Wednesday 30 November 2011

Yemeni Nobel peace prize winner is not Mother Teresa, but political Islamist

Source; Hudson New York, 

Whitewashing the Muslim Brotherhood
Nobel Peace Prize for a "Muslim Sister"

by Valentina Colombo
November 30, 2011
   

Once again the West has chosen among the heroes and heroines of the "Arab Spring" the most politicized, and especially the closest, to its short-sighted policies in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, as mentioned by al-Mashari Dhaid on the Arab international daily Asharq al-Awsat, we should never forget that the Nobel Prize for Peace is political, and it "is an instrument of soft pressure to fulfill a specific path of peace or stability, according to a Western perspective."

Mashari al-Dhaid is right when he states that "Tawakkul Karman is not Mother Teresa, but a political activist who acts in accordance with the directives and policies and social needs of her own party."

The Yemeni Congregation for Reform, to which Karman belongs, is the party representing the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen. Tawakkul Karman is 'Abd al-Salam Khalid Karman's daughter, a member of the same party. The Reform Party, as you can easily infer from its political program published on the official website (www.al-islah.net), acts on behalf of Islam and claims the implementation of sharia law, advocates equality among believers without distinction of sex, even though sharia law states that a woman is worth half the man (see Koran II, 282; IV, 11).

Tawakkul Karman is indeed an activist: a political activist. There is no doubt that she is the symbol of a revolution, but at the same time her victory has to be placed in the continuum of Arab Springs that are witnessing the domination of the organized and economically strong Muslim Brotherhood.

The Nobel Prize follows the International Women of Courage Award assigned to Karman by US State Secretary Hillary Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama. Everything confirms the US and Western policy of whitewashing the Muslim Brotherhood. And what a better leader and symbol than a young and determined woman like Karman? During an interview, in June 2010, she declared that the day would come when "all human rights violators pay for what they did to Yemen." If she was referring to Yemeni President Saleh, fine; but I wonder if human rights under Sharia -- the law her party would like to introduce in all levels of the country = match universal rights.

"In the name of God Most Gracious, Most Merciful, to sister Tawakkul 'Abd al-Salam Karman, president of Women Journalists Without Chains, a member of the Governing Council of the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (al-tajammu' al-yamani li-al-islah), greetings and appreciation. With great joy we have received, within the Yemeni Congregation for Reform, the announcement of the assignment to your person of the Nobel Prize for Peace as the first Arab woman to receive this award and the first Yemeni personality to enjoy this international attestation of esteem.

"Congratulations for this historic achievement since we believe that this victory is to support the peaceful revolution of Yemen, and a Yemeni woman who fights and who is aware of her ability to win despite the obstacles the legacy of backwardness and tyranny that separate our people from progress."

This is the beginning of a release of October 8th 2010 signed by Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Yadumi following the announcement of the Nobel Prize for Peace to the Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karman.

Well, many of us were happy because finally an Arab woman, last but not least a symbol of the Yemeni "Spring" had her efforts and courage recognised. Even secular intellectuals like the Yemeni political scientist Elham Manea, of Yemeni origin, who now is living in Switzerland, and the Yemeni writer Ali al-Muqri, have rejoiced.

While in many other countries, Islamic parties are banned, Islah participates in the political process and has even formed a coalition government with the ruling General People's Congress. One significant difference between Islah and other Islamic parties is that it is not purely an Islamic Party. The Islah Party is a heterogeneous party made up of three distinct groups: the tribes, Islamic elements and conservative businessmen. Islah could be described as a reflection of the conservative segments of Yemeni society. Nevertheless, it has an Islamic ideology and pushes for social and economic reform, similarly to other Islamic parties in the region.

Some people even praised Karman as the woman who has "torn" the veil. This is half true: in 2004 during a conference on human rights, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace removed her black full veil, worn by the vast majority of Yemeni women, to replace it with a simple veil, which she calls "Islamic." The statement published on the website of her Party after a demonstration celebrate the award says that it is a "source of pride and honor not only for Yemeni women, but also for Arab women and the Islamic veil."

So Karman replaced the traditional black veil -- "un-Islamic"-- in favor of a colorful headscarf that is not so much a symbol of Muslim women, as of the women of the Muslim Brotherhood, or at least of women wearing the veil as a political symbol.

New Yemen being built 

By Nasser Arrabyee,30/11/2011

Yemenis have just started to rebuild their country after about one year of wars and unrest.

However, they are still facing a lot of challenges. To build is much more difficult than to destroy.

The most important two decisions to rebuild the new Yemen were taken immediately after the conflicting parties signed last week a road map showing step by step how both the opposition and the ruling party would run the country until February 2014 when a civil and democratic State  is fully established.

The first decision was to call on Yemenis to elect a new President on February 21st,  2012 to run the country  during the coming two years required for establishing the long-awaited  modern State that would meet the ambitions and aspirations of all Yemenis.

The second decision was to entrust an opposition leader to form a national consensus government shared equally by both the opposition and the ruling party to normalize the life after the wars and help the new elected president to establish the new State.

The two important decisions were taken by the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, who has now constitutional powers to implement the Saudi-led  Gulf brokered deal for transferring the power from President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

According to the GCC deal and its implementation mechanism, which were signed by all conflicting parties on November 23rd, 2011 in the Saudi capital Riyadh, President Saleh will remain legitimate until a new president is elected on February 21st, 2011.

The candidate of both the opposition and the ruling party in the February Presidential elections must be the current Vice President Mr Hadi, according to the road map, which is called the implementation mechanism, which was drawn by the UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Bin Omar and approved and signed by all conflicting parties in Yemen. 

Undoubtedly, Mr Hadi would be the new elected President for the two years of transitional period.

By then,  Hadi will have his legitimacy directly from  the people, not like the case now when  his powers come only from the constitutional authorization of President Saleh.

During next week,  the unity government will be declared and its members will take  the constitutional oath before Mr Hadi. 

To avoid the conflict over the important ministries like the defense and oil, the opposition will make two lists with each one having 50 percent of the portfolios. And the ruling party will choose one of the lists to be occupied by its members.

The UN Security Council and international community supported the agreement which came as implementation of its resolution 2014. 

The SC urged the two sides to stick to all steps of the road map and implement them on time. The two sides should stop violence, and whoever violates would be held accountable.

The president Saleh from his side, issued a general amnesty for all Yemenis who made mistakes against the government during the 11 month of the crisis. 

But the Presidential  amnesty does not include those who tried to assassinate Saleh on June 3, 2011.

Although the solution of the Yemeni crisis was and is supported by the whole international community, a lot of difficulties are facing the implementation of the road map. The most dangerous challenge is the security and military situation. 

The militants of the Islamist party, Islah, are still in sporadic confrontations with  the army and security in many places like Taiz and Arhab.

The separatist movement in the south and Al Houth Shiite rebels  in the north  and some independent youth, still refuse the GCC deal.

The UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Bin Omar said Monday November 28, 2011, that the separatist movement in the south and Al Houthi in the north and the independent youth should be represented in the new interim government.

The separatist movement in the south insist on separation and having their own independent state. Al Houthi group wants to establish their own Shiite state in the north at the borders with the Sunni Saudi Arabia.

More  than 30 Salafi  people were killed last week in battles between Al Houthi Shiite fighters and Salafi fighters in the area of Dammaj, in Saada, north of the country. 

 Al Houthi group says, the Salafi   center in Damnaj was established in the early 1980s by the Yemeni and Saudi governments with the aim of abolishing the Shiite. 

The Dammaj Salafi school has about 12,000 students from Yemen and outside Yemen.

About 11 foreign students were killed in the battles of last week in Dammaj according to the spokesman of the Salafi school, Abu Ismail.

New Yemen being built 

By Nasser Arrabyee,30/11/2011

Yemenis have just started to rebuild their country after about one year of wars and unrest.

However, they are still facing a lot of challenges. To build is much more difficult than to destroy.

The most important two decisions to rebuild the new Yemen were taken immediately after the conflicting parties signed last week a road map showing step by step how both the opposition and the ruling party would run the country until February 2014 when a civil and democratic State  is fully established.

The first decision was to call on Yemenis to elect a new President on February 21st,  2012 to run the country  during the coming two years required for establishing the long-awaited  modern State that would meet the ambitions and aspirations of all Yemenis.

The second decision was to entrust an opposition leader to form a national consensus government shared equally by both the opposition and the ruling party to normalize the life after the wars and help the new elected president to establish the new State.

The two important decisions were taken by the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, who has now constitutional powers to implement the Saudi-led  Gulf brokered deal for transferring the power from President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

According to the GCC deal and its implementation mechanism, which were signed by all conflicting parties on November 23rd, 2011 in the Saudi capital Riyadh, President Saleh will remain legitimate until a new president is elected on February 21st, 2011.

The candidate of both the opposition and the ruling party in the February Presidential elections must be the current Vice President Mr Hadi, according to the road map, which is called the implementation mechanism, which was drawn by the UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Bin Omar and approved and signed by all conflicting parties in Yemen. 

Undoubtedly, Mr Hadi would be the new elected President for the two years of transitional period.

By then,  Hadi will have his legitimacy directly from  the people, not like the case now when  his powers come only from the constitutional authorization of President Saleh.

During next week,  the unity government will be declared and its members will take  the constitutional oath before Mr Hadi. 

To avoid the conflict over the important ministries like the defense and oil, the opposition will make two lists with each one having 50 percent of the portfolios. And the ruling party will choose one of the lists to be occupied by its members.

