Yemen's Saleh: diplomats spreading falsehoods

By AHMED AL-HAJ Associated Press

10/16/2011

SANAA, Yemen—Yemen's embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh charged Sunday that foreign diplomats have been misled by the country's opposition and are conveying false information about the situation in Yemen.

Saleh's criticism came before a scheduled meeting this week at the U.N. Security Council to discuss a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire and transfer of power.

On Sunday Saleh's security forces opened fire on protesters, killing at least seven.

Addressing military officials, Saleh said the foreign ambassadors, "move from one opposition to the other, collect information and consider the information they get from the opposition as they if they are the victim whom they should support."

Saleh clings to power despite more than nine months of street protests, inspired by popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

He has balked at signing a deal backed by his powerful neighbors and the U.S. in hopes of providing a smooth transition of power. Under the agreement, Saleh would resign and hand power to his vice president in return for immunity from prosecution.

According to a Yemeni foreign ministry official, the Gulf Cooperation Council, which initiated the power transfer deal, has turned down a request by Saleh to make changes to the deal to enable him to stay in power until 2013. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

In his speech, Saleh described the opposition as "insane (people) who can't sleep and only want to take power."

Saleh's remarks, broadcast on Yemeni state TV, came as his security forces fired at protesters marching through the capital and a southern city, killing at least five people, according to a medical official.

Mohammed al-Qubati, the director of a field hospital at Sanaa's main protest site dubbed "Change Square", also said four civilians and at least 37 people were wounded in the violence there.

Witnesses said snipers on rooftops opened fire on the crowd of tens of thousands of protesters, marching through the streets to call for Saleh's resignation.

Loyalist forces of the Republican Guard, a unit led by Saleh's son Ahmed, also lobbed tear gas at the demonstrators.

Witnesses said that the Republican Guard clashed near Change Square with the anti-government troops of renegade army general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who defected and joined protests months ago. Two of al-Ahmar forces were killed.

In a statement, Al-Ahmar described Saleh as "the ignorant man who does nothing but killings."

Saleh's security forces also tried Sunday to disperse a large protest in the southern Yemeni city of Taiz, killing one woman and injuring seven other people, medical officials there said.

On Saturday, security forces fired on a huge rally of some 300,000 people in Sanaa, killing at least 12 protesters and wounding some 300.

Yemeni Forces Fire on Protesters, Killing Four

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

October 16, 2011

SANAA, Yemen—Yemeni security forces opened fire Sunday on antigovernment protesters marching through the capital killing at least four people, a medical official said.

Mohammed al-Qubati, the director of a field hospital at Sanaa's main protest site dubbed "Change Square", also said at least 37 people were wounded in the violence.

Witnesses said snipers on rooftops opened fire on the crowd of tens of thousands of protesters, marching through the streets to call for the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Loyalist forces of the Republican Guard, a unit led by Saleh's son Ahmed, also lobbed tear gas at the demonstrators.

Witnesses said that the Republican Guard clashed near Change Square with the antigovernment troops of renegade army general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who defected and joined protests months ago.

Pro-Saleh security forces also tried Sunday to disperse a large protest in the southern Yemeni city of Taiz, killing one woman and injuring seven others, medical officials there said.

Sunday's violence comes a day after security forces fired on a massive rally of some 300,000 people in Sanaa, killing at least 12 protesters and wounding some 300.

"No immunity, no guarantees. Saleh and his aides must be prosecuted," chanted protesters in Sanaa. "Free people of the world, Saleh must be tried."

President Saleh clings to power in the face of more than nine months of massive street protests, inspired by popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

Mr. Saleh, who has been in office for 33 years, has staunchly refused to quit power.

He has balked at signing a deal that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have backed in hopes of providing a smooth transition of power. Under the agreement, Mr. Saleh would resign and hand power to his vice president in return for immunity from prosecution.

AQAP media chief killed in Yemen

SANA'A, Oct. 15 (Saba) - Security forces have managed to kill media chief of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a security official said Saturday.
In a successful military operation, AQAP media chief Ibrahim Mohammed Saleh al-Banna'a, Egyptian, has been killed on Friday night in Azzan area of Shabwa province along with six other terrorists, the source said.
Al-Banna'a is one of the most wanted militants of al-Qaeda worldwide, he said.

Nine killed in US drone strikes on Yemen

Laura Kasinof
October 15, 2011
ADEN: Air strikes, believed to be by US drones, have killed at least nine people in Yemen, including a senior official of the regional branch of al-Qaeda and an American, the 17-year-old son of an al-Qaeda official killed by the US last month, according to the government and local reports.
Fighting also escalated in the capital, Sanaa, where at least 12 anti-government protesters were killed by security forces near the Foreign Ministry, and at least four civilians were killed in a battle near the airport, opposition officials said.
The fighting was the deadliest since the President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, returned to the country last month, and coincided with rising political tensions as all sides await a statement expected by the United Nations Security Council in coming weeks.

