WRAPUP 1-Yemen opposition seeks details on Gulf plan

Tue Apr 12, 2011

* Gulf states say Saleh should hand power to vice-president

* Opposition wants clarification, fear a Saleh manoeuvre

* Saleh accepts plan, says could resign via "constitution"

By Mohamed Sudam and Mohammed Ghobari

SANAA, April 12 (Reuters) - Yemen opposition parties on Tuesday urged Gulf mediators to spell out whether President Ali Saleh would hand over power early under their proposal to end a two-month crisis over leadership and political reforms.

Gulf Arab foreign ministers said this week they would invite Saleh and the opposition coalition to mediation talks in Riyadh, a key financier of Sanaa who analysts say Saleh trusts, on a transition of power.

The opposition said on Monday they rejected the Gulf Cooperation Council statement on the framework for the talks because it appeared to offer Saleh a waiver from any future prosecutions, demanded by the protest movement in the streets of Sanaa since February.

Opposition spokesman Mohammed Qahtan said on Tuesday the parties also had concerns over the phrase "transfer of power", which does not specify the timeframe for Saleh to step down. Protesters and the opposition are demanding an immediate exit.

"The Gulf states need to clarify the meaning of the transition of power," he told Al Arabiya TV, adding Gulf states had not yet set a date for their talks invitation.

"We are awaiting their call ... We have not received (a date), we are awaiting their call, (to see) if there is a new suggestion from them."

Saleh accepted the Gulf framework, after state media initially suggested the government would reject it.

"He (Saleh) has no reservations about transferring power peacefully within the framework of the constitution," a statement from Saleh's office said on Monday.

A transfer of power could technically last until the next presidential elections scheduled for 2013. Saleh has offered new parliamentary and presidential elections this year as part of political reforms, but says he should stay in power to oversee the change or hand over to what he calls "safe hands".

While protesters want Saleh out now, some in the opposition, which includes Islamists, leftists and Arab nationalists, are prepared for him to stay in power for several months more before handing over to his vice-president.

General Ali Mohsen, a kinsman of Saleh whose units are protecting protesters in Sanaa, has welcomed the GCC plan.

SALEH OUTFOXES OPPONENTS?

But the opposition are worried that Saleh, a shrewd political operator who has been in power since 1978, will still control the process even if he agrees to stand down immediately after mediation talks in Riyadh.

Saleh's deputy, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has said he is not interested in taking over even temporarily, which could open the way for Saleh to nominate an interim successor of his own choice.

Saleh chaired a meeting of coalition party allies on Tuesday that blamed the opposition for the ongoing protests and civil disobedience in cities throughout the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state.

More than 100 people have died in clashes with security forces since February that escalated last week. Tens of thousands filled the streets of Sanaa, Taiz, Hudaida, Ibb and the southeastern province of Hadramaut on Monday to protest against the Gulf plan. Saleh has used Friday prayers to bring his own supporters who he says outnumber those of his opponents.

Twelve Islamist militants and four soldiers died in clashes on Monday in the southern province of Abyan, seen as a hotbed of al Qaeda activity, government sources said.

The Gulf statement on Sunday talked of "the formation of a national unity government under the leadership of the opposition which has the right to form committees ... to draw up a constitution and hold elections".

IMMUNITY GUARANTEES

Diplomatic sources say Saleh has dragged his heels for weeks over U.S. attempts to get him to agree to step down and end protests crippling the country since early February, manoeuvring to win guarantees that he and his sons do not face prosecution.

He had sought Saudi mediation, but Gulf diplomatic sources said Riyadh was prompted in the end by concern over the deteriorating security in its southern neighbour after Saleh failed to act on a backroom deal struck with U.S. officials on a quick exit.

Saudi Arabia and Western countries had for many years backed Saleh as their man to fight al Qaeda militants, who have used Yemen as a base to launch attacks on Saudi and U.S. territory.

Countries of the region became convinced that Saleh is an obstacle to stability in a country that overlooks a shipping lane where over 3 million barrels of oil pass daily.

Even before the protests inspired by the toppling of the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents, Saleh was struggling to quell a separatist rebellion in the south and a Shi'ite Muslim insurgency in the north -- violence that has given the Arabian Peninsula branch of al Qaeda more room to operate.

Yemen’s opposition rejects Gulf Arab plan for Saleh’s departure

By Reuters, Monday, April 11

SANAA — Yemen’s opposition rejected on Monday a Gulf Arab initiative for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, because it appeared to offer him immunity from prosecution, while Saleh welcomed the plan.

Gulf Arab foreign ministers meeting late Sunday in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, said publicly for the first time that the framework of their mediation effort involved Saleh standing down, though they did not say when that would occur.

The ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called for a meeting of parties to the Yemeni conflict in Saudi Arabia but set no date.

