantee peaceful and democratic transition of power,” the decree said.
The decree was issued according to the article 124 of the Yemeni constitution which gives the President the right to authorize some of his powers to his deputy when the supreme national interest needs that.
The opposition considered the decree of authorization just as a way of wasting time and misleading people.
It seems, however, that the opposition can not explicitly refuse the Saudi-led GCC deal nor can they convince the international community to support them and ignore President Saleh who is still the legitimate President in their eyes (world) and in eyes of millions of his supporters.
The Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh authorized Monday his deputy for talking with opposition until a new president is democratically elected.
Respected and accepted by all, the Vice President, Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi, is supposed to start talks with the opposition to prepare for electing the new president.
All conflicting parties should find a mechanism for implementing a power-transfer deal proposed by Saudi Arabia and all gulf countries earlier this year and still supported by the whole international community.
The decree of authorization came after Mr. Hadi held a series of meetings this week with the ambassadors of US, EU, Russia, and China who all support the Gulf (GCC) deal which was modified by UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar who wanted to end the crisis by electing a new president for Yemen by the end of this year.
Mr. Hadi is supposed now to sign the GCC, which was already signed by the ruling party and opposition, for President Saleh according to the authorization decree.
However, the opposition refuse to start any talk except after President signs the GCC deal, which means step-down.
“ We authorize Vice President with the constitutional power required for conducting talks with the parties that signed the GCC deal,” the decree said.
“And to reach an agreement on a timed mechanism for implementing this deal.”
“And sign the GCC deal on our behalf, and start to follow up the implementation under regional and international sponsorship.”
“That (implementation) should lead to early presidential elections with its timing agreed upon by all”
“This elections should guarantee peaceful and democratic transition of power,” the decree said.
The decree was issued according to the article 124 of the Yemeni constitution which gives the President the right to authorize some of his powers to his deputy when the supreme national interest needs that.
The opposition considered the decree of authorization just as a way of wasting time and misleading people.
It seems, however, that the opposition can not explicitly refuse the Saudi-led GCC deal nor can they convince the international community to support them and ignore President Saleh who is still the legitimate President in their eyes (world) and in eyes of millions of his supporters.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
230 soldiers, 30 Al Qaeda leaders killed before cleansing two towns from terrorists
By Nasser Arrabyee/11/09/2011
A total of 230 military individuals were killed and more than 600 others injured before Al Qaeda was defeated and driven away from two cities declared as Taliban-style Islamic Emirates earlier this year, military officials said on Sunday.
About 30 famous Al Qaeda leaders were killed during the three months battles of liberation.
Those killed and injured were from the brigades of the southern military region that restored total control on Zinjubar on Saturday after Al Qaeda fighters escaped to the mountains of Hatat, according the minister of defense Mohammed Nasser Ahmed who visited the victorious brigades in Zinjubar today Sunday.
The minister Ahmed met the commander of the southern region Mahdi Makwala, and commander of the 25th Mica, Mohammed Al Sawmali, and commander of 201 brigade Mahmaoud Al Subhi.
Meanwhile, the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi said that about 30 of Al Qaeda well-known leaders were killed during the battles of liberating the two towns of Zinjubar and Ja’ar.
About 90 soldiers and officers were killed from the brigade 25th Mica which was blockaded by Al Qaeda for about three months at the outskirts of Zinjubar, according to Mr. Hadi who was briefing the EU ambassadors in Sana’a about the military victory over Al Qaeda on Sunday.
The confrontations between the government troops and Al Qaeda operatives forced tens of thousands to displace from the two towns and areas around them.
Now that Al Qaeda is gone, the minister of State Ahmed Al Kuhlani expected that all the displaced persons would return home very soon.
He said in a press statement today Sunday that about 180,000 refugees would return as soon as the military and security forces made sure the areas are cleaned from mines and explosives planted by the terrorists of Al Qaeda.
A total of 230 military individuals were killed and more than 600 others injured before Al Qaeda was defeated and driven away from two cities declared as Taliban-style Islamic Emirates earlier this year, military officials said on Sunday.
