Mass protests in Yemen; Saleh refuses to step down unless rivals quit power positions

Source: AL ARABIYA

By AL ARABIYA WITH AGENCIES

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters called on Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to quit, in a mass protest after Friday prayers a day after the embattled leader said he will not step down.

The demonstrators marched along a main avenue in the capital, chanting “victory for our Yemen and our Syria” in a statement of support for Syrian pro-democracy activists calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

“Oh God, give victory to Syria and Yemen, Oh God... let Saleh and Bashar fall,” they chanted as they emerged in their tens of thousands from Friday prayers, according to AFP.

Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, says he will step down only if his powerful rivals are not allowed to remain in power. (Photo by Reuters)

Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, says he will step down only if his powerful rivals are not allowed to remain in power. (Photo by Reuters)

In Syria pro-democracy activists had called for protests on Friday under the slogan “victory for Syria, victory for Yemen.”

Also in Sana’a, thousands of pro-Saleh activists voiced their support for the president.

The rival protests came just a day after Saleh told The Washington Post that he will not step down if his rivals are allowed to compete in future elections.

He was referring specifically to dissident General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar who defected earlier this year in support of anti-government protesters, and powerful tribal chief Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar.

Another powerful rival to Saleh is opposition tribal chief Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, leader of the powerful Ahmar clan. Saleh said members of the clan should not be allowed to hold senior political positions or military posts.

“If we transfer power and they are there, this will mean that we have given into a coup,” he said. “If we transfer power, and they are in their positions, and they are still decision-makers, this will be very dangerous. This will lead to civil war.”

The 69-year-old president has repeatedly refused to sign a power transfer deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council under which he would hand over power to Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi in return for immunity from prosecution.

 If we transfer power and they are there, this will mean that we have given into a coup. If we transfer power, and they are in their positions, and they are still decision-makers, this will be very dangerous. This will lead to civil war

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh

On Thursday clashes between Saleh loyalist forces and Ahmar tribesmen in al-Hasaba killed two people.

The military blamed opposition leaders for downing the Sukhoi SU-22 near Arhab, 40 kilometers (26 miles) north of Sana’a, a region that is the northern gateway into the capital.

It also follows a large protest on Wednesday when hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated near Change Square, demanding Saleh’s ouster and trial.

Saleh, who is under international pressure to relinquish power and allow new elections, returned to the country on Sept. 23, sparking violence in which scores have been killed.

Anti-government protesters in Yemen and Syria have for months been calling for their respective leaders to resign. Both governments have responded with deadly crackdowns.

On Friday, the president of the U.N. Human Rights Council said that Yemeni authorities had shown willingness to improve the situation on the ground through a resolution condemning violence in Yemen, AFP reported.

The resolution adopted Thursday by consensus by the 47 state members of the council was criticized by NGOs and the European Union as it failed to order a probe into allegations of violations in the country.

Nevertheless, Laura Dupuy Lasserre, the council’s president, said that it was significant that it was the Yemeni authorities that had asked the council to examine the situation in their country.

“We know that there are still problems on the ground but it is important that it is the national authority itself that is coming forward to ask for this technical assistance and show that they have the political willingness to progress,” said Dupuy Lasserre, who is also Uruguay’s ambassador.

“It’s going in the right direction,” she added.

Tribal sources affirm that Awlaki was killed, his supporters buried him

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

Newsyemen.net website quoted some tribesmen from al-Jawf province as saying that they had seen Anwar al-Awlaki few minutes before he was killed.

The tribesmen said that Awlaki’s motorcade included seven people among them was a person with Pakistani features, two Saudi nationals as well as two Yemeni citizens from Marib province among them was a person called Mohammed Hussien Ma’aj in addition to a person from Jawf province called Saleh Saleh Arfaj Marwani.

The same source said that the three missiles targeted Awlaki’s motorcade and that the jet fighters kept hovering after the airstrike.

They confirmed that al-Awlaki was killed along with his companions and that their supporters buried their scattered limbs immediately. 

Writer is available to be correspondent for any interested media outlet

For contacts mohammedhalkibsi@gmail.com or kibsi_j@hotmail.com

Yemeni opposition channel calls for boycotting Saudi products

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

Suhail TV channel sponsored by Sheikh Hamid al-Ahmar, a prominent leader of Islah party that is leading the uprising in Yemen called on the Yemeni people to boycott Saudi products in protest for what the channel alleged of the Saudi support for president Saleh and for allegedly standing against the Yemeni revolution.

