Yemen after a year of September 11 [Archives:2002/37/Focus]

The terrorist attacks of the September 11 in Washington and New York have changed the face of the world. They also enabled the US to reshape the international map and its alliances, mobilizing the world in the war against terror. The consequences of these attacks have affected a number of countries. Yemen is among these countries. It was in the beginning considered the country number 2 after Afghanistan, accused of harboring cells of terrorists. But Yemen could avoid any potential strikes on the part of the US. It offered and presented a number of facilities which were praised by the US government. Yemen also detained a number of suspected elements including even those who have been to Afghanistan or Pakistan.
According to official information, there are now 85 detainees while human rights organization claim they are 110. A number of these suspects are still at large being protected by tribal figures in remote areas difficult for government troops to reach. Around 54 others are detained at the Guantanamo military base in Cuba. The government have been accused by domestic and international organizations of abusing and violating human rights as it is holding these detainees without charges or trials. The government also requested the US aid to train Yemeni forces on cracking down on terrorists.
Some observers claim these procedures have also affected the Yemeni-Us relationship. However, others allege it has benefited a lot and that Yemen has become a focus of the US interest in the region for its critical geographical location. In order to evaluate the impacts of the September attacks on Yemen and its relationship with the US , its future, Yemen Times talked to prominent government, opposition and independent figures to write on these issues.
Hamid Alawadhi
Head of the information & cultural Department GPC
The influence of the September 11 incidents can be explained in two ways. The first include the impact of the attacks internationally. Yemen condemned the horrible attacks that horrified people all over the world as they lost their relatives. Yemen is among the countries that lost citizens in the attacks on the twin towers.
At the domestic level, the impact took two steps. First, the mistrust on the part of the USA towards Yemen, accusing it of harboring cells of terrorists. But, the Yemeni diplomacy headed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, could wipe out this charge and its consequences.
The two countries moved to build up this trust, joining hands in the war against terrorism that affected Yemen and the USA. Therefore, we can say that the attacks have multidimensional impacts.
I believe that the Yemeni-US relationship, in the light of having a mutual understanding to the concept of terrorism, away from the Zionist explanation of the terror, is one of the important means to push forward the efforts of the two countries to achieve the joint goal of cracking down on terrorism. Everything indicates that the two countries are working together to reach this aim. This shows, therefore, that the relationship is improving to cover different aspects.
Mohammed M. Motahar
Deputy Minister of Tourism & Environment
There is no doubt that the September 11 incidents nipped tourism at the bud worldwide. Dispute the fact that tourism is still virgin and represents only 2% of total national product, the September 11 incidents hit this sector strongly. A number of reservations were called off, resulting in the suspension of 60-70% of the tourist activities. Around 13,000 workers in this service were affected. The banking sector was affected as well. Tourists flow to the country, mainly from Europe, which occupies 70% of the tourist flow, was reduced considerably. The incidents also affected the investment drive mainly in the field of tourism. The tourist investment is 17% of the total investment projects in the country.
The Deputy Minister says that the government has tried to avoid this impact, looking for alternatives. He says that the tourist promotion councils (TPC) will participate in all European exhibitions to promote tourism. Yemen will attend such activities in Germany, Britain, Spain, France…etc. It is also trying to enhance religious tourism, attracting tourists from South Asia countries like Malaysia.
Ali Al-Sarari
Head of Media Department, YSP
We should say that the Yemeni-US relationship or closing is not a result of a natural relation but of incidents.
Since 1996, where the first military maneuver between the forces of the two countries took place, the door was opened for the US warships to refuel at Aden port. Then, there was a talk about the interest of the US to obtain military facilities on the Yemeni land. The USS Cole bombing complicated this relationship. The accuracy of this operation raised doubts. Then, it was disclosed that government employees were involved in facilitating the job of the attackers. This has made the US interfere to evaluate the administrative system, reschedule and cleanse it from elements having links with extremists. Therefore, the Yemeni-US relationship is more associated with the war on terror than political or economic interests. Since the September 11 incidents, the US demands from Yemen have accelerated and sometimes have been unreasonable. The fragile structure of the state as well as the sophisticated social structure made it impossible for the Yemeni government to carry out these demands as this entails some problems at the national level. I believe the authority should call for a national conference in which all political parties take part to formulate a strategy to encounter terrorism which can not be faced politically or militarily. There are social and economic factors which deserve full attention. These include the education curricula, curbing poverty, enhancing the power of state and law.
Saeed Thabet Saeed
Journalist and Political Analyst
The war on terror has become the focal point of the US in its relationship with any country. The Yemeni government strongly condemned the September 11 attacks, expressed its willingness to cooperate with the US in this war on terrorism. This was followed by a number of steps that showed Yemen’s serious cooperation with the USA. Therefore, we can say that security will top the Yemeni-US relationship for at least a decade to come. Other aspects of this relationship will be defined by the security and Yemen’s procedures that serves the US war on terror and people who work against its interests and policies.