The UN Security Council and international community supported the agreement which came as implementation of its resolution 2014. 

The SC urged the two sides to stick to all steps of the road map and implement them on time. The two sides should stop violence, and whoever violates would be held accountable.

The president Saleh from his side, issued a general amnesty for all Yemenis who made mistakes against the government during the 11 month of the crisis. 

But the Presidential  amnesty does not include those who tried to assassinate Saleh on June 3, 2011.

Although the solution of the Yemeni crisis was and is supported by the whole international community, a lot of difficulties are facing the implementation of the road map. The most dangerous challenge is the security and military situation. 

The militants of the Islamist party, Islah, are still in sporadic confrontations with  the army and security in many places like Taiz and Arhab.

The separatist movement in the south and Al Houth Shiite rebels  in the north  and some independent youth, still refuse the GCC deal.

The UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Bin Omar said Monday November 28, 2011, that the separatist movement in the south and Al Houthi in the north and the independent youth should be represented in the new interim government.

The separatist movement in the south insist on separation and having their own independent state. Al Houthi group wants to establish their own Shiite state in the north at the borders with the Sunni Saudi Arabia.

More  than 30 Salafi  people were killed last week in battles between Al Houthi Shiite fighters and Salafi fighters in the area of Dammaj, in Saada, north of the country. 

 Al Houthi group says, the Salafi   center in Damnaj was established in the early 1980s by the Yemeni and Saudi governments with the aim of abolishing the Shiite. 

The Dammaj Salafi school has about 12,000 students from Yemen and outside Yemen.

About 11 foreign students were killed in the battles of last week in Dammaj according to the spokesman of the Salafi school, Abu Ismail.

Monday 28 November 2011

The UNSC welcomes Yemen agreement to end crisis and urges parties to implement it  on time 

Source: UN News, 29/11/2011

New York-The Security Council today welcomed the new political agreement in Yemen and the mechanism outlining how it can be implemented, but stressed that the deal must be strictly implemented to end unrest and restore stability in the country.

The peace initiative by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the implementation mechanism agreed to on Wednesday must be carried out in “in a serious, transparent, and timely manner, and in a spirit of inclusion and reconciliation,” the Council said in a press statement.

The Council expects the parties “to honour the timetable set out in the agreement, including the formation of a government of national consensus, presidential elections within 90 days, a national dialogue, a constitutional review, and a programme of reforms that start to tackle the profound humanitarian, economic and security challenges that Yemen faces.”

In the statement, read out by Ambassador José Filipe Moraes Cabral of Portugal, which holds the Council’s presidency this month, the 15-member panel reaffirmed its commitment to Yemen’s territorial integrity and unity, and urged all parties to reject violence, refrain from provocation, and fully implement the Council’s previous resolution on restoring peace in the impoverished country.

It reiterated that all those responsible for violence, human rights violations and abuses should be held accountable, and deplored acts of violence that occurred on Thursday, when five people were reportedly killed in the capital, Sana’a.

The Council stressed the need for increased and unimpeded humanitarian access, and urged all Yemeni parties to work with the UN, the international community and the GCC to achieve lasting peace, stability and reconciliation.

Earlier, Jamal Benomar, the UN Special Adviser on Yemen, told reporters after briefing the Council that the accord paves the way for a credible transition and provides a detailed roadmap for change through the broad participation of citizens.

“The implementation envisions meaningful participation across the full political spectrum, including the youth who paved the way for this change in the political order,” Mr. Benomar said of the pact.

“It is imperative that the new Government of National Unity engages with all constituencies including the youth, the Houthis, and the Hirak movement in the south,” he said.

Under the accord, President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to hand over his powers to Vice-President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi and presidential elections are to be held within three months.

“All Yemenis will now need to come together to reconcile, and to tackle the difficulties that lie ahead,” he said, noting that “violence and unrest has continued despite the reaching of a political solution on 23 November.”

He said he had told the Council that all Yemeni parties will need to take responsibility and use the opportunity to foster positive change for the country, uphold human rights and desist from further violence.

Mr. Benomar urged the international community to step up support for Yemen’s recovery, as requested by both parties to the agreement. The UN and the rest of the international community will monitor the accord’s implementation and remain engaged, he said.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon remained fully committed to supporting the transition and the post-election period through mobilizing the entire UN and Member States to help Yemen address its political, humanitarian, security and economic challenges, Mr. Benomar added.

The Council was also briefed on the humanitarian situation in Yemen by Philippe Lazzarini, the Deputy Director of the Coordination and Response Division of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Last week’s political agreement followed months of deadly clashes between supporters and opponents of Mr. Saleh and his regime, part of the so-called Arab Spring movement that has swept the Middle East and North Africa this year.

Yemeni opposition leader asked to form national unity gov't

Source:Xinhua,28/11/2011

SANAA- Head of Yemen's opposition National Council Mohammed Basindwa was named as new prime minister on Sunday to form a national unity government in line with a power transfer deal, the official Saba news agency reported.

"Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi designated Mohamed Basindwa to form a new national unity government to replace the caretaker government of Ali Mohammed Mujawar," Saba quoted a decree issued by Hadi as saying.

Basindwa, a former member of the ruling party of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, would form a cabinet set to rule until early presidential elections in February 2012.

The step was part of the power transfer deal signed by Saleh last Wednesday in Riyadh.

It was Hadi's second move to implement the UN-backed Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reconciliation agreement after Saleh agreed to transfer power to his deputy.

On Saturday, the vice president called early presidential elections for Feb. 21 according to the agreement aimed at ending months of pro-democracy protests which demanded an end to Saleh's 33-year rule.

Basindwa was due to form a government with equal participation of the opposition and the ruling party within one week, officials said.

Basindwa, born in 1935, served as the country's foreign minister from 1993 to 1994 and later joined the opposition.

If the agreement goes according to plan, Saleh, who was allowed to retain his ceremonial title in the coming three months, will become the fourth Arab ruler brought down by mass demonstrations.

Hours before the nomination decree, Saleh announced amnesty at a meeting for prisoners jailed during the country's 10-month political crisis this year.

"We granted pardon for everyone committed errors during the crisis, except those who were involved in the June bombing attack against the mosque of the presidential palace," leaders of the ruling party were told.

After the meeting, Hadi ordered to withdraw troops from the streets of the capital Sanaa in line with the terms of the GCC deal, a senior official of the Defense Ministry told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

However, unrest continued to plague the Arabian peninsular country on Sunday with clashes between Shiite Houthi rebels and Sunni Islamist Salafi, killing at least 24 people in the north.

"The shelling by Shiite rebels targeted a Sunni-run Islamic school and its neighboring areas in the Houthi-held restive province of Saada, killing 24 people, including three foreign students -- two Indonesians and one American national," said a provincial security official.

In the southern province of Taiz, witnesses said government troops on Sunday morning shelled the downtown area, where tens of thousands of protesters have been camping for months to press for the prosecution of Saleh.

Two people were killed and four others wounded in the attack, a medic at the protesters' camp said.

Yemeni opposition leader asked to form national unity gov't

Source:Xinhua,28/11/2011

SANAA- Head of Yemen's opposition National Council Mohammed Basindwa was named as new prime minister on Sunday to form a national unity government in line with a power transfer deal, the official Saba news agency reported.

"Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi designated Mohamed Basindwa to form a new national unity government to replace the caretaker government of Ali Mohammed Mujawar," Saba quoted a decree issued by Hadi as saying.

Basindwa, a former member of the ruling party of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, would form a cabinet set to rule until early presidential elections in February 2012.

The step was part of the power transfer deal signed by Saleh last Wednesday in Riyadh.

It was Hadi's second move to implement the UN-backed Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reconciliation agreement after Saleh agreed to transfer power to his deputy.

On Saturday, the vice president called early presidential elections for Feb. 21 according to the agreement aimed at ending months of pro-democracy protests which demanded an end to Saleh's 33-year rule.

Basindwa was due to form a government with equal participation of the opposition and the ruling party within one week, officials said.

Basindwa, born in 1935, served as the country's foreign minister from 1993 to 1994 and later joined the opposition.

If the agreement goes according to plan, Saleh, who was allowed to retain his ceremonial title in the coming three months, will become the fourth Arab ruler brought down by mass demonstrations.

Hours before the nomination decree, Saleh announced amnesty at a meeting for prisoners jailed during the country's 10-month political crisis this year.

"We granted pardon for everyone committed errors during the crisis, except those who were involved in the June bombing attack against the mosque of the presidential palace," leaders of the ruling party were told.

After the meeting, Hadi ordered to withdraw troops from the streets of the capital Sanaa in line with the terms of the GCC deal, a senior official of the Defense Ministry told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

However, unrest continued to plague the Arabian peninsular country on Sunday with clashes between Shiite Houthi rebels and Sunni Islamist Salafi, killing at least 24 people in the north.

"The shelling by Shiite rebels targeted a Sunni-run Islamic school and its neighboring areas in the Houthi-held restive province of Saada, killing 24 people, including three foreign students -- two Indonesians and one American national," said a provincial security official.

In the southern province of Taiz, witnesses said government troops on Sunday morning shelled the downtown area, where tens of thousands of protesters have been camping for months to press for the prosecution of Saleh.

Two people were killed and four others wounded in the attack, a medic at the protesters' camp said.

Saturday 26 November 2011

In Yemen, Spate of Killings Defy UN Order

Source: Human Rights Watch,

26/11/2011

(New York)- troops appear to have unlawfully killed as many as 35 civilians in the city of Taizz since a United Nations Security Council resolution demanded on October 21, 2011 that Yemen stop attacks on civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. Most of these civilians were killed in artillery shelling by the Yemeni army that indiscriminately struck homes, a hospital, and a public square filled with protesters, witnesses told Human Rights Watch.