About 30 famous Al Qaeda leaders were killed during the three months battles of liberation.
Those killed and injured were from the brigades of the southern military region that restored total control on Zinjubar on Saturday after Al Qaeda fighters escaped to the mountains of Hatat, according the minister of defense Mohammed Nasser Ahmed who visited the victorious brigades in Zinjubar today Sunday.
The minister Ahmed met the commander of the southern region Mahdi Makwala, and commander of the 25th Mica, Mohammed Al Sawmali, and commander of 201 brigade Mahmaoud Al Subhi.
Meanwhile, the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi said that about 30 of Al Qaeda well-known leaders were killed during the battles of liberating the two towns of Zinjubar and Ja’ar.
About 90 soldiers and officers were killed from the brigade 25th Mica which was blockaded by Al Qaeda for about three months at the outskirts of Zinjubar, according to Mr. Hadi who was briefing the EU ambassadors in Sana’a about the military victory over Al Qaeda on Sunday.
The confrontations between the government troops and Al Qaeda operatives forced tens of thousands to displace from the two towns and areas around them.
Now that Al Qaeda is gone, the minister of State Ahmed Al Kuhlani expected that all the displaced persons would return home very soon.
He said in a press statement today Sunday that about 180,000 refugees would return as soon as the military and security forces made sure the areas are cleaned from mines and explosives planted by the terrorists of Al Qaeda.
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Two towns liberated from Al Qaeda in south Yemen
President Saleh congratulates army for victory, and thanks Saudi Arabia for logistic cooperation and United States for intelligence
By Nasser Arrabyee/10/09/2011
Al Qaeda operatives escaped from two towns south of Yemen after being defeated by the government troops that received logistic and intelligence support from Saudi Arabia and United States, said officials and local sources in the two towns on Saturday.
After redeployment of army and security forces inside and around the city , the security and military officials held a meeting on Saturday inside the capital of the southern province, Zinjubar which was held by Al Qaeda late last May.
Although the army is not yet controlling the second town of Ja'ar, local residents said the town has become free from Al Qaeda fighters after the airstrikes of last week.
Fighters from both towns escaped to the mountains of Hatat, the historic stronghold of Aden-Abyan army of Jihadists in the same province, the sources said.
Counter-terrorism forces were deployed all over the city of Zinjubar since early Saturday, security sources in Zinjubar said. While three army brigades were redeployed around the city.
"We arrived here early morning today to preserve the security in Zinjubar," said an officer from the unit of counter-terrorism which was sent from the capital Sana’a three weeks ago.
The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to media, said his counter-terrorism unit waited in Aden for about three weeks after they were sent from Sana’a to preserve security in Zinjubar.
"We waited until the army cleansed it from Al Qaeda," the officer said.
The local government of Zinjubar is expected to restart work in their offices from Saturday.
The governor of Abyan, Saleh Al Zawari expressed his pride in a letter to President Saleh and his deputy of the victory and liberating Zinjubar from Al Qaeda operatives.
The military commanders of the southern region, Mahdi Makwalah, and Mohammed Al Sawmali, and Faisal Rajab held a meeting the headquarters of the local government of Zinjubar on Saturday to pave the way for the governor and other officials to return to their work.
For Ja’ar, local residents said that the fighters of Al Qaeda escaped to Hatat before the airstrikes of last week that targeted a hospital, mosque and other places.
“The fighters took 26 injured fighters from Al Razi hospital just hours before it was bombed by the airplanes last week and they took them to unknown place,” the local resident Mansour, who works in the hospital, said.
“Now the town of Ja’ar is empty from Al Qaeda, but people here are still afraid of possible attack from the army like what happened over the last two days in Zinjubar,” added Mansour who preferred not to give his full name.
The President Saleh congratulated his army for crushing Al Qaeda and restoring the city of Zinjubar. In a lengthy letter sent from Saudi Arabia to minister of defense and all generals of his army in the southern region, Saleh said “ The victory came from Allah and because of the direct supervision and good planning of vice president and the cooperation of citizens.”