“Who would be a fool to offer guarantees to a regime that kills peaceful protesters? Our principal demand is that Saleh leaves first,” opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Sabry said.

Diplomatic sources say Saleh has dragged his heels for weeks over U.S. attempts to get him to agree to step down and end protests that have crippled the country since February, maneuvering to win guarantees that he and his sons would not face prosecution.

With more than 100 protesters killed in clashes with security forces, activists have said they want to see legal action against Saleh and his sons, who occupy key security and political posts.

Tens of thousands filled the streets of Sanaa, Taiz, Hudaydah, Ibb and the southeastern province of Hadramaut on Monday to protest the GCC plan, witnesses said.

Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a distant kinsman of Saleh’s whose units are protecting protesters in Sanaa, the capital, said Monday he welcomed the details of the GCC plan announced in Riyadh.

“He hopes all parties will accept this initiative and not miss this opportunity,” a statement from his office said.

Shortly after the opposition rejected the initiative, Saleh’s office issued a statement saying he accepted it.

“The presidency welcomes the efforts of our brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council to solve the current crisis in Yemen,” the statement said from his office said.

Saleh “has no reservations about transferring power peacefully within the framework of the constitution,” it added, in language Saleh has used before to argue that he should oversee a transition involving new elections.

Yemen heightens security as plot to attack Sana’a airport underway

By Abdul-Aziz Oudah

Yemen’s Interior Ministry has tightened security measures, deployed extra troops and armored vehicles across the capital Sana’a after field reports on Saturday revealed plans to attack Sana’a International Airport.

Security sources close to the Central Security said that hundreds of young anti-government protesters have undergone intensive training at al-Iman University this past week.

They were apparently trained by officers from the First Armored Brigade led by the defected General Ali Mushin al-Ahmar.

Sources said that the youth were instructed on Saturday night to occupy vital facilities such as Sana’a International Airport and the national TV corporation buildings. They also said that security was tightened around the targeted institutions with extra armored vehicles and security patrols.

Extra checkpoints leading to the airport were also deployed as a safeguard against any attempt to isolate Yemen from the outside world. Residents across Sana’a have also formed neighborhood security groups to combat the extension of new sit-in demonstration camps.

Many residents already gathered at the entrances of Shouob, Nogom and Bab al-Yemen during the night to prevent groups of sit-in demonstrators from camping in these areas. Residents said that this action followed attempts of some protestors to erect new camps in these areas.

U.S. diplomatic reports revealed that Hamed al-Ahmar, an Islah party leader, told an American official two years ago of a secret plan to overthrow President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The reports pointed out that Al-Ahmar had vowed to increase massive anti-government demonstrations. Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have meanwhile met in Riyadh, capital city of Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.

President Saleh had on Friday rejected their initiative that calls for him to step down. Informed sources said that President Saleh had sent a delegation to Riyadh consisting of Abdulkarim al-Eriyani, his political advisor, and Ali al-Anisi who is head of the National Security, carrying a unilateral initiative signed by the president.

President Saleh’s initiative includes that he steps down and hands over his duties to Vice President Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi while remaining in his post as a symbolic president of what he called a national sovereign state.

It also proposes that the Parliament and the Shura Council holds a meeting to issue a law that guarantees that President Saleh is not prosecuted. It also suggests forming a national unity government as well as setting a date for parliamentary elections.

A source close to the defected General al-Ahmar said that there are mediation efforts to orchestrate an agreement to save the Yemen from the current political crisis.

This source asked to remain anonymous and said in a telephone interview with a London-based Middle East newspaper that this agreement guarantees an honorable resignation for President Saleh to save the country from civil war.

The source declined to disclose further details of the new agreement and said that prominent Yemeni personalities endeavor to sign it within the next 24 or 48 hours.

Source: Yemen Observer

Military, al-Qaeda leaders die in clashes in south Yemen

By Shuaib M. al-Mosawa
Dozen al-Qaeda fighters and military officers, including the commander of an air defense battalion, were killed when clashes broke out in Abyan province on Sunday afternoon, security sources told the Yemen Observer.
A security officer said that the general director of Lawdar district said that commander of the air defense battalion, Abdulla al-Futaihi, and five other officers were killed when they clashed with al-Qaeda fighters in Aqad area which he said was a “main stronghold of al-Qaeda”.
The security officer also said that five other al-Qaeda members were killed in the same clash. Local media reported that among the al-Qaeda fighters who were killed was one of the group’s leaders, Abu Younis, and another named al-Muhajer.
Aqda is surrounded by Lawdar, al-Wadee’a and Modiah which are all considered main al-Qaeda strongholds, the officer added. The Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has taken Abyan province as a launching pad to attack Yemeni government and western targets since the Saudi and Yemeni branches merged in January 2009.
U.S. officials regard AQAP as a threat to the west and fear that it could exploit the current political instability in Yemen to control more areas in the country. Security sources confirmed on Monday that 11 AQAP fighters were killed in clashes with the military. Two of these were foreign nationals.
Source: Yemen Observer

