US Hopeful Saleh Departure Will Help Yemen Heal

The top US diplomat in Yemen hailed President Ali Abdullah Saleh's departure from the country as a step towards stability.

By Gavriel Queenann

1/26/2012

The top United States diplomat to Yemen hailed President Ali Abdullah Saleh's departure from the country, saying it would help ensure a stable transition.

Gerald Feierstein, on Thursday, denied reports the US was assisting Saleh in finding a country to go into exile in, adding his US visit was only for the duration of his medical treatment.

Saleh departed Yemen on Sunday for Oman to receive treatment related to burns he sustained in an assassination attempt in June 2011, after making an apology for any "shortcomings" in his 33-year rule.

On Wednesday, officials in Muscat refused to comment on whether Saleh had asked for a safe-haven there, but added they would take no steps that would strain relations with Yemen.

Before leaving, Saleh passed power to his deputy as part of a U.S.-backed deal brokered by the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council aimed at ending nearly a year of unrest in the country.

Vice-President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, heading a government equally divided between opposition figures and holdovers from the Saleh era, is expected to win the presidential election by a clear margin on February 21.

Under the deal, Saleh was granted immunity for the deaths of protesters killed by his forces, but many in the country are still demanding his prosecution, making it difficult for neighboring Arab nations and the U.S. to offer him refuge.

Analysts, however, say that Saleh will likely remain outside Yemen until after February 21 when Hadi and his new government take formal control.

At that time, able to obtain assurances from the new Yemeni government of continued good relations, foreign nations may be more willing to offer Saleh asylum.

Hadi's government not only faces a state of deep impoverishment, but an unstable security situation that has threatened to destabilize the country.

Yemen's security commission, authorized to restore stability, has warned that any new incursion by Al Qaeda militants or other groups will be dealt with firmly.

The statement comes as hundreds of Al Qaeda terrorists pulled out of a town that has been under its control since mid-January.

SANA news agency quoted a source from the commission as saying that the militants were driven out of Rada, thanks to local tribal mediation.

However, observers say it is unlikely similar mediation will succeed in the southern province of Abyan which is overrun by Al Qaeda, because local tribes are backing the terror group.

The U.S., which worked extensively with the Saleh government to mount a counter-terrorism campaign against Al Qaeda, is expected to aid in the Yemeni attempt to restore order to the south.

Al Qaeda presently threatens the key southern port city of Aden, which sits on a strategic approach to the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

The commission also faces a contentious situation in the north, where local tribesmen and ultra-conservative Suni elements have come into open conflict over doctrinal disputes.

Tribesmen in Yemen's north rebelled against Saleh more than once.

UN Warns about Security Deterioration in Yemen

January 26, 2012

United Nations, Jan 26 (Prensa Latina) The UN Security Council warned about the deterioration of security and the increasing presence of Al Qaeda group in Yemen, but welcomed the implementation of the political transition plan in that country.

In a communiqué issued on Wednesday night, the international body expressed its concern over the existing humanitarian problems in that Arab State, marked by food shortages and high levels of malnutrition, as well as people displaced from their hometowns.

The 15 members of the Council received a report by UN Special Envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar and reaffirmed their "unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and expressions."

However, they considered that some progress has been made in the implementation of the political transition plan, based on an initiative by the Gulf Cooperation Council that promoted President Ali Abdulah Saleh's withdrawal from power.

Regarding this issue, the Security Council urged to hold credible and peaceful elections on February 21, and requested the creation of a constructive political and social environment.

Sectarian clashes kill 22 in Yemen

Houthis and Salafists fight in northern Saada province

Reuters

Thursday, January 26, 2012

At least 22 people were killed in clashes between rebels and fighters from an Islamist group in a province under rebel control in rugged northern Yemen, tribal sources said on Thursday.

A source close to the rebels known as Houthis said fighters from a group known as the Salafi attacked the rebels overnight in Hajja and in the Kataf area of Saada province, an area that has seen intense sectarian fighting in recent months.

"We blocked the attack in under an hour and 13 people died in Hajja and nine in Kataf," said the Houthi source.

The Houthis, who draw their name from a tribal leader, had fought government forces for years until an uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh last year gave them free rein in Saada province, which borders Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom briefly fought the Houthis in Saada after they seized Saudi territory in 2009.

Political upheaval has severely weakened central government control over swathes of Yemen, allowing some groups to seize whole provinces including Saada.

"The whole governorate (Saada) is controlled by Houthis, we only have to deal with one party," the International Committee of the Red Cross's (ICRC) head of operations for the Near and Middle East, Beatrice Megevand-Roggo, said in an interview.

In Yemen's south, Islamist militants have gained control over several towns in Abyan province, forcing hundreds to flee the violence and take refuge in the southern port city of Aden, which has since seen a string of targetted attacks.

A local official in Aden said Yemeni army colonel Sanad Badr Abdullah had survived an assassination attempt on Wednesday night in which his wife was injured. Witnesses said a bomb exploded as he got out of his car.

Saleh left Sanaa for medical treatment in the United States on Sunday, saying in a parting speech that he would return to Yemen, which was paralysed for most of 2011 by protests against his 33-year rule.