In his letter which was published by the State-run media, Saleh thanked Saudi Arabia for logistic cooperation and United States for intelligence cooperation.
By Nasser Arrabyee/10/09/2011
Al Qaeda operatives escaped from two towns south of Yemen after being defeated by the government troops that received logistic and intelligence support from Saudi Arabia and United States, said officials and local sources in the two towns on Saturday.
After redeployment of army and security forces inside and around the city , the security and military officials held a meeting on Saturday inside the capital of the southern province, Zinjubar which was held by Al Qaeda late last May.
Although the army is not yet controlling the second town of Ja'ar, local residents said the town has become free from Al Qaeda fighters after the airstrikes of last week.
Fighters from both towns escaped to the mountains of Hatat, the historic stronghold of Aden-Abyan army of Jihadists in the same province, the sources said.
Counter-terrorism forces were deployed all over the city of Zinjubar since early Saturday, security sources in Zinjubar said. While three army brigades were redeployed around the city.
"We arrived here early morning today to preserve the security in Zinjubar," said an officer from the unit of counter-terrorism which was sent from the capital Sana’a three weeks ago.
The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to media, said his counter-terrorism unit waited in Aden for about three weeks after they were sent from Sana’a to preserve security in Zinjubar.
"We waited until the army cleansed it from Al Qaeda," the officer said.
The local government of Zinjubar is expected to restart work in their offices from Saturday.
The governor of Abyan, Saleh Al Zawari expressed his pride in a letter to President Saleh and his deputy of the victory and liberating Zinjubar from Al Qaeda operatives.
The military commanders of the southern region, Mahdi Makwalah, and Mohammed Al Sawmali, and Faisal Rajab held a meeting the headquarters of the local government of Zinjubar on Saturday to pave the way for the governor and other officials to return to their work.
For Ja’ar, local residents said that the fighters of Al Qaeda escaped to Hatat before the airstrikes of last week that targeted a hospital, mosque and other places.
“The fighters took 26 injured fighters from Al Razi hospital just hours before it was bombed by the airplanes last week and they took them to unknown place,” the local resident Mansour, who works in the hospital, said.
“Now the town of Ja’ar is empty from Al Qaeda, but people here are still afraid of possible attack from the army like what happened over the last two days in Zinjubar,” added Mansour who preferred not to give his full name.
The President Saleh congratulated his army for crushing Al Qaeda and restoring the city of Zinjubar. In a lengthy letter sent from Saudi Arabia to minister of defense and all generals of his army in the southern region, Saleh said “ The victory came from Allah and because of the direct supervision and good planning of vice president and the cooperation of citizens.”
In his letter which was published by the State-run media, Saleh thanked Saudi Arabia for logistic cooperation and United States for intelligence cooperation.
Thursday, 8 September 2011
White House counterterrorism adviser: Al Qaeda holding ground in Yemen
White House counterterrorism adviser: Al Qaeda holding ground in Yemen
Government Cooperation to fight terrorism is better than ever before
Source: CSM, By Laura Rozen
09/09/2011
White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said Thursday the United States faces a continuing threat from al Qaeda and its affiliates in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa, even amid the considerable American successes in going after the terrorist organization's leaders in Pakistan, including Osama bin Laden.
"Anytime there is a power vacuum, as in Somalia, and Yemen, Al Qaeda is attracted to it," Brennan told journalists at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor Thursday.
Brennan, who previously served as a senior CIA official--including as station chief in Saudi Arabia--and as the first head of the federal government's post-9/11 terrorism threat analysis center, said he has seen no evidence in the four months since a Navy Seal team killed Bin Laden that there was any Pakistani government complicity in sheltering bin Laden. (You can see some of his comments in the YouTube video clip below.)
Brennan warned that the power vacuum after the NATO-backed Libyan effort to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi, along with Gadhafi's considerable weapons arsenals, could create a tempting and dangerous "arms bazaar" for jihadists.