The political system is working hard to exploit the attacks in its favor and therefore it is offering the US a number of facilities to prove its seriousness in fighting terror which is a product of the US that encouraged its alliances during the Cold War to produce violent groups to fight against the communists. Taliban and Al-Qaeda used to get the support of the USA but later it became a pain in the neck of it. The rise of the Zionist Christian Rightist led to confrontation with these Islamist extremists. The Christian extremists which intended to agitate conflicts of civilization with Muslims was encountered with these Islamic groups which acted as equal as the communist extremism.
The Yemen political system accuses its oppositions with terrorism so as to remove them away. Using this claim in the internal political fight will hit the opposition on the long term. It also affect the political system itself. It is no doubt that it is now under the pressure and blackmailing of the White House. However, it can make use of that through a national project including both governmental and opposition. They can deal with it in a transparent way, coming out ways of dealing with the US based on the interest of the two sides, offering facilities and improving the situation in return.
Mohammed Assabri
Political Analyst
It is difficult to evaluate the US-Yemeni relationship after one year of the September 11 incidents. This difficulty arise from the fact that Yemen is a part of the Arab World seen by the USA as a small dot in an ocean.
Another factor arises from the fact that the US threats to Yemen after the attack have been obscure in addition to the unclear declaration of Yemen in joining this war as well as the cooperation in the field of military training and hunting down Al-Qaeda suspects feeling from Afghanistan. This sophisticated position, which attracted the attention of observers everywhere, has to be taken into account while discussing the consequences of the September incidents on Yemen and its relationship with the US.
We should consider the concept of war on terrorism and its aims which is enlarging continuously as well as the US policy towards Arab and Islamic issues in Palestine, Iraq, Kashmeer, and Afghanistan. Yemenis are worried about the US-Yemeni relationship at the economic level. They have not found that the US is appreciating Yemen’s cooperation in its war. The US officials, statements and decisions taken last year put Yemenis under US suspicion. Therefore, their sentiments of hostility to the US policy towards Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan is on the rise. Yemeni government can not ignore such feelings. Its cooperation with the US will be considered by the people as a result of pressure to assist the Americans in an unreasonable and unjust war.
Yemeni government as well as the opposition believe the US is launching a war on terrorism without a clear-cut definition for terrorism and that the US administration encourages the killings of Muslims in Palestine, Kashmeer, and Pakistan. Therefore, the Yemeni people consider any request in the part of US from Yemen against their principles, the government has even been accused of breaking the constitution. Therefore, it would be difficult for the government to satisfy the US at the expenses of its people. Therefore, unless there is good atmosphere for this relationship, it is nonsense to talk on improvement in this relationship.
Yemenis inside and outside lost a lot after the attacks. There are a number of detainees in Yemen, Sheikh Abdulah bin Hussein, estimated them at thousands. The security officials who fulfill the US demands have no legal evidences on the involvement of these people in any terrorist acts. Most of them are in prison because of having long beards. Outside, there are hundreds of Yemenis who are subjected to offensive attacks or harassment. The US immigration authority considered two months ago all Yemenis suspects of being terrorists. Therefore, they face a lot of problems at the US airports. Other Yemenis were killed in Afghanistan or detained in Guantanamu. Other losses include sacrificing a part of the political and fragile security stability. The relationship between political parties is tense and it is our democratic experience that pays the price.
Besides, the sovereignty of the state has been spoiled by the US ambassador and FBI investigators.
Among the loss is that the US and investors embargo imposed on the Yemen ports.
The estimation of the Yemeni loss in the war against terror led by the arrogant US administration will not protect the US interests in Yemen in the future.
Mohammed Najji Allaw
MP & Human Right activist
The September 11 incidents have considerately affected the human rights position in Yemen. Because of its totalitarian culture, Yemen does not bide by the law and constitution whose articles pertaining to freedoms comply with the International Declaration of Human Rights and other international treaties. The political security office (PSO) has taken the US pressure after these attacks of September 11 to exercise its habit of arresting people in a clear infringement to the law. These detainees were denied visits by their relatives who do not even know their detention whereabouts.
These relatives or families were subject to various forms of harassment. Such procedures constitute a clear violation of human rights in the country. The civil society organizations including political parties , NGOs, etc kept mute and did not fight these abuses. The National Authority for Human Rights and Liberties (HOOD) is the only NGO that has been active in this respect. I have the honor to run this NGO and I consider this a good step to rally all NGOs and other activists so as to make all international NGOs hear us and our appeals to exercise pressures on the US government which uses its power to pressure governments, including Yemen’s turn into mere prison keepers carrying out its orders.
However, these governments are not justified in oppressing their people under the pretext of the US pressure.
Another point is that the consequences of the attacks and the aggressive behavior of the US government will increase sentiments of hatreds to the US people among Arabs and Muslims. This has become very concrete now. The September attacks made the US government forget human rights; it exercised horrible and disgusting acts at a time it was the sponsor of these rights. Rather it used these rights to blackmail different governments. However, it turned in a flash into a super power ordering governments to abuse human rights. The US government moved the Afghan detainees to Guantanamou so as to escape being subjected to the international law. As Yemen has got detainees in this military base, there is an influence on the direct relationship between with Yemeni and US peoples. This will breed the sentiments of enmity and feeling of taking revenge from the US government. This, of course, will encourage the armed reactions in a country characterized by loose stability and security.


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