Despite his absence, many fear he and his associates will continue to hold sway over the country.

Yemeni air force officers went on strike for a fifth day on Thursday, demanding the resignation of their commander Mohammed Saleh Al Ahmar, a half-brother of Saleh.

Soldiers who defected from Saleh's forces and joined those calling for his overthrow said government forces had kidnapped two senior air force officers in the coastal city of Hudaida for supporting the strike.

Department of State Undersecretary for Political Affairs visits Yemen

January 25, 2012

On January 25, Department of State Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Ambassador Wendy Sherman, visited Yemen for meetings with senior government officials and civil society leaders. Ambassador Sherman’s visit is the first by a senior U.S. Government official since the signing of the GCC Initiative on November 23.

Ambassador Sherman met with Vice President Abdo Rabu Mansoor Hadi, Prime Minister Mohammed Basindwa, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Defense, Oil, Finance, Information, and Planning. In her meetings with government officials, Ambassador Sherman expressed U.S. support for Yemen’s political transition and outlined U.S. government assistance to support the presidential elections.

In a roundtable with civil society leaders, Ambassador Sherman emphasized the importance of civil society, youth, and women in Yemen’s political transition. She called on all Yemenis to fully engage with the National Consensus Government and to participate in elections and the National Dialogue process.

Ambassador Sherman became the Undersecretary for Political Affairs on September 21, 2011. Prior to this position, she served as a foreign policy advisor to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and was Vice Chair of the Albright Group international policy consulting firm.January 25, 2011

On January 25, Department of State Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Ambassador Wendy Sherman, visited Yemen for meetings with senior government officials and civil society leaders. Ambassador Sherman’s visit is the first by a senior U.S. Government official since the signing of the GCC Initiative on November 23.

Nexen refutes Yemeni misconduct claim

Monitoring agency defends firm's record

By Dan Healing, Calgary Herald January 25, 2012

An online story from a news site in Yemen that claims Nexen Inc. attempted to bribe officials is being repeated on several Middle Eastern news websites.

The Yemen Post published a story Friday headlined "Canadian Nexen stood Behind Major Corruption in Yemen" and quotes unnamed Yemeni government officials who claim the Calgary-based company "was willing to give millions of dollars in bribes to Yemeni officials to help them stay in control of Block 14."

A Nexen spokesman said the claims are not correct.

"It is completely and totally unfounded," said Pierre Alvarez. "We have one of the most robust integrity monitoring processes in the industry. We operate by international standards as well as ours, that exceed any industry-wide standards out there."

The Yemen Post story admits more investigation is needed to substantiate the claims. On Monday, it printed another story that claimed millions had been paid by unnamed foreign oil and gas companies to officials to please the ruling family and ensure they retained contracts.

The Post is considered independent, but Yemen's ministry of information is said to influence media through means including its control of printing presses and granting newspaper subsidies.

Nexen's production-sharing contract on the block, also called the Masila block, expired Dec. 17 and was not renewed, despite the efforts of a Nexen delegation headed by president and chief executive Marvin Romanow.

Romanow left the company this month.

Alexandra Wrage, founder and president of the anti-corruption agency TRACE International, said it's difficult to say if the charges are believable.

"The rumour mill is rife. . . . we have people checking the multilingual media," she said. "And to be clear, I have absolutely no confirmation that there is anything to this at all."

She said it's unusual the allegations are coming from inside Yemen, instead of from a country with an anti-corruption infrastructure, adding that suggests Nexen may be being named to advance domestic political goals.

Wrage added Nexen has an excellent reputation for its "robust anti-bribery" policies, noting its lawyers speak at anti-corruption events and the company is known for its community responsibility practices.

Yemen has been the site of violence for nearly a year as pro-testers attempt to unseat President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He left the capital, Sanaa, on Sunday to go to the United States for medical treatment, but vowed to return to Yemen.

Nexen's production from the Masila field was estimated at more than 24,000 barrels of oil per day in 2011 and the field had given the company 1.1 billion barrels since Nexen discovered it in 1987 and it began producing in 1993. Block 14 was handed over to PetroMasila, a Yemeni company created for the purpose.

Nexen still holds a production sharing agreement on Block 51 (also called East Al-Hajr) in Yemen, which currently produces 6,000 to 8,000 bpd net to Nexen. The deal expires in 2023 and the company has said it is considering whether or not to retain such a small asset.

The allegations come seven months after Calgary-based producer Niko Resources Ltd. was handed a $9.5-mil-lion negotiated penalty after pleading guilty to one charge under Canada's Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act.

Niko admitted it had paid off a Bangladeshi minister with the use of a new black Toyota Land Cruiser and a trip to Calgary and New York in 2005.

Wrage said the penalty, the Canadian court's heftiest punishment under the act, has caught the attention of Canadian companies who are signing up for more anti-corruption events and de-voting more staff time and resources to the issue.

Niko was also placed on a court-supervised probation for three years, during which time it must make strides in improving corporate culture.

The Niko indictment followed a six-year RCMP probe involving police in Calgary and law enforcement agencies in Switzerland, Japan, the U.K. and Barbados - an investigation that cost $879,000.