Gadhafi's "Libya was a counterterrorism partner of ours," Brennan said. The al Qaeda affiliate in north Africa, known as Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb or AQIM, "which had operated there, has longstanding ties to core al Qaeda. ... AQIM is looking at Libya as a place to acquire additional weapons."
"The battle for Libya ... has gone well from a military standpoint, but now issues of governance and standing up of institutions is what lies ahead," he continued. "Individuals of various types are looking to places like Libya to fight, and they see it as a potential arms bazaar they could take advantage of."
Brennan said the United States has observed some alarming trends by al Qaeda's Yemeni affiliate, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. American analysts believe the Yemeni affiliate rivals al Qaeda's base in Pakistan's tribal areas as the chief terrorist threat to the United States.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, "is now taking on more the characteristics of an insurgency, it has held ground in the south [of Yemen], which is not consistent with its terrorist background, which is more 'hit and run,'" Brennan said. Meantime, he noted, the Yemeni government's ability to fight AQAP is hampered by continuing domestic unrest and a power vacuum.Yemen's president Ali Abdullah Saleh has been recovering in Saudi Arabia since a June attack on his presidential palace.
Brennan, who went in July to Saudi Arabia to meet with Saleh, said the United States continues to urge him to agree to a plan to transfer power.
"The Yemenis know our position," on urging Saleh to step down, Brennan said. In the interim, however, he noted, "counterterrorism cooperation with Yemen is better than it's been in years."
Asked by a reporter if terrorism still remains an "existential threat" to the United States, Brennan said the use of violence by human beings to cause terror goes back millennia and is unlikely to ever go away. But he said the United States remains deeply concerned and determined to try to prevent terrorist groups from being able to obtain mass-casualty weapons, including nuclear and radioactive material, and chemical and biological weapons.
"Clearly we are ever vigilant and watching carefully terrorist efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction," Brennan said. "If that material gets in the hands of a terrorist group, it would be catastrophic and we want to stay one step ahead of them. If the potential for an existential terrorist threat exists, I think it's there."
Government Cooperation to fight terrorism is better than ever before
Source: CSM, By Laura Rozen
09/09/2011
White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said Thursday the United States faces a continuing threat from al Qaeda and its affiliates in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa, even amid the considerable American successes in going after the terrorist organization's leaders in Pakistan, including Osama bin Laden.
"Anytime there is a power vacuum, as in Somalia, and Yemen, Al Qaeda is attracted to it," Brennan told journalists at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor Thursday.
Brennan, who previously served as a senior CIA official--including as station chief in Saudi Arabia--and as the first head of the federal government's post-9/11 terrorism threat analysis center, said he has seen no evidence in the four months since a Navy Seal team killed Bin Laden that there was any Pakistani government complicity in sheltering bin Laden. (You can see some of his comments in the YouTube video clip below.)
Brennan warned that the power vacuum after the NATO-backed Libyan effort to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi, along with Gadhafi's considerable weapons arsenals, could create a tempting and dangerous "arms bazaar" for jihadists.
Gadhafi's "Libya was a counterterrorism partner of ours," Brennan said. The al Qaeda affiliate in north Africa, known as Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb or AQIM, "which had operated there, has longstanding ties to core al Qaeda. ... AQIM is looking at Libya as a place to acquire additional weapons."
"The battle for Libya ... has gone well from a military standpoint, but now issues of governance and standing up of institutions is what lies ahead," he continued. "Individuals of various types are looking to places like Libya to fight, and they see it as a potential arms bazaar they could take advantage of."
Brennan said the United States has observed some alarming trends by al Qaeda's Yemeni affiliate, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. American analysts believe the Yemeni affiliate rivals al Qaeda's base in Pakistan's tribal areas as the chief terrorist threat to the United States.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, "is now taking on more the characteristics of an insurgency, it has held ground in the south [of Yemen], which is not consistent with its terrorist background, which is more 'hit and run,'" Brennan said. Meantime, he noted, the Yemeni government's ability to fight AQAP is hampered by continuing domestic unrest and a power vacuum.Yemen's president Ali Abdullah Saleh has been recovering in Saudi Arabia since a June attack on his presidential palace.