America may have overlooked a sleeper in Yemen

By NADIA AL-SAKKAF AND FELICE FRIEDSON
Apr 12, 2011
Has anyone bothered to examine General Al-Ahmar, who defected from the Saleh camp, and question whether his ties to al-Qaida are still intact?
Since unrest began flooding through the Middle East, Western assessments have been colored by hopes and expectations as much as by the events. Media and governments alike have waxed neareuphoric in bestowing righteousness on those who break with the incumbent rulers. While great attention is paid to past infamies, little understanding of possible successor regimes has been offered.
Regarding Egypt, for instance, a military council was stipulated to hold only the purest of motives, although no proof was forthcoming. Even the denouncement by Mohammed ElBaradei (the opposition leader with arguably the most prominent international profile) of the council’s proposed constitutional changes as a “dictator’s constitution” failed to alter the tone of coverage – at least until the Muslim Brotherhood emerged as the clear winner in that referendum.
Yemen, as a case-in-point, is frightening. The formula there for both media and diplomacy has been “anti-Saleh good” and “pro-Saleh bad,” leaving no room for further due diligence. So when General Ali Muhsin Al-Ahmar defected from the Saleh camp it was by definition a good thing. But has anyone bothered to examine Al-Ahmar’s past performances, and question whether his ties to al-Qa’ida are still intact? Could he be a front man for the international terrorist organization?
Although the US government professes the war against terror to be a priority in the Middle East, apparently no one is paying attention to this very issue.
WHAT MANY fail to realize about this general is that his defection may not be totally related to the call for change advocated by protesters in the streets. Al-Ahmar has been known to be strongly affiliated with al-Qa’ida. According to a 2005 cable by the American ambassador to Yemen, Thomas Krajeski, revealed by Wikileaks, Al-Ahmar appears to have amassed a fortune in the smuggling of arms, food staples, and consumer products. He is what we call in the Arab world a “war prince”– someone who benefits from times of conflict.
Signs backing this analysis are already showing in the southern governorate of Abyan, where the US attacked an al-Qa’ida training camp in 2009. The camp was allegedly run by Al-Ahmar, yet this did not seem to resonate with either US thinkers or Yemeni authorities.
“It is all about power struggle,” cry out youth activists in Change Square as they complain of losing faith in all political parties – both inside and outside the country.
In fact, the United States was not spared protesters’ angst, as bullet casings and other armament were displayed on television with a sign reading, “Made in USA” and accompanied by shouts of “the US is killing us!”
So what is America’s involvement in Yemen? Is the longstanding commitment to support President Saleh in the war against terrorism still operative? If so, is Saleh’s friendship and protection of Yemeni leader Abdulmajid Al-Zindani – frequently on the “Most Wanted al-Qa’ida” list – problematic? Or must Saleh answer for Al-Ahmar’s use of jihadis to fight Shi’ite rebels linked to Iran between 2004 and 2008?
There is more to Yemen than is being reported or discussed, in the media and behind closed doors whether in Washington or Sana’a. The US needs to stay focused and understand the dynamics of Yemeni politics in order to really address the issue of terrorism. As events continue to unfold, who is on whose team today seems to be of minimal concern. But the street’s rejection of such arbitrariness is becoming louder and less ambiguous than the voices of politicians.
It’s that voice that needs to be heard.

Quick Facts: US-Yemen ties

The United States has suspended a record aid deal for Yemen, a sharp about-face in U.S. policy toward the "anti-terror" ally.

This comes amid ongoing government crackdown on anti-government protesters that has already claimed over 300 lives.

About Yemen

The Republic of Yemen is a country located in the Middle East. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east. mongabay.com

The Republic of Yemen was established on May 22, 1990, with the merger of North Yemen (the Yemen Arab Republic) and South Yemen (the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen). mongabay.com

Since unification, Yemen has been modernizing and opening up to the world, but it still maintains much of its tribal character and old ways. Tensions persist between the north and the south; some southerners say the northern part of the state is economically privileged. human-rights-online.org

Yemen is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the Arab World, with a formal 65% unemployment rate, dwindling natural resources, a young population and increasing population growth. theafronews.ca

Yemeni government

President Saleh has already been in office for 33 years, with several opposition members arguing that his long-promised reforms have not materialized. saudielection.com

The country's opposition and religious figures have envisioned a roadmap for the ruler's departure before the end of this year. saudielection.com

The head of state has, however, said he would stay in power until the end of his term in 2013. saudielection.com

Al-Qaeda in Yemen

According to the United States, the group, known as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was behind the attempted bombings of U.S. cargo planes last fall and a passenger jet on Christmas 2009. Star Telegram

