Al-Wahdawi [Archives:2007/1038/Press Review]

Tuesday, March 27
Organ of the Nasserite Unionist Popular Organization (NUPO)

Main Headlines

– Wednesday marks the third session of political dialogue between Joint Meeting Parties and General People Congress

– Around YR 500 million is due to be spent on celebrations of the National Unity 17th Anniversary

– Sa'ada armed confrontations between army and rebels kill several Yemenis and foreigners

– United Arab Emirates prevent Yemenis from entering its territory

– Al-Ja'ashen Sheikh's followers plough over farms, his son interrupt road construction works

– Yemen signs secret agreement on protecting U.S. nationals from international judiciary

According to the NUPO-affiliated weekly, Amnesty International disclosed that Yemen signed a security agreement with the U.S. to ban handing over any U.S. nationals in its territory to the international judiciary. Yemeni government, however, denied that it signed the agreement, which other countries say breaks Rome Statute.

The newspaper reported that Yemen signed the agreement while its capital Sana'a was preparing to host a conference on human rights and the International Criminal Law. In a letter to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Amnesty International said correspondences between Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi and his U.S. counterpart Colon Powel on Dec. 10 – 18, 2003 revealed Yemen's commitment to the U.S. demands. It pointed out that it obtained such information from the website belonging to the U.S. Department of State.

The Amnesty International considered such a conduct a flagrant violation of Yemen's commitment to the International Law, which makes all human beings equal with each other. The U.S. Administration attempts to grant its citizens a special protection from interrogation or questioning before any international tribunals.
——
[archive-e:1038-v:14-y:2007-d:2007-04-02-p:press]