Brennan, who went in July to Saudi Arabia to meet with Saleh, said the United States continues to urge him to agree to a plan to transfer power.
"The Yemenis know our position," on urging Saleh to step down, Brennan said. In the interim, however, he noted, "counterterrorism cooperation with Yemen is better than it's been in years."
Asked by a reporter if terrorism still remains an "existential threat" to the United States, Brennan said the use of violence by human beings to cause terror goes back millennia and is unlikely to ever go away. But he said the United States remains deeply concerned and determined to try to prevent terrorist groups from being able to obtain mass-casualty weapons, including nuclear and radioactive material, and chemical and biological weapons.
"Clearly we are ever vigilant and watching carefully terrorist efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction," Brennan said. "If that material gets in the hands of a terrorist group, it would be catastrophic and we want to stay one step ahead of them. If the potential for an existential terrorist threat exists, I think it's there."
The ruling party wants Saleh to authorize deputy for implementing power transition road map
By Nasser Arrabyee, 8 /09/2011
The Yemen ruling party suggested that President Ali Abdullah Saleh authorize his deputy to do all required procedures and negotiations with the opposition for constitutional, orderly and smooth transfer of power.
In an exceptional two-day meeting, the top authority of the ruling party, General Committee, agreed to send a delegation of senior partisan officials to the Saudi capital Riyadh to brief President Saleh on the details of the proposal for implementing the Saudi-led Gulf initiative and the road map of its implementation that was proposed by the UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar.
The vice President Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi chaired the meeting which was held on Tuesday and Wednesday 6,and 7 of September, 2011 in Sana’a.
The opposition parties played down the importance of the meeting. Mohammed Al Sada, the assistant secretary general of the Islamist party, which dominates the opposition coalition, said the meeting was only for deceiving.
“The revolutionary solution is a must now,” Said Al Sadi.
The Yemeni opposition insists on resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh before any talks with the ruling party about the Saudi-led Gulf plan to transfer power and elect a new President for Yemen.
The US,EU, and UN still support the Gulf plan which includes four main points agreed almost by all parties as a road map. Saleh has to call for early elections to be held at the end of this year, and transfer all his powers to his deputy.
The third and fourth is to form a unity government chaired by the opposition, and to form a military committee to restructure the army.
Earlier this month, President Saleh called for electing a new president according to the Yemeni constitution. From the Saudi capital Riyadh where he is finishing treatments from injuries he suffered in a failed assassination attempt early last June, President Saleh authorized his party to talk with the opposition about a mechanism to implement the Gulf plan and elect a new president.
On Tuesday September 6th,2011,the top authority of the ruling party discussed the mechanism of power transition which has the support of all local, regional and international players. Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi, who is also the secretary general of the ruling party briefed the top officials on the consultations he made with all parties to implement the plan.
On the ground, however, tension remains high as the opposition supporters keep threatening to use force and violence to end the rule of Saleh.
While Saleh supporters keep refusing any early elections because Saleh is the legitimate president until September 20th, 2013.
The rising tension because of these two conflicting views result sometimes deaths and injuries of people from both sides in small battles here in the capital and many other places.
The UK ambassador to Sana'a Jonathan Wilks, said in a statement sent to media on Tuesday that violence is not a solution.
"What Yemen urgently needs now is a political solution,and violence would not solve the problems," Wilks said.
He said the political settlement should be based on the Gulf plan and the road map suggested by the UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Bin Omar.
The British ambassador also advised the independent young protesters to choose a small group of them to present them in the local,regional and international talks.
Earlier in the week, the opposition retracted a previous call for violence and using weapons for ending the 33-year rule of President Saleh.
“We refuse violence in all its forms, and any call for violence would not represent us,” said an official statement issued Monday by the Islamist-led opposition coalition, which locally known as Joint Meeting Parties (JMPs).