Political Stalemate Threatens Civil War for Yemen

Mohamed Elshinnawi

Sana'a, October 13, 2011

Yemen’s popular uprising is now eight months old and has begun to look more like a power struggle among elites and a clash that could turn into civil war.

Once again, President Ali Abdullah Saleh has reneged on a promise to step down because he does not want his political opponents to run for election. Back in Sana’a after a three-month absence for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia for injuries he received in a bomb blast, the president is unbowed by months of protests demanding he step down.

Protesters are frustrated because the president repeatedly called for elections and a peaceful exchange of power but failed to promise to step down. With such uncertainty and fighting between heavily armed loyalists and foes of President Saleh, the prospects of a democracy are growing slim.

U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein, who has served as U.S. ambassador to Yemen for a year and started his Foreign Service office in the Middle East in 1975, warns that the domestic conflict could deteriorate rapidly if there is no progress on the political front.

Most experts agree that the only practical road map for a political solution to the instability and conflict is a proposal made by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The plan calls on President Saleh to transfer power to his vice president for a two-month transition that would end with new presidential elections. The plan also calls for an end to the protests, the formation of a national unity government led by a member of the opposition, and amnesty for President Saleh, his family and his aides.

Although he has several times promised to resign, he has changed his mind each time, leading to more anger on the streets, where protests have escalated since January.

Gloomy factors on the ground

“You cannot have a transition to democracy in the midst of a civil war and this is what the situation in Yemen is looking like more and more,” said Marina Ottaway, a democracy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Ottaway detected some gloomy factors on the ground in Yemen.

First, there is a divided army with troops who are faithful to President Saleh and those with Major General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, who severed ties with the president in March.

Second, there’s also a continued insurgency, including a secessionist movement in the South, the Shi'ite Houthi rebels in the North, and the Yemeni wing of Al-Qaida.

Third, protesters continue to flood the streets who are relentlessly demanding democracy but have no power when confronted with violence and force.

Fourth, structural economic problems, the country running out of oil and water, and weak institutions will all contribute to more instability.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen David Newton agrees. “The situation in Yemen is messy, violent, and there is a great danger of collapse in Yemen; they really do need a negotiated solution, not a civil war,” he said.

“I think they are sliding back, at least to more violence because, while the president may not want to hang onto power himself, he is trying to ensure that his family will largely remain in power.”

The Saleh regime is noted for nepotism: Saleh’s son is commander of the Republican Guard, his nephew commands the Special Guards, and other nephews command the National Security Agency and the national tobacco company. In-laws, cousins, brothers and step-brothers direct the Yemeni Oil Company, Yemeni Airways and serve in many cabinet positions.

Ambassador Newton noticed that the opposition is focused on one major issue: to change the regime. However, he pointed to several other problems including tribalism, lack of unity among opposition elements, structural problems when it comes to the economy, resources, state institutions and huge social problems related to increased levels of poverty.

Bleak future on the horizon

“Those are certainly the problems that are not going to disappear. They plagued Yemen under Saleh and they are not going away automatically even if there should be a political agreement,” said Ottaway. “The economy is in shambles and that is not a temporary crisis. But there is something fundamentally wrong with the economy, especially when Yemen is running out of oil and water.”

Experts, such as Ottaway and Newton, believe that Saudi Arabia has to use its great influence in Yemen, including with the Al Ahmar tribe, other tribal leaders, and with President Saleh and his military leaders to expedite a political solution to avoid a full-scale civil war.

Other experts argue that the United States and Saudi Arabia should cooperate to avoid a power vacuum that could endanger their interests in Yemen. Their chief concerns are keeping al-Qaida at bay and supporting a post-Saleh government to start solving its economic problems.

Ambassador Feierstein argues that with food and fuel prices rising globally, and the economic impact of the current prolonged political uncertainty, Yemenis will encounter tough challenges. ”The government, the private sector, and the friends of Yemen should all pay attention to the urgency of addressing these critical economic challenges,” he said.

Experts agree that securing a political solution in Yemen could encourage international donors to commit funds to develop the country and lend a hand to reduce Yemen’s endemic poverty.

Yemen urges UN to avoid resolution against president

Oct 13, 2011- AFP

SANAA — The Yemeni government has urged the UN Security Council to avoid a resolution targeting embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh, calling on it instead to back a political solution for the country's crisis.

"The government of Yemen that follows closely the discussions over the situation in Yemen at the Security Council, stresses that the solution for the crisis does not come through issuing resolutions," said an unnamed government official quoted overnight Wednesday by Saba state news agency.

An exit from the crisis after months of protests would be reached "through a political solution, and implementing the Gulf initiative that the ruling party endorsed, presenting a comprehensive mechanism to implement it," he added.

