Vice President enforces ceasefire in Taiz, hails international efforts

By Mohammed al-Kibsi An immediate ceasefire was imposed in Taiz city starting from sunset of Sunday after vice president Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi had ordered government and opposition forces to implement an immediate truce. Over 30 people were killed in Taiz including civilians, government soldiers and fighters affiliated to the defected army and Islamic militias during the past few days. However the spokesperson of the Yemen government, deputy minister of information Abdu Al-Janadi said in his press conference today that the ceasefire was a result of the heavy stick of the US ambassador and ambassadors of the permanent members of the UNSC. Al-Janadi expected to announce the new interim government on Sunday if no negative development might happen. Hadi also hailed all the international efforts exerted to put an end to the Yemeni political crisis. During his meeting with Director of the UN Electoral Assistance Division Craig Jenness, Hadi praised the international community's cooperation that helped Yemen to avoid a serious situation, asserting the significance of the political and democratic solutions to maintain the security and stability at the local, regional and international levels. The Vice President underlined the importance of Yemen's stability for the world and region's security, saying that the international interests were required to secure over 3.5 million barrels of oil pass daily through the Gulf of Aden and Bab el Mandeb to Europe, America and various countries. He also briefed the UN official on the latest developments in the local arena after signing the GCC brokered deal and its executive mechanism. He also tackled the arrangements for the early presidential election on February 21 as well as the aid Yemen needs for the transitional phase. The UN official valued highly the role played by the vice president, affirming the UN keenness to provide the necessary support and mobilize the resources required to finance the early presidential elections.

Foreign Diplomats Announce their Support for Yemen

By Faisal Darem Vice President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi confirmed that the economic problem may have been the most prominent cause of the current political and security crises. He said that he stressed that point during his meeting on Monday with the ambassadors of the permanent members of UN Security Council, the Gulf Cooperation Council states and the ambassador of the European Union to Yemen. During the meeting, Hadi told the foreign officials that the signing of the Gulf-brokered initiative and its mechanism in the Saudi capital Riyadh were the first implementation steps, adding ‘’we have called for presidential elections to be held on 21 February’’. The vice president pointed out that all foreign ambassadors in Yemen, particularly the GCC ambassadors, were partners in the implementation process of the Gulf initiative and its mechanisms. For his part, US ambassador to Yemen, Gerald Feierstein said that the signing of the initiative and its mechanism ‘’will really end Yemen’s grinding crisis’’, stressing that his country would provide the support and assistance needed for applying the agreement. The Russian envoy to Yemen pointed to ‘’the need for full cooperation with Yemen, especially at this critical stage’’, calling for the establishment of a fund for the reconstruction of Yemen. The EU ambassador also called for the establishment of a fund for economical and developmental assistance to Yemen. Moreover, the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced that it intended to adopt an emergency economic plan to address the consequences of the political crisis that broke out in February. The plan, which the ministry is seeking to implement in the coming months in co-operation with international donors, especially Yemen's regional partners, includes credit financing to support the economy's public and private sectors. A source within the ministry said the proposed plan will focus on re-starting the economy, which was brought to a grinding halt by the crisis. In recent months the economy suffered significant losses and poverty and unemployment rates doubled. The source added the plan will focus on both the private and public sectors. It will support the public sector by rebuilding infrastructure and services that were damaged by acts of sabotage, especially the electricity infrastructures. It will shore up the balance of payments to offset the depletion of public resources and the lack of foreign financing. It will also support social security initiatives through the Social Welfare Fund to mitigate the impact of high prices on the poor and provide food and daily necessities to them. As for the private sector, he said the plan will provide support to industrial, commercial, agricultural, and financial sectors in order to rehabilitate production lines and add new ones. The economic plan will arrange for easy access to lines of credit from international financial institutions, in addition to providing training and job creation locally.