Yemen Observer newspaper said that Hameed al-Ahmar, a powerful businessman and a leader of the dominant Islah party, who threw their weight behind the protest wave, refused to meet the GCC Secretary General, Abdullatif al-Zayani, and asked him to leave immediately, a request al-Zayani accepted and left at night. He also demanded through his TV channel, Suhail, the Yemeni people to boycott Saudi products and accused Al-Saud of supporting Saleh’s regime.

Saudi Arabia long financial and political support for al-Ahmar family of the Hashid tribe got lukewarm after leaked documents showed on early September that one of al-Ahmar family received money from the Libyan regime in order to destabilize the security of Saudi Arabia.

President Saleh’s return creates controversy among Yemenis

By Shuaib M. Al-Mosawa

Source: Yemen Observer

It was on early Friday morning when Yemenis were woken by heavy gunfire in the air across the country to later know the news of the return of their president. President Ali Abdullah Saleh was flied to Saudi Arabia for treatment of severe burns sustained by a June botched assassination attempt at his compound and Yemenis had believed they had seen the last of Saleh.

GCC mediators, who brokered a deal in May to end the political crisis, failed on September 22 to end a weak of rivals fighting which left around 100 people killed, including protesters. Hameed al-Ahmar, a powerful businessman and a leader of the dominant Islah party, who threw their weight behind the protest wave, refused to meet the GCC Secretary General, Abdullatif al-Zayani, and asked him to leave immediately, a request al-Zayani accepted and left at night. He also demanded through his TV channel, Suhail, the Yemeni people to boycott Saudi products and accused Al-Saud of supporting Saleh’s regime.

Saudi Arabia long financial and political support for al-Ahmar family of the Hashid tribe got lukewarm after leaked documents showed on early September that one of al-Ahmar family received money from the Libyan regime in order to destabilize the security of Saudi Arabia. Upon his arrival, Saleh called for a truce and was quoted as saying, “I return to the nation carrying the dove of peace and the olive branch.” President Saleh’s opponents, shocked by the sudden return and also indicted for the June assassination attempt, fear his return will spark a civil war.

However, many among his opponents still have some hope that President Saleh will help in ending the crisis in peace.

While President Saleh’s return shocked opponents, supporters expressed their joys, and were optimistic the destabilized security situation would be restored.

Abdullah al-Hadrami said he had expected President Saleh’s return: “The opposition had exaggerated its hopes and regarded the terrorist attack [on Saleh’s compound] a revolutionary act. Then it talked about a program to eradicate the remnants of the regime; now the entire regime has come back.”

Nabeel Abdurab, a journalist, said that though President Saleh’s return would upset youth protesters demanding an end to his rule, President Saleh still an important factor in the political impasse. “If the opposition regards President Saleh’s signature [on the GCC deal] as a part of the solution, then his return was a crucial. Signing the deal from Riyadh would constitute an offence for all Yemenis. President Saleh is still part of Yemen and part of its history as well.”

Tareq al-Zuraiqi, a 25 year-old from Lahj province, said that in spit of the fact that his father has expelled him out of the house for supporting President Saleh, he remains “steadfast” and optimistic of President Saleh’s return. He said his father expelled him from the House for his advocacy of President Saleh. “He came back to his hometown and his country,” al-Zuraiqi said upon Saleh’s return,”he is a brave man, braver than those [opponents] and will maintain order. I would say to opponents, your insults to President Saleh will increase our determination and resolve. We will remain with him even if that would lead to hell.”

Opponents, however, sees that President return will disappoint their hope of ousting the regime and also spark a civil war. Fares al-Sakaf, who resigned as Head of General Authority for Book over crackdown on protesters, said to al-Tagheer news website, that President Saleh’s return surprised all and did not promise a way out. “Had he wanted to end the crisis,” al-Sakaf said, “he would have done it from there [Saudi Arabia].”