The Security Council should work toward imposing an asset freeze and a travel ban on President Ali Abdullah Saleh and other senior officials responsible for these and previous attacks on civilians when it meets November 28 to discuss the crisis in Yemen, Human Rights Watch said. The Security Council also should dissociate itself from the portion of an agreement that Saleh signed on November 23 that offers the president and other top officials immunity for serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in exchange for leaving office.

“The army’s indiscriminate shelling in Taizz shows President Saleh’s brazen disregard for the lives of Yemeni civilians right up to the time he signed a deal to transfer power,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Because President Saleh’s signature is only as good as the actions that follow, concerned governments and the UN Security Council should still impose targeted sanctions until these unlawful attacks stop and hold Yemeni authorities accountable.”

In Resolution 2014 of October 21, the Security Council called on the Saleh government to immediately end human rights violations in Yemen, including attacks on civilians by the security forces, and urged Saleh to cede power under an agreement brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Saleh signed the GCC pact on November 23 but has yet to leave office. The pact offers Saleh immunity in exchange for relinquishing power, but the Security Council also declared that, “All those responsible for violence, human rights violations and abuses should be held accountable.” On November 28 the UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, will brief the Security Council on the Yemeni authorities’ progress.

In November Human Rights Watch investigated shelled areas in Taizz, about 250 kilometers south of the capital, Sanaa, and interviewed nearly 50 witnesses, human rights activists, and medical workers about the recent attacks. Taizz has been a focal point for the mostly peaceful protests across Yemen that began in February against Saleh’s 33-year rule. Since June, government forces in Taizz have been fighting tribal opposition fighters and renegade troops who support the protesters.

Human Rights Watch found that army units conducted indiscriminate shelling in violation of the laws of war that probably accounts for the majority – if not all – of the 35 civilian deaths since October 21. The units deployed include the elite Republican Guards, under the command of President Saleh’s son Ahmed. Human Rights Watch also found that many opposition fighters were deployed in densely populated areas, unlawfully placing civilians at grave risk.

In addition to the attacks in Taizz, witnesses told Human Rights Watch that  pro-government gunmen killed five anti-Saleh protesters who were participating in a peaceful march on November 24 in Sanaa, and that government forces and renegade soldiers continued deadly clashes there on November 25.

In Taizz, the deadliest attacks, on November 11, killed 14 civilians, including three women protesters in Freedom Square. Government shelling and other attacks that day also killed six children, including a four-year-old girl, in her home, three men at a shop near a mosque, another man in his home, and a patient at al-Rawdha Hospital, which was struck as emergency workers arrived with wounded from other attacks.

Artillery shells and gunfire from government positions struck Freedom Square that day as protesters amassed for a midday rally called the “Day of Rejecting Immunity” for Saleh, three witnesses told Human Rights Watch. One shell landed in the midst of 10 women gathered for prayer, said Siraj Munir al-Adib, 25, who had been seated in an open tent:
Bullets were passing over our heads. I saw Abdullah Althaifani [a Taizz protest leader and university professor] shot by live fire in his right shoulder, in front of me. A few minutes later I heard a big explosion a few meters away. I ran over and saw women who were injured by shrapnel. They were screaming. Three others were killed.
About 20 opposition fighters protecting the protesters were stationed about 300 meters from the women, but they were not inside the square and there was no fighting nearby, the three witnesses said.

Protesters and emergency workers rushed the casualties from Freedom Square and other areas under attack to al-Rawdha Hospital, only to come under renewed shelling. Seven artillery and mortar shells struck the hospital over the course of several minutes, starting around 1 p.m., five witnesses said. One shell tore a hole through the wall of the fourth floor. A man fell through the hole to the street below and died soon after, witnesses said.

“We ran with the visitors, the doctors, the patients, and dozens of wounded to the basement of the hospital,” said Kafa'a Wazi’ Abdu, 36, who had helped bring wounded to al-Rawdha Hospital from Freedom Square. “The dust and smoke from the shelling was rising in front of us. I saw a wounded man in a bed lying on the ground, motionless, in a pool of blood.”

Al-Rawdha Hospital often treats wounded protesters and opposition fighters. It is 100 meters from an opposition checkpoint and 300 meters from a rebel leader’s compound. But no opposition fighters were deployed inside, witnesses said.

Yemeni authorities blamed soldiers of the renegade First Armored Division, which defected to the opposition in March, and the Joint Meeting Parties, a coalition of opposition political parties, for the November 11 deaths and other recent attacks on civilians in Taizz. But the shells in those attacks came from the direction of government security force positions, multiple witnesses said.

The laws of war apply to all parties to an armed conflict. The warring parties must take all feasible precautions to ensure that a target of attack is a military objective and not a civilian object. Attacks that do not discriminate between military targets and civilian objects are prohibited.

Under the laws of war, hospitals remain protected from attack unless they are “used to commit hostile acts” that are outside their humanitarian function. Even then, they are only subject to attack after a warning has been given setting a reasonable time limit, and after such warning has gone unheeded. The presence of injured combatants does not affect the civilian character of medical facilities.

Combatants also must take all feasible precautions to protect civilians under their control from the effects of attacks and avoid deploying in densely populated areas. Even if rebel forces deployed too close to the hospital, it would not justify violations by the government forces.

Saleh’s government has announced it will conduct a national investigation into major human rights violations since protests began. On November 21 Yemen’s parliament, which is dominated by the ruling party, announced it will investigate the recent attacks in Taizz. The government has rejected calls for an international inquiry.

“Many Yemenis have expressed a profound lack of confidence in the ability of government authorities to conduct impartial investigations into human rights abuses,” Stork said. “This creates a critical need for an independent international probe into possible violations.”

Thursday 24 November 2011

Yemenis rejoice over ending the crisis and the world welcome and promise to help  

By Nasser Arrabyee,24/11/2011

Yemenis were very happy to see the conflicting parties sign documents to end their 11-month long sufferings.

Almost the whole world  welcomed the peaceful end of the crisis and the honorable exit of President Ali Abdullah Saleh who also expressed his  happiness to see all Yemenis united to build the new Yemen.

"I am happy to see our brothers in the opposition participate with us, I never ever refused  them," President Saleh said after he signed the GCC deal that would require him to step down when a new president is elected after 90 days from the date of signing.

Observers view the signing of the GCC deal and its scheduled mechanism of implementation as a big victory for the values of dialogue and peaceful transfer of power.

However, some of the protesters in the streets refused the GCC deal and criticized strongly the opposition parties describing their leaders as "traitors of the blood of the revolution martyrs".

But, the chairman of the supreme council of the opposition coalition to which most of those  protesters belong, promised to allow representatives of the protesters participate in the political participation during the transitional period.

Dr.Yassin Saeed Noman, the chairman of the opposition council, reassured the protesters in a statement from Riyadh immediately after he participated in the signing ceremony.

"The new national compromised government would form a special committee to talk with the young protesters and let them participate in the political process during the transitional period," Noman said.

Earlier, the Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh signed the GCC deal  in the Saudi capital Riyadh in a ceremony sponsored by the Saudi King.

After president Saleh signed, the representatives of the ruling party and representatives of the opposition parties signed the road map of the GCC deal that shows in detail how and when the world-supported deal can be implemented.


The opposition leader Mohammed Ba Sandaw, said Tuesday before they left to Riyadh, that president Saleh would sign the GCC deal  alone in Sanaa and then the ruling party delegation would go to Riyadh to sign the implementation mechanism.

Last May President Saleh backed out at the last minute from signing the GCC deal after the opposition and his party signed it, because the opposition leaders refused to attend the ceremony of signing in the Presidential Palace.

The justification of the opposition leaders at the time was that President Saleh's men would assassinate them in their way to the Palace.


Earlier, the Yemeni conflicting parties have  agreed  to end their 11-month political crisis.

 The UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Bin Omar, thanked the them  on Wednesday for reaching an agreement to implement the UN resolution 2014 which called the conflicting parties to peacefully solve the problem on the basis of the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative(GCC).

"All parties have agreed to implement the GCC deal, and I would like to thank all parties for their cooperation," said the UN envoy, Bin Omar in a very short brief to journalists  in Sanaa late Tuesday.

Although the signing of the GCC and its implementation mechanism  did not happen until Wednesday November23rd, the UN envoy seemed very confident that the conflicting parties would sign after he and the American and European ambassadors finished the arrangements of signing.

The documents of the GCC deal and its implementation mechanism would be signed in both the Saudi capital Riyadh,and the Yemeni capital Sanaa to appease all parties.

The three representatives of the opposition who would sign the documents already arrived in Riyadh late Tuesday,November 22nd.
They  are the secretary general of the socialist party,Yaseen Saeed Noman,who is also the chairman of the supreme council of the Islamist-led  opposition coalition, and the secretary general of the Islamist party,Islah, Abdul Wahab Al Ansi, and the third representative is the chairman of what is called  the national council of the revolution forces, Mohammed Salem Basandwa,  who represents  the  defected tribal forces, particularly Al Ahmar family.

The three representatives from the government side, are expected to arrive in Riyadh on Wednesday. 

They are: vice president Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, the political advisor of President Saleh, Dr. Abdul Kareem Al Eryani,and the foreign minister, Abu Bakr Al Querbi.