The step came few days after leaders of the JMPs threatened to use military force to help the opposition supporters who demand the ouster of Saleh and to defeat Saleh’s supporters who demand dialogue.
For instance, last week, the defected general Ali Muhsen who supports the 8-month anti-Saleh protests, threatened to topple President Saleh by force. “We know that the revolution needs a military interference, and we will do that,” said Muhsen in press statements.
Also, the chairman of the failed opposition council Mohammed Ba Sendaw described supporters of Saleh as “traitors and hypocrites”.
The tension remains high in the capital Sana’a as people fear of an explosion of the situation anytime because of irresponsible and fiery statements they hear in media.
For only one day, the government troops prevented most of the people from entering the capital Sana’a in an attempt to prevent tribesmen who may help opposition supporters in case war erupts inside the city.
The republican guards, the main forces loyal to Saleh, which control all entrances of Sana’a, try to prevent armed opposition tribesmen who wish to enter the city to fight with the opposition protesters who seem to be turning to violent.
Earlier, the ruling party accused the opposition parties of preparing for a bloody military action after defected general threatened to use the Libyan style for ending the revolution.
“There are adventurous leaders seeking to commit a massacre either from among those left in the squares or of the citizens,” the ruling party website quoted an unnamed official as saying.
“Those adventurous leaders think that bloodshed will restore the vitality they lost by withdrawal of protesters from the squares,” added the statement.
In their weekly rally of Friday September 2nd, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in the capital Sana’a and other cities, to demand use of military action to end their 8-month long struggle to topple the defiant President Ali Abdullah Saleh. They called the step "Revolutionary Escalation"
One of the Islamist leaders said in the Friday’s rally the protests should move from squares to neighborhoods of the cities. His call was a similar to another Islamist leader who said earlier in the year the protesters should march forward to the “bed rooms”.
The two calls angered a lot of Yemenis causing an increase of Saleh’s supporters.
On the same Friday ,however, hundreds of thousands of Saleh’s supporters also took to the streets to refuse any military action and demand dialogue.
Thousands of protesters known as “Assomud Youth” who belong to Al Houthi rebels withdrew from the Sana’a square ‘Change Square’.
The step was widely welcomed by the residents in 20 street close to the old university. The 20 Street became free for movement and traffic after Assomud left with their tents. Local residents became very happy to have their street back to normal after about mor than seven months of noise.
Assomud Youth, known also as Houthis, hate the defected general Ali Muhsen who led six sporadic wars against them in the northern province of Sa’ada over the years 2004-2010.
Soldiers of the defected general Ali Muhen replaced the Houthis in the 20 Street starting from September 1st
The Yemen ruling party suggested that President Ali Abdullah Saleh authorize his deputy to do all required procedures and negotiations with the opposition for constitutional, orderly and smooth transfer of power.
In an exceptional two-day meeting, the top authority of the ruling party, General Committee, agreed to send a delegation of senior partisan officials to the Saudi capital Riyadh to brief President Saleh on the details of the proposal for implementing the Saudi-led Gulf initiative and the road map of its implementation that was proposed by the UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar.
The vice President Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi chaired the meeting which was held on Tuesday and Wednesday 6,and 7 of September, 2011 in Sana’a.
The opposition parties played down the importance of the meeting. Mohammed Al Sada, the assistant secretary general of the Islamist party, which dominates the opposition coalition, said the meeting was only for deceiving.
“The revolutionary solution is a must now,” Said Al Sadi.
The Yemeni opposition insists on resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh before any talks with the ruling party about the Saudi-led Gulf plan to transfer power and elect a new President for Yemen.
The US,EU, and UN still support the Gulf plan which includes four main points agreed almost by all parties as a road map. Saleh has to call for early elections to be held at the end of this year, and transfer all his powers to his deputy.
The third and fourth is to form a unity government chaired by the opposition, and to form a military committee to restructure the army.
Earlier this month, President Saleh called for electing a new president according to the Yemeni constitution. From the Saudi capital Riyadh where he is finishing treatments from injuries he suffered in a failed assassination attempt early last June, President Saleh authorized his party to talk with the opposition about a mechanism to implement the Gulf plan and elect a new president.