Protesters demanding the ouster of Saleh are hoping to see decisive action by the UN Security Council forcing the president to quit. The Security Council began discussions of the situation in Yemen on Tuesday.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has proposed a peace plan under which Saleh would hand power to a transitional administration. But the veteran leader, who has ruled for 33 years, has refused to sign the deal.

Britain and other European nations are drawing up a draft UN resolution which could be presented to the Security Council in the coming days.

The Security Council agreed a statement last month which stressed the GCC peace initiative. A resolution would have greater diplomatic weight to pressure Saleh.

According to a letter from Yemen's youth movement to the United Nations earlier this month at least 861 people have been killed and 25,000 wounded since mass protests against Saleh erupted in late January.

The youth group, organisers of an anti-regime sit-in at the capital's Change Square since February, have come under repeated attack by pro-Saleh forces but have so far refused to leave.

US uses Qaeda to gain foothold in Yemen

Wed Oct 12, 2011

Interview with writer and researcher Ali Masfari from London

An analyst says that the US is using al-Qaeda as an excuse to gain entry into Yemen and take control of its wealth in the country's southern region.

Press TV interviews writer and researcher Ali Masfari to further discuss the current situation in Yemen.

Below is a rush transcription of the interview:

Press TV:The UNSC meeting on Yemen, the concerns about the humanitarian situation and the resolution calling on Saleh to sign the PGCC deal. Isn't this response a bit late in coming?

Masfari: I think that in spite of the fact that the [UN] Security Council came too late to discuss the matter, I still hope that they will reach a solution for two issues. First, to stop the famine and starvation in Yemen and secondly, to reach a solution for the two great issues there; the cause of the South and the current situation with the revolution in Sana'a. But I think that the resolution is going farther in spite of the veto that may be voted by Russia, but as I heard today the language of Russia is now better than a few days ago, that they are going to obey the resolution of the Security Council.

Press TV:Why has Saleh been so on and off about this deal? He's kept saying he's going to step down but doesn't. Is his latest announcement another "delaying tactic"? What does he want to achieve with a delay?

Masfari: You know, he's addicted to power for 33 years he has been ruling the country, and he is also finding himself as to so many journalists in Sana'a in 2000, that 'with this knife, I came to office and with this knife I will leave this office'. So, he says something now but he does not hold his promise. He says to the [Persian] Gulf states that he is going to obey and take more actions as to transfer power to his vice president and also to the new revolution.

But what he did until now, he is just forming more maneuvers according to the tribes or the military units to show that he is still holding control over them. And he still thinks that he has the power or the possibility in order to conquer the situation and also to come back to power again.

Press TV: According to the US, their presence in Yemen is because of the existence of al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula, the threat that they have named in Yemen. Tell us about that threat. Is this just something that the US has played up, or do you think that there is a real threat there and that the way to treat it and to deal with it is to extend drone strikes and to extend the military presence in Yemen?

Masfari: I think that according to the current situation in Afghanistan and *the way the US was defeated there, they want now to just find there extension in a new area. I think that according to their new search for oil and wealth particularly in the South, that has drawn the attention of many super powers to be also present there. Now we find 300 warships are roaming around the Gulf of Aden, and now the situation in the south as well as the North, is in chaos and al-Qaeda is only an excuse or justification, according to the plan or map which was already set up during the strength of Ali Abdullah Saleh in order to find a solution for the current situation.

If there is a revolution or demands in the South for liberation and getting their independence, they need that also as coverage in order to avoid this revolution in the North now and also the peaceful revolution in the South. This is the secret of the whole issue. Now you find that all the super powers are also in contradiction, confrontation, and also accommodation, according to their interests in the area. What they are behind is the national security of Israel is involved and included. So nobody can hold control over the whole country or what's called the Republic of Yemen. Secondly, the late response of the US and the international community has also given the base elements to make these flames now in the area.

So, the sparks now are not only in Yemen or the South. This spark is also going to the Southern African countries, which can also make huge explosions in the other areas.

Press TV: I'd like to focus on the future of Yemen and how a post-revolutionary Yemen would look like if there is a National Transitional (NTC) ruling council in Yemen. Some people have been saying that it would include all parts representing all parts of Yemen, including the representatives and the protesters, the youth, the southern movement, the Houthis movement. Now do you think that would be even possible, and if so, would it be threatening the interests of any parties even outside Yemen including the US, for instance.

Masfari: You are right. It is going in the interest of all parties. But first of all, if the international community now does not acknowledge and recognize the rights of our Houthis and the revolution of al-Herak in the South and their human and political rights now.

Yemen will be in chaos; not like Somalia, not like Afghanistan, not like Iraq, not like Lebanon. It will be mixed to the point where nobody can open it, and find a solution afterwards. So we are going to lose all the hope and also all the possibilities of finding a solution for that issue and this will be not only a danger for the peace in the region, but it will be extended to other southern countries.

Even though the US or international community now, thinking that remaining outside without holding their fingers together, with the political determination of the people there, and to crush their interests of the people, they are going to lose the whole issue and start back at the beginning.