The UN secretary general himself, Ban Ki Mon,thanked president Saleh for reacting and responding to the UN resolution 2014 and also for  his responsible leadership.

On his part,president Saleh thanked Ban Ki Mon for all efforts to solve the Yemeni crisis peacefully.

According to the State-run news agency, Saba,  in the telephone conversation, Salehb said that the UN must continue to monitor the implementation of the GCC deal after the signing. 

However, the protesters in the streets criticized the opposition parties for agreeing on the GCC deal saying it will be only in the interest of President Saleh.

 But this refusal is viewed by observers as kind of maneuvering to 
strengthen the opposition to have more  political gains while negotiating, as more than 90 percent of those protesters are members of the opposition parties and they listen and follow the instructions of their parties. 

The Islamist party, Islah, that leads the opposition coalition, which includes Islamists, Socialists, and Nasserite, has the overwhelming majority of the partisan protesters in the streets.

The implementation mechanism of the GCC deal to be signed, would be divided into two stages:

The first stage is  from the moment of signing until a new president is elected within 90 days.  

The second stage is from the time of announcing the results of election until the end of the transitional period two years later when a  referendum on a new constitution starts and then new elections.  

In the first stage, President Saleh will keep as president but without real powers.

Saleh will transfer his constitutional powers to his deputy Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.

Mr. Hadi will entrust a person chosen by the opposition to form a national unity government which will be shared by the ruling party with fifty pet cent.

This government will not allow any member from the ruling party or from the opposition of those who are accused  of violence and violation of human rights. 

Then, the parliament will issue a law that will protect  both  members of the opposition and  Saleh's  regime from any prosecution.

The government will form a military and security committee chaired by Mr Hadi to remove the check points and military positions from the streets.

The commanders of the military and security forces will remain in their positions including the son and nephews of Saleh and also the defected general Ali Muhsen, at least until a new president is elected after 90 days from signing.
Mr. Hadi, who is from the south, and who is respected almost by all parties, will likely be the compromised candidate  for both the opposition and the ruling party.



  

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Yemeni president in Riyadh to attend ceremony of ending the crisis 

 

By Nasser Arrabyee,23/11/2011

The Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived Wednesday  in the Saudi capital Riyadh to attend the signing ceremony of the GCC deal for power transfer.

Earlier, the Yemeni conflicting parties have finally agreed  to end their 11-month political crisis.

 The UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Bin Omar, thanked the them  on Wednesday for reaching an agreement to implement the UN resolution 2014 which called the conflicting parties to peacefully solve the problem on the basis of the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative(GCC).

"All parties have agreed to implement the GCC deal, and I would like to thank all parties for their cooperation," said the UN envoy, Bin Omar in a very short brief to journalists  in Sanaa late Tuesday.

Although the signing of the GCC and its implementation mechanism  did not happen until Wednesday November23rd, the UN envoy seemed very confident that the conflicting parties would sign after he and the American and European ambassadors finished the arrangements of signing.

The documents of the GCC deal and its implementation mechanism would be signed in both the Saudi capital Riyadh,and the Yemeni capital Sanaa to appease all parties.

The three representatives of the opposition who would sign the documents already arrived in Riyadh late Tuesday,November 22nd.
They  are the secretary general of the socialist party,Yaseen Saeed Noman,who is also the chairman of the supreme council of the Islamist-led  opposition coalition, and the secretary general of the Islamist party,Islah, Abdul Wahab Al Ansi, and the third representative is the chairman of what is called  the national council of the revolution forces, Mohammed Salem Basandwa,  who represents  the  defected tribal forces, particularly Al Ahmar family.

The three representatives from the government side, are expected to arrive in Riyadh on Wednesday. 

They are: vice president Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, the political advisor of President Saleh, Dr. Abdul Kareem Al Eryani,and the foreign minister, Abu Bakr Al Querbi.

The UN secretary general himself, Ban Ki Mon,thanked president Saleh for reacting and responding to the UN resolution 2014 and also for  his responsible leadership.

On his part,president Saleh thanked Ban Ki Mon for all efforts to solve the Yemeni crisis peacefully.

According to the State-run news agency, Saba,  in the telephone conversation, Salehb said that the UN must continue to monitor the implementation of the GCC deal after the signing. 

However, the protesters in the streets criticized the opposition parties for agreeing on the GCC deal saying it will be only in the interest of President Saleh.

 But this refusal is viewed by observers as kind of maneuvering to 
strengthen the opposition to have more  political gains while negotiating, as more than 90 percent of those protesters are members of the opposition parties and they listen and follow the instructions of their parties. 

The Islamist party, Islah, that leads the opposition coalition, which includes Islamists, Socialists, and Nasserite, has the overwhelming majority of the partisan protesters in the streets.

The implementation mechanism of the GCC deal to be signed, would be divided into two stages:

The first stage is  from the moment of signing until a new president is elected within 90 days.  

The second stage is from the time of announcing the results of election until the end of the transitional period two years later when a  referendum on a new constitution starts and then new elections.  

In the first stage, President Saleh will keep as president but without real powers.

Saleh will transfer his constitutional powers to his deputy Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.

Mr. Hadi will entrust a person chosen by the opposition to form a national unity government which will be shared by the ruling party with fifty pet cent.

This government will not allow any member from the ruling party or from the opposition of those who are accused  of violence and violation of human rights. 

Then, the parliament will issue a law that will protect  both  members of the opposition and  Saleh's  regime from any prosecution.

The government will form a military and security committee chaired by Mr Hadi to remove the check points and military positions from the streets.

The commanders of the military and security forces will remain in their positions including the son and nephews of Saleh and also the defected general Ali Muhsen, at least until a new president is elected after 90 days from signing.
Mr. Hadi, who is from the south, and who is respected almost by all parties, will likely be the compromised candidate  for both the opposition and the ruling party.



  

Thursday 17 November 2011

Yemeni women have their own revolution to equal men 

Source: CNN, 17/11/2011

Editor's note: Afrah Nasser is a Yemeni freelance journalist and blogger. She left Yemen in May 2011 after recieving threats for her anti-regime writings and opinions. She currently lives in Sweden. She tweets as @Afrahnasser.
(CNN) -- It's hard not to become distressed, when I'm carefully following the situation in Yemen since violence got worse. It's even more troublesome not to become distressed thinking that there is a bleak future waiting for Yemen.

The fight by the security forces against unarmed protesters is indeed inhuman. More than 2,000 protesters have been murdered and more than 8,000 wounded by security forces across Yemen.

Admittedly, the uprising has a long way to go but one of its great merits so far is the exceptional participation of women.

I have been astonished by the growing numbers of female protesters as the uprising has proceeded. It started with just a few women; then day after day the number multiplied.

Thousands of female protesters have been actively participating in demonstrations across the country since February 2011. 

Female doctors have been playing an important role treating wounded protesters and female activists have been running seminars on political issues.

I was astonished with the growing number of female protesters as the uprising proceeded.

Mr Saleh's (Yemen's current president) security forces arrested four female doctors on 19 April 2011, while the doctors were marching along with a peaceful demonstration to provide medical help if needed. The female doctors were released after a huge condemnation and pressure from protesters.

Even female protesters were not immune from the savage killing by pro-government thugs. On the 16 October 2011, I was saddened to see a female protester being shot dead by a thug's bullets.

Aziza Othman was murdered in Taiz during an attack at a peaceful and unarmed protest by women. A very important recognition of women's participation in Yemen's uprising is the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Tawakkol Karman, one of the leading pro-democracy figures in Yemen.
I believe that there are several motives behind this amazing participation by women -- I myself joined the protests and rallies because I want to build and improve my country.

I wanted it to be a double revolution; a political one to topple President Saleh and a feminist one to ensure that women have equal rights in what Yemenis hope will be a new Yemen. It was a double political statement: First, that women have as much right to call for democracy as men, and an indirect message to lift gender apartheid.

Indeed, it's been hard to be a woman in Yemen. A woman's gender, by default, deprives her of rights enjoyed by men. Women in Yemen have been always marginalized in law. As in many developing countries, women in Yemen suffer from limited access to healthcare, economic opportunities and education.

I remember vividly attending a seminar in Sana'a by Amal al-Basha, one of the leading feminist and human rights activists in Yemen and founder of The Arab Sisters Forum for Human Rights in in March this year. I asked her, "Do you think that the uprising will serve women's rights?"

"We have been dealing with a state system that marginalised women for over three decades; unfairly snatching their rights," she said. "Women in Yemen have only a restrained degree of legal protection in regard to family matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance.

I wanted it to be a double revolution; a political one to topple Saleh and a feminist one to assure that women have equal rights

"Many women in Yemen are forced to get married when they are still children. This corrupt system means women in Yemen have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Seven women are raped every month in Yemen, with no concrete punishment from the state for rapists.

"Women in Yemen also suffer from illiteracy. The current system provides a relatively low degree of protection for women's physical integrity.

"There are no laws against domestic violence and the law does not recognize the concept of spousal rape. There is zero observation and accountability by the government to ban the practice of female genital mutilation. How can women not call for change! Of course the uprising will serve women's rights," she told me.

In a nutshell, the participation of women in the uprising has huge merit. What women have done so far embodies their civil and political liberty.
Bearing in mind that freedom for women in Yemen is usually subject to numerous limitations; their participation in the uprising is extraordinary. What they are doing is really a protest against socio-political norms that have always limited their freedoms.