Yemeni social media platforms also discussed Saleh’s return with both supporters and opponents expressing their arguments. On his Facebook page, Khaled al-Nuzaily, a supporter of President Saleh, posted a video song celebrating Saleh’s return. The subject generated 30 comments, with 22 happy with President Saleh’s return. Commentator Ameer al-Mas (Prince Diamond), said: “Can you believe it! The satanic brotherhood party [Islah Party] is still denying the president’s return. They have gone insane.”

On its news website, the pan-Arab TV news channel, Al-Arabiya, quoted AFP news agency as saying President Saleh called for a truce after his arrival early on September 23 to reach a peaceful settlement of the conflict and called all political parties for a ceasefire. It said that President Saleh returned as rivals engaged in confrontations that left more than 100 killed since September 18.

The site correspondent said Al-Ahmar family gunmen engaged in armed clashes overnight with government forces in Al-Hasabah district of al-Ahmar family.

The subject generated 282 comments. One-hundred thirty-seven commentators expressed great delight in Saleh’s return, praising his wisdom and bravery, and threatening that their leader would cleanse all “traitors of Al-Ahmars.” Reader Shofo Al-Jabal Waqif Wala Hazitah Reeh (Behold That Mountain Amid Winds Still Strong, a part of a recent popular song for Saleh), said: “Thank God for your safety. He is back to delight our hearts, lighten the country, and cleanse it from every envious and hateful person. God had mercy on the Yemeni people by bringing the wise leader back to stop bloodshed, oppression, and fear. You will always remain lofty over time. Congratulations for all Yemeni people.”

Seventy-seven readers opposed Saleh’s return and maintained to oust “the remnants of the regime.” Reader mehadi said: “Why they don’t want to leave? I don’t get it…but they want more and more... hungry for power over their own people. They play tough on their own but they’re otherwise on others.”

Three readers opposed both the regime and the opposition groups. Reader Akhokum Al-Yemeni (Your Yemeni Brother), said: “hey Al-Ahmar tribe, it’s not a manhood to fight in populated areas. Find other place to settle old score.”

Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh speaks to Washington Post

 Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh sat down Thursday for a brief interview with The Washington Post and Time Magazine in his presidential compound in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. This is the first interview he has given since he sustained severe injuries in an attack inside his compound in early June and was flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment. He returned to Yemen last Friday.

Q: We would like to inquire about your health. Do you have any indications of who might have been behind the terrorist attack that nearly killed you on June 2?

SALEH: Thank you for asking about my health. About the incident, there has been an exchange of information between us and the United States. And they promised us they would analyze the subject by the end of September. So we are still waiting for the analysis from Washington.

Q: You have authorized your deputy, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, to sign the GCC initiative [a plan for a transfer of power crafted by the Gulf Cooperation Council, Yemen’s Gulf neighbors]. Why don’t you do it yourself, now that you are here? And if you could explain to me what is holding up the agreement, and how close is the government to signing it?

SALEH: First of all, the vice president was delegated according to a Republican declaration [a declaration by the president]. And there isn’t any reason for it not to go through, whether I am in the country or out of it. There is nothing that would stop this declaration from going through.

Q: How close is the vice president to signing the agreement?

SALEH: The vice president is waiting for the other side. We are ready to sign the GCC initiative as it is. However, the JMP [the opposition coalition Joint Meetings Party] say that they want from this initiative one point: that the president or the vice president signs and that within 30 days [the president] leaves power. And then the 60 days that the GCC has mentioned — they [the JMP] say that is not enough for elections. What is important to [the JMP] is to remove the president from power, and the country would then go through chaos.

We are ready and willing to sign at any time. But we need to sign the GCC initiative as a whole, and we need timelines for the mechanism of executing it. . . . We are not holding onto power, we are willing to leave power as stated in the agreement, within the days and hours that will be agreed upon.

Q: Yet many say you are stalling. Three times you have offered to sign, only to back down at the last minute. Many in the international community think that you are buying time in order to consolidate power. What makes your commitment this time different?

SALEH: This is a misunderstanding. We are willing within the next hours and next days to sign it, if the JMP comes closer [to reaching an agreement]. We don’t want to prolong it. And we don’t want this crisis to continue. We want this country to get out of this crisis.

Q: And you are still committed to not running again when there are elections?

SALEH (laughing): As for me, I will retire — since the opposition has helped bring the president closer to retirement through the criminal act that happened at the presidential mosque.

Source: Washington Post