Displaced People Face Bleak Living Conditions

By Faisal Darem Some 130,000Yemenis who have fled the Abyan province due to al-Qaeda's attempts to seize control of the area are living under increasingly difficult humanitarian conditions. Ahmed al-Kuhlani, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and a member of the Shura Council in Yemen's caretaker government said the displaced were forced to deal with the lack of aid and the country's deteriorating economic situation. Al-Kuhlani, who heads the operational unit in the displaced people camps, told al-Shorfa that the government was working to improve the situation of the displaced persons and would provide compensations for all property damages caused by the on-going arm clashes in between al-Qaeda and armed forces. The Minister added that despite the government's best efforts in allaviatung people's hardship, the presence of the terror group in the region was hindering its work. He said "the total number of displaced people, according to our latest statistics, is 130,000. The operational unit in the camps has worked to find shelter for those who have not found shelter with relatives in Aden or Lahj provinces. We found temporary shelter for them in some of Aden's schools, he said. “There are about 4,000 displaced families in the schools”. Al-Kuhlani also added “The operational unit works in co-ordination with the World Food Program (WFP) to provide food for them. The WFP provides flour and oil and the unit provides the remaining foodstuffs such as rice, sugar, beans, tomato sauce, and other items." In terms of educational and health services to the displaced, al-Kuhlani said: We arranged for displaced students to study in temporary schools just like the residents of Aden, and classes have already started. The displaced received health cards that give them access to health services at hospitals in Aden." As for supporting the unit, al-Kuhlani said the operational unit's capabilities were limited upon what the Yemeni government provided and the availability of additional assistance. He continued by saying “the Vice President of the Republic announced that 200 million riyals ($920,000) would be allocated to the displaced, and we also received 170 million riyals ($782,000) from the Sana’a Chamber of Commerce which covered an entire month's supply of food. Oman also provided enough support to cover 10,000 cases." Al-Kuhlani finally urged “all international relief organizations and all friendly countries to contribute to the relief efforts because there is a difficult humanitarian situation. People are not receiving the necessary assistance and adequate relief, especially in light of the difficult conditions Yemen faces. Everyone must bear responsibility for supporting the displaced because there are shortages in many areas including food, health and material support."

SEMC Launches a Dialogue Between Yemeni and International Journalists

By Mohammed al-Kibsi The Studies & Economic Media Center in cooperation with the US Embassy in Yemen launched a new program between Yemeni and international journalists aimed at enhancing knowledge and experiences on various journalistic skills. In a meeting organized this morning between Yemeni journalists and the American photographer/ journalist Luck Somer, the risks faced by Yemeni journalists who were photographing current events were discussed as well as the technicalities of professional photography during conflicts and ways to establish credible proof to one's footage in controversial and ambiguous situations. Luck discussed with 20 young Yemeni journalists the importance of photography in press and media in general, especially with the spread of new media technology. He also talked about his own experience in photography as well as highlighting the basic criteria for accepting pictures on an international level. Participants stressed out the need for the organization of future similar meeting as Yemeni photographers should aimed at improving their skills, adding that they were in favor of preparing a guide citing the risks run by photographers in times of conflict and the managements of public opinion campaigns against targeting photographers.