On Tuesday September 6th,2011,the top authority of the ruling party discussed the mechanism of power transition which has the support of all local, regional and international players. Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi, who is also the secretary general of the ruling party briefed the top officials on the consultations he made with all parties to implement the plan.
On the ground, however, tension remains high as the opposition supporters keep threatening to use force and violence to end the rule of Saleh.
While Saleh supporters keep refusing any early elections because Saleh is the legitimate president until September 20th, 2013.
The rising tension because of these two conflicting views result sometimes deaths and injuries of people from both sides in small battles here in the capital and many other places.
The UK ambassador to Sana'a Jonathan Wilks, said in a statement sent to media on Tuesday that violence is not a solution.
"What Yemen urgently needs now is a political solution,and violence would not solve the problems," Wilks said.
He said the political settlement should be based on the Gulf plan and the road map suggested by the UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Bin Omar.
The British ambassador also advised the independent young protesters to choose a small group of them to present them in the local,regional and international talks.
Earlier in the week, the opposition retracted a previous call for violence and using weapons for ending the 33-year rule of President Saleh.
“We refuse violence in all its forms, and any call for violence would not represent us,” said an official statement issued Monday by the Islamist-led opposition coalition, which locally known as Joint Meeting Parties (JMPs).
The step came few days after leaders of the JMPs threatened to use military force to help the opposition supporters who demand the ouster of Saleh and to defeat Saleh’s supporters who demand dialogue.
For instance, last week, the defected general Ali Muhsen who supports the 8-month anti-Saleh protests, threatened to topple President Saleh by force. “We know that the revolution needs a military interference, and we will do that,” said Muhsen in press statements.
Also, the chairman of the failed opposition council Mohammed Ba Sendaw described supporters of Saleh as “traitors and hypocrites”.
The tension remains high in the capital Sana’a as people fear of an explosion of the situation anytime because of irresponsible and fiery statements they hear in media.
For only one day, the government troops prevented most of the people from entering the capital Sana’a in an attempt to prevent tribesmen who may help opposition supporters in case war erupts inside the city.
The republican guards, the main forces loyal to Saleh, which control all entrances of Sana’a, try to prevent armed opposition tribesmen who wish to enter the city to fight with the opposition protesters who seem to be turning to violent.
Earlier, the ruling party accused the opposition parties of preparing for a bloody military action after defected general threatened to use the Libyan style for ending the revolution.
“There are adventurous leaders seeking to commit a massacre either from among those left in the squares or of the citizens,” the ruling party website quoted an unnamed official as saying.
“Those adventurous leaders think that bloodshed will restore the vitality they lost by withdrawal of protesters from the squares,” added the statement.
In their weekly rally of Friday September 2nd, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in the capital Sana’a and other cities, to demand use of military action to end their 8-month long struggle to topple the defiant President Ali Abdullah Saleh. They called the step "Revolutionary Escalation"
One of the Islamist leaders said in the Friday’s rally the protests should move from squares to neighborhoods of the cities. His call was a similar to another Islamist leader who said earlier in the year the protesters should march forward to the “bed rooms”.
The two calls angered a lot of Yemenis causing an increase of Saleh’s supporters.
On the same Friday ,however, hundreds of thousands of Saleh’s supporters also took to the streets to refuse any military action and demand dialogue.
Thousands of protesters known as “Assomud Youth” who belong to Al Houthi rebels withdrew from the Sana’a square ‘Change Square’.
The step was widely welcomed by the residents in 20 street close to the old university. The 20 Street became free for movement and traffic after Assomud left with their tents. Local residents became very happy to have their street back to normal after about mor than seven months of noise.
Assomud Youth, known also as Houthis, hate the defected general Ali Muhsen who led six sporadic wars against them in the northern province of Sa’ada over the years 2004-2010.
Soldiers of the defected general Ali Muhen replaced the Houthis in the 20 Street starting from September 1st
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