Signing GCC deal in both Riyadh and Sana’a

Challenges facing UN Envoy to Yemen to end crisis
By Nasser Arrabyee , 17/11/2011


The signing on the GCC deal and its implementation mechanism would take place early next week in both the Saudi capital Riyadh and the Yemeni capital Sana’a, said government sources on Thursday.
The initial signing would happen in Riyadh and then the final would be in Sana’a. The Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi would sign both documents for the government side, the sources said.
It's been one week now since the UN envoy arrived to Yemen to end the 10-month long political crisis.

In the first week of his current sixth round, Jamal Bin Omar has achieved very little, but still seemed determined and optimistic to achieve more before he briefs the Security Council on November 21st, 2011.

On Tuesday November 15th, Bin Omar discussed with President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the presidential palace in Sana’a the steps of transferring the power according to the internationally and regionally supported deal which was brokered by the Saudi-led six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC.

In the meeting Saleh said he is sticking to the GCC and the UNSC resolution 2014 which urged the conflicting parties to implement the GCC deal.

Bin Omar said the UN resolution 2014 calls for a compromised political solution based on the GCC deal. The political solution is an early presidential elections with the opposition and ruling party agreeing on one candidate.

This candidate would most likely be the current vice president Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.

However, leaders of the Islamist-led opposition parties are still outside Yemen until late Tuesday despite the repeated calls for them to come back from Bin Omar, US and EU ambassadors. However, they are expected to get back and meet Bin Omar before he leave Sana’a on Saturday November 19th, 2011, for New York to brief the UN Security Council on what he achieved.

Bin Omar said the international community would condemn any party that would not stop violence and violation of human rights. He also said there would no guarantees for any violator of human rights and freedoms.

He regretted the continuation of violence from the armed conflicting parties which caused a lot of sufferings to civilians. He said he and UN is against violence from any party.

President Saleh said he is ready to step down within 90 days maximum if his deputy reached a scheduled mechanism for implementing the GCC deal.

" I am not clinging to power, whoever clings to power is a mad," Saleh said on Monday in televised statements.

But Saleh said without reaching an agreement on how and when to implement the GCC deal , Yemenis will go to an all-out civil war.

Two important and controversial issues faced the UN envoy since he arrived last week.

The ruling party wanted the GCC initiative to be signed simultaneously with its implementation mechanism while the opposition wanted President Saleh or his deputy to sign the GCC first and then its implementation mechanism signed in Riyadh later.

The ruling party wanted the leaders of the opposition to get back from outside Yemen to finalize the last details of the implementation mechanism of the GCC. To find a middle point, the signing on the two documents (GCC deal and its implementation mechanism) might happen in Riyadh and Sana’a. The initial signing would happen in Riyadh and then the final would be in Sana’a. The Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi would sign both documents for the government side.

The secretary general of the socialist party, Yassin Saeed Noman, secretary general of the Islamist party, Abdul Wahab Al Ansi,and chairman of the national council, Mohammed Ba Sundwa are still mobilizing support outside Yemen since middle of October and they do not want to get back until the GCC is signed despite the American and European calls for them to get back.

The ruling party also wants guarantees From opposition or from international community to end protests as soon as the national government is formed according to the implementation mechanism of the GCC.

The opposition keep saying their protesters have the right to demonstrate and sit in regardless of any agreement between the parties.

Furthermore, there are three considerable groups who completely refuse the GCC deal as a solution for the Yemeni crisis.

In south, the southern separatist movement group refuses the GCC deal and describes it as a northern issue that has nothing to do with them.

The Shiite rebels of Al Houthi in the north,also refuse the GCC deal as something that excludes them and enhances the persecution from the sunni groups from which they have been complaining.

The GCC deal is believed to be in favor of the historic opponents of the Shiite Al Houthi group.

The sunni Islamist party, Islah and the defected general Ali Muhsen, who is very close to Islah and who led six wars against Al Houthi, are the historic opponents of Al Houthi group.

Al Houthi group is the second largest and influential group after Islah that dominates the Yemen main opposition coalition which includes Islamists, Socialists and Nasserites.

From March to this month, hundreds of people were killed and injured in fierce battles between Islah and Houthi in Al Jawf, Saada and Hajja provinces. Each group wants to control as much as possible of these provinces in the absence of the central government because of the current unrest.

On Monday November 14th, 2011, for instance, 10 people from both sides were killed after Al Houthi fighters arrested and killed a suicide bomber allegedly from Islah who tried to blow himself up in a big group of Al Houthi followers who were celebrating their sacred annual day of Al Ghafeer in the area of Matoon, in Al Jawf province, north east of Yemen.

The third group that refuses the GCC deal is Al Qaeda. This terrorist group denies both the opposition and the government and described them as the
"agents of Americans, the enemies of Muslims and Islam".

In the areas under their control as Taliban-Style Islamic Emirates in the south of the country, Al Qaeda whips, cuts hands, and executes as punishments for anyone who violates what they call Shariah law

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Challenges facing UN Envoy to Yemen  to end crisis 

By Nasser Arrabyee , 15/11/2011


It's been one week now since the UN envoy arrived to Yemen to end the 10-month long political crisis. 

In the first week of his current sixth round, Jamal Bin Omar has achieved very little,but still seemed determined and optimistic to achieve more before he briefs the Security Council on November 21st, 2011.

On Tuesday November 15th, Bin Omar discussed with President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the presidential palace in Sanaa the steps of transferring the power according to the internationally and regionally supported deal which was brokered by the Saudi-led six nations  of the Gulf Cooperation Council,GCC.

In the meeting Saleh said he is sticking to the GCC and the UNSC resolution 2014 which urged the conflicting parties to implement the GCC deal.

Bin Omar said the UN resolution 2014 calls for a compromised political solution based on the GCC deal. The political solution is an early  presidential elections with the opposition and ruling party agreeing on one candidate. 

This candidate  would most likely be  the current vice president Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi. 

However, leaders of the Islamist-led opposition parties are still outside Yemen until late Tuesday despite the repeated calls for them to come back from Bin Omar, US and EU ambassadors.

Bin Omar said the international community would condemn any party that would not stop violence and violation of human rights. 

He regretted the continuation of violence from the armed conflicting parties which caused a lot of sufferings to civilians.

President Saleh said he is ready to step down within 90 days maximum if his deputy reached a scheduled mechanism for implementing the GCC deal.

" I am not clinging to power, whoever clings to power is a mad," Saleh said on Monday in televised statements.

But Saleh said without reaching an agreement on how and when to implement the GCC deal , Yemenis  will go to an all-out cvil war.

Two important and controversial issues  faced the UN envoy since he arrived last week.

The ruling party wanted the  GCC initiative to be signed simultaneously with its implementation mechanism while the opposition wanted  President Saleh or his deputy  to sign  the GCC first and then its implementation mechanism signed  in Riyadh later.

The ruling party wanted the leaders of the opposition to get back from outside Yemen to finalize the last details of the implementation mechanism of the GCC. 

The secretary general of the socialist party, Yassin Saeed Noman, secretary general of the Islamist party, Abdul Wahab Al Ansi,and chairman of the national council, Mohammed Ba Sundwa are still mobilizing support outside Yemen since middle of October and they do not want to get back until the GCC is signed despite the American and European calls for them to get back.

The ruling party also wants guarantees   From opposition or from international community  to end protests as soon as the national government is formed according to the implementation mechanism of the GCC.

The opposition keep saying their protesters have the right to demonstrate and sit in regardless of any agreement between the parties.

Furthermore, there are three considerable groups who completely refuse the GCC deal as a solution for the Yemeni crisis.

In south, the southern separatist movement group refuses  the GCC deal and describes  it as a northern issue that has nothing to do with them.

The Shiite rebels of Al Houthi in the north,also refuse the GCC deal as something that excludes them and enhances the persecution from the sunni groups from which they have been complaining. 

The GCC deal is believed to be in favor of the historic opponents of the Shiite Al Houthi group.

The sunni Islamist party, Islah and the defected general Ali Muhsen, who is very close to Islah and who led six wars against Al Houthi, are the historic opponents of     Al Houthi group.
 
Al Houthi group is the second largest and influential group after  Islah that dominates the Yemen main opposition coalition which includes Islamists, Socialists and Nasserites.

From March to this month, hundreds of   people were killed and injured in  fierce battles between Islah and Houthi in Al Jawf, Saada and Hajja provinces. Each group wants to control as much as possible  of these provinces in the absence of the central government because of the current unrest.

On Monday November 14th, 2011, for instance, 10 people from both sides were killed after Al Houthi  fighters arrested and killed a suicide bomber allegedly from Islah who tried to  blow himself up in a big group of Al Houthi followers who were celebrating their sacred annual day of Al Ghafeer in the area of Matoon, in Al Jawf province, north east of Yemen.

The third group that refuses the GCC deal is Al Qaeda. This terrorist group denies both the opposition and the government and described  them as the
 "agents of Americans, the enemies of Muslims and Islam". 

In the areas under their control as Taliban-Style Islamic Emirates in the south of the country,  Al Qaeda whips, cuts hands, and executes as punishments for anyone who violates what they call Shariah law.

(((((

Challenges facing UN Envoy to Yemen  to end crisis 

By Nasser Arrabyee , 15/11/2011


It's been one week now since the UN envoy arrived to Yemen to end the 10-month long political crisis. 

In the first week of his current sixth round, Jamal Bin Omar has achieved very little,but still seemed determined and optimistic to achieve more before he briefs the Security Council on November 21st, 2011.

On Tuesday November 15th, Bin Omar discussed with President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the presidential palace in Sanaa the steps of transferring the power according to the internationally and regionally supported deal which was brokered by the Saudi-led six nations  of the Gulf Cooperation Council,GCC.

