Yemen president urges ruling party, opposition to commit to reconciliation deal brokered by GCC

Translated and edited  by Mohammed al-Kibsi

Source: Saba News Agency

In his speech to the meeting of the Committee of the General People's Congress (GPC) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Sunday, president Saleh urged his party, its alliance and JMP opposition parties and their alliance to commit to the power transition deal brokered by GCC and backed by UNSC.  

President Ali Abdullah Saleh has decreed a general amnesty for all those who have committed errors during the crisis.

At the meeting President Saleh said that the amnesty does not include those involved in crime and in the attack against the mosque at the presidential palace.

He added that suspects who are members of political parties, groups or individuals will be brought to trial.

Following is the text of the speech delivered by President Saleh.

This meeting comes after the signing of the Gulf initiative and its implementation mechanism, which was supposed to have been signed earlier, but, unfortunately, some parties procrastinated on the format and terms of the time-tabled mechanism, leading to the delay of the initiative that was supposed to have been signed earlier to end the growing crisis in the homeland, which has caused great damage to the development, social, cultural, and political fields as well as all other fields.

This initiative and its implementation mechanism were supposed to have been signed and implemented earlier. We inform you that the initiative was signed in Riyadh under the patronage of King Abdullah Bin-Abdul-Aziz and in the presence of the GCC foreign ministers and ambassadors of the countries which are permanent members of the UN Security Council. God willing, this initiative and its implementation mechanism will find a way for implementation without delay, objection, or excuses.

The initiative and its mechanism make up an integrated formula that specifies when and how the initiative and its mechanism are implemented. Neither the opposition nor the ruling party can be selective about what to implement of the initiative or the mechanism. A dialogue should be held under the auspices of Vice President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi and whomever he chooses from the leadership of the General People's Congress and the National Democratic Alliance in order to develop timelines. Those who procrastinate will bear the responsibility, as the GCC secretary general and UN envoy to Yemen must be informed to know who is hampering the process.

Another point is that after the signing of the initiative, it is only natural for things to go back to normal. Banditry, blocking roads, demonstrations, sit-ins, and attacks against military camps and power pylons must stop in order to establish social peace. This is an integrated system that paves the way for moving forward in implementing the initiative and the mechanism, thus being selective and washing hands of responsibility are not accepted in any way.

Any attacks and disruption of security must be condemned, even if by the opposition - the so-called Joint Meeting Parties and its allies and associates - or by the regime. The country cannot afford more than it has done in the past 10 months; it has endured much and they have destroyed a lot. The things that have been destroyed were not ordinary, but they were established in difficult circumstances and accomplished through the togetherness and cooperation of all the sincere and patriotic people of this country. We should preserve what is left and rebuild the damages caused by this crisis.

I consider the signing in Riyadh a victory for the Yemeni people, as there are no winners or losers. It is a victory for the Yemeni people and their free will. Those who talk of losers and winners are mentally ill. This is nonsense. The media must adopt a policy of appeasement. This must be adopted by all sides: the government, ruling party and its allies, and the so-called JMP.

Here we are today after this great achievement, which was blessed by the whole world and all international organizations, including the United Nations, European Union, United States, GCC, Arab countries, and all international organizations including civil society organizations. They consider this a great achievement that avoided a plan to divide the homeland. All the statements we have heard support maintaining the unity, security, and stability of the country. Those at home and abroad who adopt unacceptable agendas after the achievement of unity in 1990 must understand these messages. This is a mad agenda.

But everyone is looking for a role saying "I will be." No, it is still "today." Every age, a new state and new men arise. Our country is full of politicians and honest men. I remember I gave a speech during t he 2006 elections and said that the presidential term is seven years but that I will rule for only five. Another point I would like to make is that at the beginning of the crisis I said that it will end in February. I said this, and those words did not come out of the blue; we know the givens and what is going on in the country. We are looking for a way out for those whose faces have turned black, and I remember I said in a speech in Hajjah that the day will come when some faces will turn black and others will be lit, where he compares those who do shameful acts with those who do good deeds. Here we are today, there are some whose faces have turned black and are unable to go back to what they were originally. Blackened! It is a beautiful thing to see that it is hard for those whose faces have turned black to return to their original state, what a shame.

Anyway, our people are steadfast and bear hardships, power outages, and lack of fuel and food supplies for the sake of the country not for the sake of unsound leaders, whether currently ruling or seek to rule. If those leaders are unsound and come to power, they must go to hospitals for treatment in order to reach safety.

Today's meeting is to inform our brothers of the outcomes of the Riyadh meetings. The leaders in Riyadh were satisfied with the arrival of Yemenis to sign the initiative. Now, you must support the vice president, stand as one entity, and shoulder full responsibility. The initiative is clear and you must not deviate from the initiative and its mechanism, you can but seek its provisions. We welcome their partnership and we welcome them as partners in the government during the 90-day transitional period, which will be followed by presidential elections. The coalition will continue, but people change, and may God help you. I hope this meeting elects its government members in accordance with an agreement and dialogue between the vice president and other parties about how to choose and determine portfolios. The vice president has to make a quick decision of nominating the prime minister if officially nominated by the opposition parties under the initiative and its mechanism.

This is what I wanted to talk about in this meeting, and I also wanted to thank the steadfast people for their good feelings, interest, and following the events in Riyadh. I thank the brothers who came to Riyadh to attend the signing ceremony. The initiative has been signed, and what matters is goodwill and good heart after the signing.

Thank you very much for listening.