British Minister to YT: The President Promised to Consider the British Prisoners Issue [Archives:2000/41/Interview]

Mr. Keith Vaz, the MInister for State of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs paid a visit to Yemen last week. During his visit, he signed an agreement to extend 5 million pounds aid to enhance economic reforms in Yemen. Mr. Vaz expressed his hope that trade as well as economic cooperation between Yemen and Britain would increase and improve. In a press conference, he said that Britain would encourage investors and tourists to flow to Yemen provided Yemen offered a suitable atmosphere and safety.
He also said that negotiations to release the 10 British prisoners in Yemen are going on and that the British Foreign MInister gave President Ali Abdullah Saleh an appeal from the prisoners families to pass a general amnesty. Mr. Vaz said in an interview with the Yemen Times that he hoped that President Saleh would look at the appeal of the lawyers which would be presented some other time in a positive way.
During his visit to Yemen, Yemen Times Managing Editor, Mohammed Hatem Al-Qadhi met him and filled the following interview. Excerpts.

Q: Would you please give some of special memories you have about Aden?
A: I still have very good memories about Aden where I spent my happiest childhood. In fact I thought I was happier in Aden than I was in England because school was only from 7 Oclock to 12 because it was very hot to work in the afternoon. We had a wonderful time, my sisters and I. It was just a beautiful place to be on the beach. We used to go to the beach everyday. You can not do that in England. So all of my memories are very positive.

Q: How do you describe the Yemeni-British relationship in the light of recent mutual visits between Sanaa and London?
A: The relationship is very good. The Presidents visit to London was very successful and Mr. Cook was very pleased to receive him. All leaders were going over to the millennium summit in New York. So it was difficult to see everybody but Mr. Cook particularly wanted to see the President and the meeting went very well. As a result of the meeting I was asked to come here to reestablish and reinvigorate the relationship that is already in existence between Britain and Yemen. We already have a strong relationship that we seek to make better.

Q: The British government issued a notice banning traveling to Yemen after the kidnapping incident that happened in 1998. Is it likely that the British government will lift this ban?
A: This is not personal against Yemen. There is travel advice that Foreign Office gives in a number of countries. So it is not just because of Yemen that we have this advice. We have similar advice, for example, in other countries. One of these countries is in Europe where we have similar travel advice. Our concern is always that British citizens are being protected. I am pleased to have heard from the Prime Minister, Dr. Iryani that the government is taking action to combat this lawlessness and we look forward to receiving from them a dossier, a list of things that they have done. Obviously, as soon as we feel its appropriate we will change the advice but it will not be right to do so unless we are satisfied that things are OK.

Q: What types of guarantees you would like to receive from the government so as to lift this ban?
A: When people come here to visit that they are absolutely safe, that they are not going to be kidnapped, that they are not going to be taken away somewhere, that they are going to be OK. The trouble is that this is not done by the lawful people in Yemen. This is to being done by people who want to act illegally and even the government obviously does not have control over all of them because if they did that would not happen. So what we want to do is to see what the government has done and we are happy to work with you to see if we can make any suggestions that may be appropriate.

Q: Some people in Yemen see that the British government has not been more helpful in pushing ahead the question of investment, particularly, in the Free Zone of Aden. Do you think in the light of these visits and refreshing relationship between the two countries that lots of investors will flock to Yemen?
A: Well, I hope so. If politicians can make speeches and have meetings, but in the end unless the businessmen get together and start doing deals, everything that we try to achieve cannot be achieved.
I signed an agreement yesterday giving 5 million in assistance to projects in Yemen. We would much prefer it that businesses were able to work together so that you produce your own resources to help your people and we want to help that process. But it is up to the government obviously to seize the challenge and it is also up to businessmen in Britain to understand that things are changing.

Q: Concerning the issue of British prisoners in Yemen, you said in the press conference that you gave a letter to President Saleh appealing to issue an amnesty to these prisoners. Did the government promise to issue such an amnesty?
A: This is entirely a matter for the lawyers who are acting for the prisoners. They have to conduct this case not the British government. I dont have conduct this case. These are British citizens and therefore, the British Embassy will do everything to assist them as they would do with any other British prisoners anywhere in the world. There has been a lot of dialogues with the government. This will be on going. The lawyers will make an appeal for clemency. If such an appeal is made, and it has not yet been made, we have asked the President, Mr., Cook and myself to consider it fully and he has promised to do so.

Q: But some people think that this is just a pretext and that you want the government to issue the amnesty in some other way. Is that true?
A: No. Clemency is a matter of presidential decree. It will be something everyone will know about. It will be some news spread quite widely. The lawyers have not yet made their appeal. When they do so, we hope that the president will consider it.

— Are there some conditions the Yemeni government should meet to join the Commonwealth and what are these conditions?
A: There are some guidelines that were set down as to when and how countries are admitted which were agreed at Horrara. We support Yemens admission. However it is up to the whole commonwealth to decide. Britain does not control the commonwealth, but it is just one country within it. But we are a friend of Yemen both in the commonwealth and the European Union and we want to do more help.

Q: Concerning Abu Al-Hamzah, in the press conference you said that he is not indicted by the British court. But Abu Al-Hamzah told a lot of TV channels that he is behind all the terrorist acts and that he is behind all people who are charged with terrorist acts here in Yemen.
A: I did not mention his name at all in the press conference. I said what I would say about everybody that people must comply with the law. If they break the law in the United Kingdom, they can be charged and prosecuted. If there is any evidence of anyone behaving in a way that undermines the democracy here in Yemen or any other country, the British government wants to know about it. We would send in a police that we will do with it. But we cant do so to deal with gossip. We need facts because the rule of law has to prevail and people may have things to say about individuals. If there is evidence we want to see it.

Q: Cant we consider his statements to the press as an evidence?
A: The prosecution services are independent from the government in Britain. The government has no role in prosecuting people. It is done independently by the crown prosecution service. They must consider the evidence and they must decide to prosecute. We dont have a role in this.

Q: Concerning the new developments in the Palestinians territories, the Yemeni government condemned the acts of Israelis and suggested sending some international forces to Palestine. Does the British government support this suggestion?
A: The British governments position is quite simple that we condemned acts of terrorism and violence. We do believe that this wont help the mideast peace process. We said to both sides to be very careful about what you do and say because whatever you do and say could be misinterpreted. We want to see a dialogue maintained. We want to make sure that the countries are together. In the end every body is going to have a just and lasting settlement, if countries involved are able to deal with each other in a forthright way. In the meantime, there should be no interference or support and all countries should try to support that process.

Q: Any last word?
A: What I would like to add is that the media in Yemen have a particularly important responsibility to remind the readers of the friendship and support that have always been there between Britain and Yemen. We want to see more Yemeni people coming to the United Kingdom to visit, to work with work permits under the new changes in the rules of work permits. We want to see more students coming there to Britain and we want to see more British investors and students coming here.

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