Requirements and Obstacles for an E-Government

By Eng. Anwar Ali Askaran Globalized economy has contributed significantly to the growth of Arab economies in several areas leading to the demand for greater transparency, free market and mechanized capital. We can freely say that the birth of the globalized economy is in fact the birth of the digital economy which relies on digital systems in the implementation of strategies, plans and intercontinental programs to make the entire system work as one body with unified laws and rules applied regardless of differences in continent, language, or even currency. Therefore, the software industry has become one of the most important elements of the global economy and one of the most advanced industries. Some Arab countries have taken advantage of this industry, making significant improvements in their government, financial and administrative performance. They also sought to build a tendency to activate the use of the Internet to keep up with technological advances. 1. E-government E-government is "turning the government departments and private sector bodies towards exercising their functions and duties in terms of serving the public, or among themselves, electronically by employing information technology and modern means of communication." The e-government can employ a number of methods which will enhance citizens and businessmen experience. 2. Objectives of the e-commerce: • Improve the services performance level and avoid common manual mistakes. • Lessen the administrative complexities. • Reduce costs • Achieve a maximum level of client satisfaction. 3. Requirements of the e-government: 3-1 internet prevalence Internet utilization is one of the basic foundations for e-government. 3-2 regulations: There are many aspects to the frameworks of regulations: the legitimacy of data handling, data confidentiality and privacy protection, electronic signature, the protection of websites names, consumer protection and the applicable law. 3-3 the cooperation of the various sectors: E-government can't be implemented in isolation from the private sector, or citizens, since the process is interlocked. Such a project requires that the entire community becomes engaged so that the government and the business sector and non-governmental organizations all cooperate with an effective and prompt methodology; facing together the coming challenges and achieve the Government's overall goal of re-engineering the way the society functions with a flexible and simple duty cycle within the institutions in the actual time of service. 3-4 computer prevalence It is hard to imagine an E-government without access to computers. Computers involve two key elements: computer networks and their work stations, software and local area networks as well as wide area networks. 3-5 communication infrastructure: The stronger the communications infrastructure are, the more capacity they will have to meet the giant requirements of utilizing information technology to download the work of E-government and to allow the absorption of any future expansion. Here lies the greatest responsibility on service providers as they are required to create a communication infrastructure which provides wide packages and facilitate the communication process making the Internet environment an ideal one for business. 3-6 re-engineering the government work procedures: E-government projects require re-engineering the practical procedures and the automation of measures (conversion to electronic or digital format) to allow implementation of a digital pattern. 4. Implementation strategy In order to determine the features of E-government, vision and desired goals will have to be expressed clearly. The leadership may play an active role in this regard through pushing all members to move forward achieving the objectives of the strategy while paying attention to the human element, the organizational environment and an awareness element which represent the components of the strategy selected for implementation of the work. 4-1 the vision: A clear vision is important for E-government to determine how E-government is going to be shaped in the coming period of time and the appropriate condition. 4-2 leadership Leadership plays an important role in driving the E-government project forward. We can identify two types of leaderships, namely the political leadership and the executive leadership. Political leadership must have the former initiative of achieving E-government taking into account the demographic and geographic dimensions. The executive leadership shall undertake the responsibility of guiding all competent sectors in the field of E-government towards achieving the objectives, defining roles, following up the workflow, orientation guidance and taking corrective steps, and making sure to push the necessary changes to translate the plans into reality. 4-3 the human factor The human factor represents an essential and indispensable productive input in E-government and, therefore, focus must be paid to the human factor as the driving component. Thus, the development and training of this component is a matter of urgency. The interest in the human factor must go beyond the fields of technology and the roles of training to the establishment of a research center specialized in scientific studies like the Center of Digital Economy Studies which will undoubtedly contribute to bridging the gap of lack of information. 4-4 the organizational environment: The access to the digital pattern requires the existence of legal frameworks that facilitate E-government and make it a project endorsed by all. It also requires a general trend to stimulate all groups to engage in this digital context. 4-5 sensitizations: The E-government project carries with it dimensions that may change many concepts both on different levels: on individuals and the community as a whole. Such changes may affect the future of these individuals within the envisaged digital system. 5. Challenges: E-government faces various challenges that could be defined as follows: 5-1 legal framework: The completed frameworks for legal regulations are considered to be critical to the completion and dissemination of E-government, 5-2 financial constraints Infrastructure constraints limit the efficiency and effective operation of E-government. The physical factor poses a challenge to the existence of a financial cover to provide the requirements for the E-government by setting up a communication network that is capable of assimilating the work. 5-3 confidence Confidence is an important and essential factor in the creation of an E-government and must be rooted in the minds of individuals as well as institutions. 5-4 the social factor: A certain percentage of the population believes that engaging with the digital system would reduce their privacy and may expose their personal data to other parties. 5-5 knowledge management: Knowledge is the real capital as it has been showed that it plays a great part in successfully enhancing businesses and helping in the development of new ventures. 6. Recommendations and suggestions: - Building wide databases that include all financial and administrative sectors of the state. - Learn from the experiences of others in the application of e-government. - Rehabilitate cadres and supplement the educational curriculum with the required materials, and impose new prerequisites for graduation in order produce a sophisticated digital society. - Adjust some laws to ease in the E-government, starting with the awareness programs which will demonstrate the benefits that will be obtained through the application of electronic systems and the conditions and obligations to be considered when dealing with such systems.