The Obama administration responded by stepping up airstrikes in Yemen and urging Saleh to carry out raids based on U.S. intelligence. Aid to Yemen more than doubled. Star Telegram

"In the counterterrorism area, it will be a great loss," said Wayne White, a former senior State Department intelligence analyst. Star Telegram

President Saleh has frequently conflated both the Houthi fighters and the southern separatists with Al-Qaeda. In a meeting in September 2009 with White House counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan, Saleh specifically pressured the U.S. to provide armored vehicles, airplanes and ambulances for his campaign against the Houthis. foreignpolicyjournal.com

Yemen's people say al-Qaeda is a myth

Most Yemenis consider the group a myth, or a ploy by their president to squeeze the West for aid money and punish his domestic opponents. beforeitsnews.com

The Yemeni authorities have long paid tribal leaders to fight domestic enemies, or even other tribes that were causing trouble for the government. That policy has helped foster a culture of blackmail: some tribal figures promote violence,…through mere criminals, and then offer to quell it in exchange for cash. beforeitsnews.com

"Al-Qaeda (sic) literally 'the database,' was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujahedeen who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians," admits former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, whose Foreign Office portfolio included control of the British Intelligence Agency MI-6 and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), in a column published by the UK Guardian newspaper. Guardian

Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since the mid-1990s, one that has little to do with al-Qaeda and everything to do with the historical and religious currents that have swept over this poverty-stricken nation of some 20 million since the end of World War I. antiwar.com

US-Yemen relations

President Saleh's government has cooperated with the U.S. in its "war on terror" and has settled border disputes with its neighbors, Saudi Arabia and Oman. BBC

The United States has long supported Yemen's president, even in the face of recent widespread protests. The Obama administration has maintained its support of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in private and refrained from directly criticizing him in public, even as his supporters fired on peaceful demonstrators, because he was considered a critical ally in fighting the Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda. NY Times

This position has fueled criticism of the United States in some quarters for hypocrisy for rushing to oust a repressive autocrat in Libya but not in strategic allies like Yemen and Bahrain. NY Times

Washington has long had a wary relationship of mutual dependence with Mr. Saleh. The United States has provided weapons, and the Yemeni leader has allowed the United States military and the C.I.A. to launch drone attacks on Yemeni militants. NY Times

Fall of Yemeni president a great loss for US

Saleh's grip on this volatile Arabian Peninsula nation is unraveling after weeks of bloodshed and street protests that have led to the defection of five top army commanders and dozens of government officials. LA Times

Furthermore, the challenge for the U.S. will be to persuade Yemen's next leader to continue an unpopular campaign against al-Qaeda. Sheik Hamid al-Ahmar, a leading member of the opposition mentioned as a possible successor has dismissed al-Qaeda in Yemen as a creation of Saleh's government. democratsforprogress

Yemen strategically borders the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Saudi Arabia. If Saleh is overthrown, civil wars could erupt in both the north and south, the Saudis would be rattled and possibly intervene militarily, and the U.S. would be dealt a major setback in containing al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an entrenched terrorist affiliate. LA Times

US military aid to Yemen

Washington has provided "more than $300 million in military and security aid to Yemen in the past five years," the New York-based group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. AFP

Aid to Yemen under the U.S. government's main counterterrorism program has grown from less than $5 million in fiscal 2006 to more than $155 million in fiscal 2010, the Pentagon said.

Yemen is desperate for assistance in sustainable economic development. The vast majority of U.S. aid, however, has been military. The limited economic assistance made available has been of dubious effectiveness and has largely gone through corrupt government channels. Foreign Policy in Focus

In September 2010, the U.S. military's Central Command proposed pumping as much as $1.2 billion over five years into building up Yemen's security forces, a major investment in a shaky government, in a sign of Washington's fears of al Qaeda's growing foothold on the Arabian Peninsula.

Turnabout towards "anti-terror ally"

The United States has halted a record aid deal for Yemen amid growing unrest, marking a sharp about-face in U.S. policy toward the anti-terror ally. Telegraph

Unnamed U.S. officials were reported as saying that the latest package, potentially worth over $1 billion, was an attempt to get floundering U.S.-Yemen counterterrorism co-operation back on track. Telegraph

The proposed package included up to $200 million in counterterrorism support for the fiscal year that ends on September 30. Wall Street Journal

Washington had been due to deliver the first installment of the aid package in February 2011, the White House's biggest investment yet, in order to secure more active support from President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the fight against al-Qaeda. Telegraph

President Saleh had long sought development aid from the U.S. in order to convince the Yemeni public of the benefits of co-operating with Washington after he allowed U.S. Special Forces to target militants inside his country despite widespread public opposition. Telegraph

Source: Press TV