In the meeting Saleh said he is sticking to the GCC and the UNSC resolution 2014 which urged the conflicting parties to implement the GCC deal.

Bin Omar said the UN resolution 2014 calls for a compromised political solution based on the GCC deal. The political solution is an early  presidential elections with the opposition and ruling party agreeing on one candidate. 

This candidate  would most likely be  the current vice president Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi. 

However, leaders of the Islamist-led opposition parties are still outside Yemen until late Tuesday despite the repeated calls for them to come back from Bin Omar, US and EU ambassadors.

Bin Omar said the international community would condemn any party that would not stop violence and violation of human rights. 

He regretted the continuation of violence from the armed conflicting parties which caused a lot of sufferings to civilians.

President Saleh said he is ready to step down within 90 days maximum if his deputy reached a scheduled mechanism for implementing the GCC deal.

" I am not clinging to power, whoever clings to power is a mad," Saleh said on Monday in televised statements.

But Saleh said without reaching an agreement on how and when to implement the GCC deal , Yemenis  will go to an all-out cvil war.

Two important and controversial issues  faced the UN envoy since he arrived last week.

The ruling party wanted the  GCC initiative to be signed simultaneously with its implementation mechanism while the opposition wanted  President Saleh or his deputy  to sign  the GCC first and then its implementation mechanism signed  in Riyadh later.

The ruling party wanted the leaders of the opposition to get back from outside Yemen to finalize the last details of the implementation mechanism of the GCC. 

The secretary general of the socialist party, Yassin Saeed Noman, secretary general of the Islamist party, Abdul Wahab Al Ansi,and chairman of the national council, Mohammed Ba Sundwa are still mobilizing support outside Yemen since middle of October and they do not want to get back until the GCC is signed despite the American and European calls for them to get back.

The ruling party also wants guarantees   From opposition or from international community  to end protests as soon as the national government is formed according to the implementation mechanism of the GCC.

The opposition keep saying their protesters have the right to demonstrate and sit in regardless of any agreement between the parties.

Furthermore, there are three considerable groups who completely refuse the GCC deal as a solution for the Yemeni crisis.

In south, the southern separatist movement group refuses  the GCC deal and describes  it as a northern issue that has nothing to do with them.

The Shiite rebels of Al Houthi in the north,also refuse the GCC deal as something that excludes them and enhances the persecution from the sunni groups from which they have been complaining. 

The GCC deal is believed to be in favor of the historic opponents of the Shiite Al Houthi group.

The sunni Islamist party, Islah and the defected general Ali Muhsen, who is very close to Islah and who led six wars against Al Houthi, are the historic opponents of     Al Houthi group.
 
Al Houthi group is the second largest and influential group after  Islah that dominates the Yemen main opposition coalition which includes Islamists, Socialists and Nasserites.

From March to this month, hundreds of   people were killed and injured in  fierce battles between Islah and Houthi in Al Jawf, Saada and Hajja provinces. Each group wants to control as much as possible  of these provinces in the absence of the central government because of the current unrest.

On Monday November 14th, 2011, for instance, 10 people from both sides were killed after Al Houthi  fighters arrested and killed a suicide bomber allegedly from Islah who tried to  blow himself up in a big group of Al Houthi followers who were celebrating their sacred annual day of Al Ghafeer in the area of Matoon, in Al Jawf province, north east of Yemen.

The third group that refuses the GCC deal is Al Qaeda. This terrorist group denies both the opposition and the government and described  them as the
 "agents of Americans, the enemies of Muslims and Islam". 

In the areas under their control as Taliban-Style Islamic Emirates in the south of the country,  Al Qaeda whips, cuts hands, and executes as punishments for anyone who violates what they call Shariah law.

(((((

Monday 14 November 2011

President Saleh to quit in 90 days after reaching agreement on how to implement GCC-deal

Source: Xinhua, 15/11/2011

SANAA-Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Monday said he would leave office in 90 days after reaching an agreement on a scheduled operating mechanism for implementing the Gulf-brokered initiative for power transfer.

"I will step down in 90 days after reaching an agreement with the opposition on a scheduled operating mechanism for implementing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative and signing it," Saleh said in an interview with France's Arabic-language Channel 24 television late on Monday.

"I do not mind to leave in 30, or 60 or 90 days ... the most important is we have to reach an agreement on a scheduled mechanism for implementing the deal," Saleh said.

Saleh has backed out from signing the initiative for three times in the last minutes since the deal was brokered in April.

"The ruling party and the opposition have agreed on more than 80 percent of the initiative's terms," Saleh said, denying reports that "he has refused to sign it."

"In fact, we do not want a new Gadhafi in the region, as I'm aware that anyone who clings to power is mad," Saleh said.

Asked if there was pressure exercised on him to leave power, Saleh said: "Yes, the United States and the international community put a lot of pressure on me to leave office, but I got used to such scenarios."

Meanwhile, the opposition coalition Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) accused Saleh of stalling the process of transferring power, in a statement posted on the opposition media.

Saleh has confronted 10-month-old protest calling for an end to his 33-year rule. The long-running political crisis triggered violence that killed thousands of people since late January, causing the collapse of security situation and the economic sector in the impoverished country.

The GCC deal, which was backed by the UN Security Resolution 2014, stipulates President Saleh to hand over power to his deputy Hadi and quit in 30 days in return for immunity from prosecution. Hadi would then form an opposition-led national government and arrange presidential elections in 60 days.

3 French Aid Workers Freed In Yemen

3 French Aid Workers Freed In Yemen

Source: AP, 14/11/2011

- Three French aid workers held hostage by al-Qaida militants in Yemen have been freed with the help of the sultan of Oman after nearly six months in captivity, the French president's office said Monday.

Kidnappers linked to al-Qaida's offshoot in the region had demanded a $12 million in exchange for the three, and had threatened to kill the hostages if ransom wasn't paid imminently, according to Yemeni officials.

A Yemeni mediator said the Omani government and a Yemeni businessman paid a ransom, though he gave no figure and the ransom couldn't immediately be confirmed.

The hostage ordeal came amid an uprising against the 30-year reign of President Ali Abdullah Saleh that has unraveled security in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country. Al-Qaida-linked militants have taken control of entire towns in the country's restive south.

The aid group Triangle Generation Humanitaire said the workers were in good health. But the circumstances of their release remained murky.

The senior Yemeni tribal mediator said Oman and Yemeni tribesmen negotiated the release, and that the hostages were handed over to mediators one by one. He said a helicopter carried the hostages from the southern Yemeni city of Shabwa — a hotbed of Islamic militants — to Oman late Sunday.

The mediator spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press. He didn't give further details.

Authorities in Oman did not comment on the release or its government's role. Oman never made a public comment about its mediation role in freeing three U.S. hikers detained in Iran.

French authorities insist the government doesn't pay ransoms. French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office issued a statement announcing the release early Monday, but provided no details of what happened.

Sarkozy "warmly thanks the sultan of Oman and the Oman authorities for their decisive help, as well as all those who contributed to this happy outcome," the statement said, without elaborating.

The two women and one man from Triangle Generation Humanitaire were abducted May 28 in eastern Yemen's Hadramawt province, which is home to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

"We know they are in good physical shape," a director of the group, Patrick Verbruggen, told The Associated Press. "We are sharing a moment of happiness."

He said he had no details about how they were released, whether a ransom was paid, or when they would return to France.

The aid group, based in Lyon, France, pulled out its expatriate employees from Yemen after the kidnapping, though Yemeni employees remain. The group works on projects to improve water supplies and farming infrastructure.

Abdu al-Janadi, a Yemeni government spokesman, told reporters on Sunday the hostages were held by al-Qaida militants in Shabwa and that the abductors threatened to kill the hostages if the Yemeni government didn't pay a ransom by the end of the week.

Kidnappings are common in Yemen, where tribesmen use abductions to try to force concessions from the government, such as the release of fellow tribesmen in prison.

Yemeni government forces and allied tribesmen killed 10 militants in attacks around the country Sunday, security officials said. A visiting U.N. envoy met with Saleh to push for a solution to the country's political crisis.

___

Sunday 13 November 2011

Yemeni VP warns of "hunger revolution" if all sides fail to reach power transfer deal

Source: 13/11/2011

SANAA- Yemeni Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi warned on Saturday that a "hunger revolution" is looming in his impoverished country if all sides fail to finalize a UN-backed power transition deal to end long-running unrest.

Hadi made the warning in a meeting here with visiting UN envoy to Yemen Jamal bin Omar and ambassadors of the permanent member countries of the UN Security Council to Yemen, the state-run Saba news agency reported.

"We fear that a hunger revolution will ensue from the 10-month- long political impasse if the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative is not finalized soon as many civilians without affiliating with any political parties were the most affected in the various aspects of life," Hadi said.

"The remaining differences between the ruling party and the opposition still hamper the signing of the deal," he said, adding "85 percent of the differences were resolved."

The GCC deal, which was backed by the UN Security Resolution 2014, stipulates Saleh to sign it and hand power to his deputy Hadi and quit in 30 days in return for immunity from prosecution. Hadi would then form an opposition-led national government and arrange presidential elections in 60 days.

The opposition coalition Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) signed the deal in May while Saleh backed out from signing it in the last minutes during three separate occasions.

The new development came three days after bin Omar arrived in Sanaa in a sixth attempt to follow up the implementation of the UN resolution adopted on Oct. 21 to call on Saleh to sign the initiative and end violence.

