al-Qaeda in Yemen [Archives:2002/26/Local News]

The presence of al-Qaeda in Yemen has been widely reported both within Yemen and in the international community. To address the issue of al-Qaeda in Yemen and to answer widespread global concern a seminar was held last week by the Yemeni Center for Future Studies. Presided over by Dr. Faris AL-Saqqaf a number of MPs, lawyers, writers, journalists and university professors attended.
The speakers in the seminar agreed that some cells of Al-Qaeda operate in Yemen. Ahmed AL-Haj said the U.S. could not reach any results of investigation of the September 11 events without information from Yemen. This underlines the fact that the US believes not only that AL-Qaeda groups operate in Yemen, but that these groups are an integral part of the movements global network. He added that they could become stronger in future unless the state initiates determined action to remove them.
Ahmed aL-Habaishee, a writer, believes that a major problem is the family ties and business contacts of the Yemeni members of al-Qaeda. He said The problem is that these cells are a part of an intellectual and political structure which has connections to centers of power and authority inside the Islamic movement, and inside Yemeni society.
On the other hand, Hamoud Manasser, a political analyst, said that al-Qaeda sympathizers who claimed credit for the blasts that have rocked Sanaa over the last two months, might well be relatives of detainees. He expressed doubt that these explosions were the work of people formally linked to the al-Qaeda organization.
Meanwhile advocate Mohammed al-Mikhlafi said the U.S.A. had facilitated the transfer of those groups from Afghanistan to Yemen. They were fused or integrated to the institutions of education, security and army.
All the participants expressed concern over the reports on the AL-Qaeda presence in Yemen and were united in urging the government to take firm action against them.

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