Calm precedes storm in Yemen capital while deadly battles continue in Taiz

By Mohammed al-Kibsi Yemen’s defected army forces have deployed more tanks and military vehicles onto the streets that they control in Sana’a and same did the tribal militias of Sheikh al-Ahmar. Eyewitnesses said that the defected army lead by General Ali Mohsen have deployed more tanks and military vehicles and more troopers onto the zones surrounding Sana’a university and other zones to the west of Sana’a. Also eyewitnesses that came from al-Hasaba and Sofan neighborhoods in the center and north of Sana’a said that the tribal militias affiliated to Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar and his brothers have entrenched their military barracks on the streets of al-Hasbah and Sofan neighbourhood on Saturday. Eyewitnesses also said that security forces loyal to president Saleh have deployed more military vehicles and sat uo checkpoints on the hot spots areas in al-Hasabah and demarcation lines on Zubairy street, Zira’a street and other streets. Meanwhile reports from Taiz said that Yemeni troops have clashed with defected army troops and militias of Islah Islamist party in the past few days. Opposition sources said that seven people were killed in the latest fighting, bringing the death toll to 30 since Thursday. BBC quoted a medical source as saying three of those killed in the latest fighting were civilians - the others were soldiers and opposition fighters. Meanwhile government sources said that the First Armor division forces ‘defected army’ and militias of Islah party have attacked several zones and captured some neighbourhoods in Taiz. The same source said that the defected army forces and their allies killed son of Sheikh in Taiz in addition to killing five soldiers and an officer. The source said that the Islah militias killed Colonel al-Kalai in front of his family in Taiz before they took his corps with them. The General Committee of the General People Congress Party in its meeting chaired by President Saleh on Saturday hold Islah party accountability for escalating the situations in Taiz. The committee called on the ambassadors of the permanent member stats of the Security Council, European Union and Gulf Cooperation Council to visit Taiz and find about who was behind the escalations. The committee denounced the alleged looting of public and private properties being committed by the militias of Islah and defected army in Taiz. Taiz has been a major centre of unrest during months of protests against President Abdullah Saleh. Correspondents say the latest fighting threatens a power-transfer agreement signed by president Saleh in Riyadh. Under the deal reached last month, President Saleh handed over to Vice-President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and agreed on forming an interim government chaired by the opposition in which the current ruling party shares fifty percent of its ministerial bags.

Dar al-Salam promotes peace in Yemen provinces

By Majid al-Kibsi Yemen Observer Dar al-Salam organization held a workshop in Sana’a to promote peace and cohesion in the governorates of Abyan, al-Jawf and Lahj on Sunday November 27. The workshop which was held in partnership with the European Union aims at training peace promoters to raise awareness in conflict areas. Abdul-Kareem Qasim, Professor of Islamic Philosophy in Sana’a University assured that the project was promoting public peace. “The project targets the governorates of Abyan, Lahj and al-Jawf, which suffer the highest rate of violence,” said Qasim. He added “in the project we will focus on the youth, sheikhs and the key figures within the society.” In a presentation by Dr. Qasim stressed that “violence increases in areas that have strong tribal bonding.” According to Qasim, tribal conflicts between families differ from an area to the next. In al-Jawf, conflicts mostly revolve around land borders as in Lahj and Abyan, it is more about irrigation water. He also assured that although the communities in question rejected violence they were forced to resort to it. “A dangerous notion is circulating within the international community that Yemen has over 60 million illegal arm pieces which is damaging the investment sector greatly. Truth is, these arm pieces are not carried but rather stocked,” said Qasim. He further added “Not all Yemenis carry weapons, we cannot generalize a regional trend and apply it nationally.” Ahmed Mohsen Ali Jarras, a sociological researcher from al-Jawf governorate talked about the reasons behind the conflicst. “There are some parties which have interest in increasing conflicts; some Sheikhs have shown good will in trying to stop armed confrontations while others have been promoting them as it serves their interests.” According to Jarras, some of the ancient tribal values have been eradicated, replaced by acts of banditry. “The road used to be a sacred place, a public place. Now people are being kidnapped, robbed or even killed.” During the workshop, Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Marwani announced that there were over 270 activists in the governorate of al-Jawf. Dar al-Salam organization is also intending to promote peace and understanding, especially during the presidential elections on February 2012.