The upheaval in the country has left thousands of people killed and injured since the eruption of protest in late January to demand an end to Saleh's 33-year rule.

Saturday 12 November 2011

International solution for Yemen's crisis ignored by southern separatists who want only independence 

Hirak  leader calls for beleaguered regime in Sana'a to accept south's self-determination demands

Source: The Guardian by Tom Finn in Aden, 12/11:2011


Leaders of a five-year secessionist movement in Yemen's restive south are threatening to overturn a 1990 unification deal and declare independence, amid growing frustration that their grievances are being overshadowed by the bloody power struggle raging in the country's northern capital Sana'a.

"We give the regime this ultimatum: either you acknowledge our legitimate demands to self-determination or you will soon find Yemen split once again into two countries," said General Nasser al-Taweel, a prominent leader of the Hirak, or southern secessionist movement.

Years of maltreatment and neglect at the hands of the Sana'a government had left many in Yemen's south querying the value of the 1990 merger between the then Marxist-led south and the tribal-dominated north.

Now, with President Ali Abdullah Saleh's armed forces battling renegade soldiers and tribal militias in Sana'a, the separatists are seizing the opportunity of a weakened central government to try to see through their claim to independence.

In the southern port city of Aden, a former British colony built in the dusty crevices of an extinct volcano, the Hirak, who for years bristled at the region's marginalisation under northern rule, have emerged from the shadows. Bus stops draped in the blue, red, and white flags of the former socialist republic of South Yemen and kitted out with amplifiers have been transformed into makeshift protest stages and podiums for the delivery of defiant "anti-unity" speeches.

In the suburbs, abandoned government buildings overlook alleys strewn with shattered paving slabs and heaps of smouldering rubbish, ominous reminders of the running street battles between separatist demonstrators and security forces that still haunt the city.

Even the hoarding showing the president outside the airport has not survived the Hirak's blitzkrieg. "Get out Ali, you dog, free the south!" is scrawled in thick red paint across the ruler's eyes.

Years of intimidation, floggings and midnight arrests by the regime's secret police had forced most of the Hirak's leadership abroad or underground. Now they move freely about the city, 
organising weekly rallies and holding round-table discussions in coffee shops and restaurants. 

"The regime is expending all its firepower on the north," said Mohammed Omar Ahmed Jubran, an elderly Hirak leader, addressing a group of youth activists in a ramshackle tea shop in downtown Aden. "We must seize this opportunity to regain our rights."

Though the south is home to only a fifth of Yemen's 22 million people, it generates the majority of the impoverished Arab country's wealth. Up to 80% of oil production comes from the south, along with its fisheries and Aden's port and refinery

But southerners claim they have lost out since unity both in terms of access to local power and jobs – the governors of all seven southern provinces are from the north – and as a result of systematic land grabs by well-connected northerners.

"How is that a northern sheikh can own a farm in the south that is bigger than Dubai, while an ordinary southern citizen cannot find 15 square metres to build a house on?" said Mohammed Al-Azaadi, a final year medical student at Aden university. "They have looted the foundations of our state. Now all we have left now is our blood."
Others lament the loss of the liberal culture that once pervaded Aden, blaming this on an infiltration of conservative Islam from the north.
Adeni women say they had better access to education and jobs before unity. Others voice bitterness over rigid dress codes imposed by Islamists who gained influence after the 1994 civil war.

"In the 80s women and men here reached greater equality than many parts of Europe," said Raqiya Homeidan, 66, an outspoken defender of women's rights and the first woman in the Arabian Peninsula to become a practising lawyer. "Now we've gone back a century." The advent of Egyptian-inspired protests in February saw flurries of co-operation between protesters in the north and south.
Both agreed to raise neither the Southern nor the Yemeni flag during demonstrations in order not to fracture opposition voices and undermine the immediate goal of regime change.
But euphoria has given way to disenchantment.

Many southerners are convinced that the Islamist-dominated opposition are more interested in its own political ambitions than addressing their popular grievances.

"They [the opposition] do not recognise our struggle as a political one. They speak about us as if we are an inconvenience not an independence movement," said Saleh Bin Farid Al-Awlaki, a prominent southern sheikh and wealthy businessman backing the secessionists.

But the south now has religious radicals of its own to contend with. Thousands of refugees have fled Islamist militants who have captured cities in the neighbouring province of Abyan.

Packed into the dingy classrooms of primary schools across Aden, they recall with terror the sight of the self-described "guardians of Islam" overrunning cities and plundering weapons factories after a swift retreat by army forces. But some accuse Saleh of deliberately fomenting conflict in Abyan in order to make the south seem unworthy of statehood.
The southern movement still lacks unity, strong leadership and international support, said Prof Abdul Faqih, a professor of politics at Sana'a University.

 "But this problem is not about to go away. The southern issue is to Yemen what Palestine is to the Middle East: until it is addressed there can be no stability in the region."

Friday 11 November 2011

Al Qaeda whips drug dealers in its "Emirates" in south of Yemen

 

 Source: AKI,11/11/2011
                      
Sanaa- Al-Qaeda militants have publically whipped accused drug dealers in the southern Abyen province, warning people in the city of Jaar that they could suffer a similar punishment if they dabble in drugs, according to local media.

The insurgents Thursday afternoon warned onlookers of the whipping that a similar fate awaits them if they turn to drug use or dealing, according to newspaper Hayat Aden, citing eye witness accounts.

The suspected dealers were accused of selling hallucinogens named after figures like Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh - all Arab leaders contested by violent protests in the so-called Arab Spring revolts.

Al-Qaeda has declared an Islamic emirate is southern Yemen's Abyen province where they control considerable territory and seek to impose Sharia, or Islamic law.

Yemeni ancient capital Sanaa damaged by violent unrest

Sanaa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Source: Los Angeles Times , 11/11/2011

Much is at stake in the old city, its buildings covered in geometric designs of white gypsum and glimmers of stained glass, a place so striking that it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 By Zaid al-Alayaa and Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times
November 11, 2011 Reporting from Sana, Yemen, and Cairo
 
The tanks, mortars and firefights rumbling and crackling through the ancient city of Sana are endangering not only Yemen's future but also its magnificent architectural past of intricately decorated earthen houses and slender brick towers.

The old city, with its stealthy alleys and fortress walls, is one of the most striking visions in the Arab world, a bit of fairy tale in a harsh, despotically ruled land. 

But once-peaceful protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh that have escalated to street battles involving tribes, government forces and mutinous soldiers are encroaching on the historic center, settled more than 2,500 years ago and named a World Heritage Site in 1986 by the United Nations.

"It is very sad that the people in charge are not taking care of such a precious treasure," said Ibrahim Dhawi, who owns a souvenir shop not far from 12 historic homes damaged by shelling in October. 

"I'm really afraid that if the attacks against the old city continue, Sana might lose a lot and so will the Islamic and Arabian cultures."

Nine months of unrest have battered a country edging toward civil war as secessionists plot in the south and Al Qaeda militants assassinate security officials and seize control of towns. Most of the fighting thus far in Sana, the capital, has erupted outside the old city's stone and earthen walls, but gunfire, explosions and stray mortar rounds have been creeping closer.
"Sana is living history that Yemenis should take pride in and protect," said Abdullah Zaid Ayssa, head of the General Organization for Preservation of Historic Cities of Yemen. 

"The old city of Sana is a source of income as a tourist site that needs to be protected and restored. It is very strange that people from the conflicting sides — regardless of who it might be — have attacked such an essential part of history, not just of Yemen but the world."

The enclave of about 66,000 people has endured invaders, wars, religious upheaval and droughts for millenniums. Sana occupied a prominent place in the emerging Islamic faith in the 7th and 8th centuries. 

Its houses, towers and minarets are mixtures of packed earth and kiln-fired brick decorated with geometric designs colored with white gypsum and glimmers of stained glass. 

From afar, the narrow, flat-top buildings appear like a delicate city in miniature. The last major renovation occurred during the Ottoman Empire.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization describes the old city with the mystique one might read in a travelogue from another era: "The ochre of the buildings blends into the bistre-colored earth of the nearby mountains. 

Within the city, minarets pierce the skyline and spacious green bustans (gardens) are scattered between the densely packed houses, mosques, bath buildings and caravanserais."

But these days, modern weaponry and political intrigue are jeopardizing the capital as Saleh refuses to relinquish his 33-year rule amid international pressure and multiplying domestic enemies. 

Years of poverty, new construction and failed government oversight also have marred the old city's aura by leaving historic buildings in disrepair.

"People who live here are of limited income and cannot help restore the houses," said preservationist Ayssa. "There is a lack of awareness. The old city is under threat."

UNESCO recently urged the Saleh government to better protect the old city's architectural character, expressing "deep concern" about the state of preservation. 

The historic center contains 12,000 buildings, including more than 45 mosques, 42 gardens, 49 orchards, 16 baths and 48 markets, most notably the sprawling Salt Market that over the centuries sold copper, spices and slaves.

"People of the old city cannot restore the buildings themselves," said Qanaf Sharib, a neighborhood leader. 

"They need help from the government, otherwise the city will lose its charm."
Hundreds of residents gathered last month at Friday prayers and called for the ouster of Saleh, mutinous soldiers and opposition figures. 

The demonstrators, calling themselves the Silent Majority, shouted, "They all must go!"

The residents and shopkeepers demanded peace and an end to inflation and months of insecurity that have driven tourists away and ruined the economy.

"I'm afraid that the old city will become another battlefield," said Dhawi, the souvenir seller, who daily endures blackouts and barricades.

jeffrey.fleishman@latimes.com

Special correspondent Al-Alayaa reported from Sana and Times staff writer Fleishman from Cairo.

 
 
 

Thursday 10 November 2011

UN envoy in Yemen in his sixth attempt  to end the crisis

By Nasser Arrabyee , 10/11/2011

Two important and controversial issues are facing the UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar who arrived in Sanaa Thursday, November 10,2011 to monitor the implementation of  Security Council resolution 2014, which urged the conflicting parties in Yemen to end the 10-month political crisis.

The ruling party wants the  GCC initiative to be signed simultaneously with its implementation mechanism while the opposition wants to sign the latter in Riyadh later.

The ruling party wants the leaders of the opposition to get back from outside Yemen to finalize the last details of the implementation mechanism of the GCC. 

The secretary general of the socialist party, Yassin Saeed Noman, secretary general of the Islamist party, Abdul Wahab Al Ansi,and chairman of the national council, Mohammed Ba Sundwa are still mobilizing support outside Yemen since middle of October and they do not want to get back until the GCC is signed despite the American and European calls for them to get back.

The ruling party also wants guarantees   From opposition to end protests as soon as the national government is formed according to the implementation mechanism of the GCC.

The opposition keep saying their protesters have the right to demonstrate and sit in regardless of any agreement between the parties.

After the UNSC 2014,  the UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar hopes to end the Yemen  crisis in his current round, the sixth since the beginning of the crisis earlier this year.

Bin Omar was supposed to arrive in Yemen at the end of October. 

But he delayed the trip to November 10th, after  senior  officials left Yemen for medical check ups outside Yemen.

The Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was then  supposed to authorize his deputy to sign a Gulf-brokered deal and implement   all its steps until a new president is elected.

However, vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi left for United States for necessary medical check ups.

And so did the political advisor of President Saleh, Dr Abdul Kareem Al Eryani, who is the chief negotiator with the opposition forces about the GCC deal.

The UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Bin Omar,consequently, delayed his trip to Yemen after the vice President Mr Hadi  had coordinated with him and told how long he would take for medical checks in US.

Both Mr Hadi and Mr Al Eryani are scheduled to return to Sanaa on November 4 and 3 respectively.

According to reliable sources in government and opposition, the UN envoy Bin Omar,will arrive on February  10 to attend the final consultations meeting with both sides before the GCC is signed by the vice President Mr Hadi.

Some of the opposition politicians confirmed Tuesday February 1st that they were informed by the US ambassador that Saleh had agreed to authorize his deputy to act for him until a new president is elected within three months maximum after the GCC deal is signed.

The authorization decree will stipulate that Saleh will remain president until a new president is elected  and that the  authorized deputy should not cancel him. This is a kind of guarantee.

Immediately, after the GCC deal is signed by Mr Hadi, and the implementation mechanism is approved by both sides , the UN Security Council  would issue a resolution binding all conflicting parties to implement the mechanism step by step and the UN envoy Bin Omar would be monitoring all steps and performance of all parties.  

After being authorized by President Saleh, vice president Mr Hadi,would entrust someone nominated by the opposition to form a  national unity government from the opposition coalition and the ruling party.

The opposition-chaired government would form a military and security committee chaired by Mr Hadi, to control the army and security. 

The son and three nephews of President Saleh will remain in their positions  as important commanders in army and security  until the end of the transitional period. 

Then, the vice president would call for presidential elections within three month. 

Mr Hadi himself would be the candidate of both the ruling party and the opposition as a man of national consensus.

Hadi would elected as a transitional president for two years during which all political and constitutional issues are supposed to be solved. 

However, the situation on the ground  remains  tense and escalation continues. The protesters refuse the GCC and insist on the ouster president Saleh without conditions, despite the fact that  more than 90 percent of them belong to the opposition parties who are involved in the GCC deal and negotiations with the ruling party.

The armed opposition tribesmen supported by defected troops are still in almost daily confrontations with the government forces inside the capital and other places.  

 ))))In an  online conference last week,  
Nasser Arrabyee  who writes for Yemen Observer, asked the US DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR NEAR EASTERN AFFAIRS TAMARA WITTES this question:

  Political tyranny and corruption led to the current popular uprising in Yemen, but this uprising is now being exploited by traditional tribal and religious forces that may repeat the same political tyranny and corruption and maybe even worse.  What would the U.S. government do to help Yemenis who want real democracy and not just changing the regime with a worse one?


And MS. WITTES answered: I  think anytime there is an opening in society, there are going to be those who try and come in to work that change on behalf of their own interests.  That’s politics.  But the Yemeni people are determined, it seems to me, and they’ve demonstrated that determination through months and months of peaceful demonstrations, calling for political transition and calling for democracy in Yemen.  To me, it’s the Yemeni people who will be the guarantors that in any political transition they will get the change they seek.  The – it’s going to be Yemeni people who need to be able to hold their new leaders accountable for the promises that they’ve made.
Now in order to do that, you need good democratic rules, good institutions, and you need an environment in which rights are respected so that Yemeni citizens can speak freely about what’s going on and can hold their government to account.  I think in all the work that the United States has tried to do diplomatically with others in the international community to promote a political transition in Yemen, we have held in mind these aspirations of the Yemeni people, but ultimately it will be Yemeni citizens who are going to have to enforce those expectations on their new leaders.
(((((

Yemen Nobel peace prize winner described as criminal and traitor 

A fundamentalist cleric described the Yemeni noble peace prize winner as a  " criminal, and traitor" calling  her for repentance.

" Tawakul Karman was given the prize of Jews and Christians as a reward for her major treason of Islam, State and the People," said The Salafi cleric Mohammed Al Emam in a lengthy lecture  on Ms Karman.

On October 7th, 2011, the Yemeni political activist Tawakul Karman was announced as a co-winner of the Nobel peace prize with two other Liberian women.

" This woman corrupted the women and men, and she and  those like her need to repent to Allah Almighty before they die," said Al  Emam in his lecture which was widely  distributed in Yemen by  followers this week.

Mohammed Al Emam,  heads one of  the largest and most famous and extremist  Salafi schools in Yemen.

In addition to his School, located in town  of Mabar, some 70 km south of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, there are about 4,000 other similar Salafi schools scattered all over the poor country. 

Gulf Salafi  businessmen and other religious groups, especially from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, financially and logistically support these schools.

"This woman called for rebellion against Allah, and his Messenger and Hejab, and this a criminal call," said the Salafi cleric who has tens of thousands of followers in Yemen.

Al Emam also blasted Tawakul's party, the Islamist party, Islah and called its leaders to repent to Allah Almighty as well for  dealing with the enemies, in a clear reference to Americans and Westerners in general. 

U.N. envoy  arrives in Yemen to make new push for power transfer

Source: Reuters, 10/11/2011

SANAA-A UN envoy returns to Yemen on Thursday in a fresh bid to persuade Ali Abdullah Saleh to hand over power under a Gulf-brokered peace plan, following reports the president is inching towards accepting the proposal.

Officials said Jamal Benomar would meet Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has been mandated by Saleh to negotiate details of the handover deal with an alliance of opposition parties and sign it.

Benomar will also meet opposition leaders as part of the effort to implement the proposal brokered by the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council in April to end protests by Yemeni demanding that Saleh step down after 33 years in office.

"We are waiting for the leaders of the opposition and Benomar to arrive in Sanaa tomorrow (Thursday) to resume discussions on details of the Gulf initiative so it can be signed," the head of the information department at the ruling General People's Congress party, Tareq al-Shami, told Reuters.

Yemen has been rocked by months of protests that have put one of the poorest countries in the Arab world on the brink of civil war, a situation that could threaten the stability of neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter.

Opposition sources said that under the Gulf plan, Saleh would issue a decree handing over all powers to Hadi. The vice president would then sign the Gulf initiative and name an opposition politician to form a new national unity government that would start preparing for early elections.

If Benomar's mission is successful, the accord is expected to be signed in a ceremony in Saudi Arabia by mid-November, Yemeni officials said.

Benomar's trip comes after France said the European Union planned to discuss freezing Saleh's assets. The U.N. Security Council has unanimously condemned Yemen's crackdown on protesters and urged Saleh to sign the Gulf-brokered peace deal.

Saleh has backed away three times in the past from signing the Gulf plan, adding conditions including remaining president until a new head of state was elected, according to officials.

But Saleh has recently said he has dropped such conditions and intends to leave office once the peace plan is signed.

An opposition spokeswoman was sceptical.

"We cannot say there is real progress regarding any transfer of power until the Gulf initiative has been signed," Houriya Mashhour, of the opposition's National Council of the Revolution, told Reuters.

Tuesday 8 November 2011

11  Al-Qaida-Linked Militants Killed in South Yemen

Source: AP,08/11/2011

By GAMAL ABDUL-FATTAH Associated Press

Yemeni security forces killed six militants and injured many others Monday in fighting in a southern town seized by Islamists earlier this year, a security official said.

Monday's fighting brings the town of Zinjibar's 3-day death toll to 11. Forces killed five militants there Saturday.

Security has collapsed across the Arab world's poorest country during the 9-month popular uprising seeking to oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh. This has allowed al-Qaida linked militants to overrun a number of towns in the country's south. Yemeni security forces have been fighting for months to push them out, with frequent deaths and injuries on both sides.

The official said fighting in Zinjibar raged until the early hours of Monday. He said several members of the security forces were injured, but he did not say how many.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.