Amid alleged attempts to postpone presidential pollNegotiations between ruling, opposition fail [Archives:2006/939/Front Page]

Mohammed Bin Sallam
SANA'A, April 19 ) Negotiations between President Ali Abdullah Saleh and General People's Congress (GPC) leaders on one hand and the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) on the other regarding Yemeni political reforms have failed.

Saleh met opposition parties to discuss their attitude toward the electoral process and listen to their letter calling for political reforms, but the dialogue between the two sides failed. Opposition leaders attributed the failure to ruling party leaders' objection to JMP calls for comprehensive national reforms.

In a statement to the Yemen Times, JMP spokesman Mohamed Qahtan said, “GPC leaders ignore the fact that they are pursuing a scorched earth policy. Consequently, they are directing the country toward an unprecedented catastrophe. Their policy still has a few steps to go before becoming like that pursued by Somalian President Mohammed Siyad Barre.

“Ruling party leaders are unable to understand why opposition insists on comprehensive national reforms. They cannot understand the situation's risk, the country's poor conditions, nor do they perceive the fact that political reform is key to other reforms,” he added, “Only political reform can resume the republican regime and rescue government institutions from dire situations.”

According to Qahtan, political reform is necessary to reshuffle government institutions based on proper constitutional principles, political plurality and peaceful transfer of power. Such reform will help separate authorities and provide principles of accountability, transparency and good governance. Conducting free and fair elections is the first step toward reform.

Yemeni Socialist Party Secretary-General Dr. Yasin Sa'eed Nu'man expressed concern about statements by ruling party leaders who attempt to divide JMP unity and disgrace opposition leaders. “The JMP sent a joint letter to the president containing their viewpoints on political reforms, topped by those ensuring free and fair elections,” Nu'man explained.

He added that the JMP letter included numerous violations committed by the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER) and the GPC. Both sides formed supervisory and voter registration committees contrary to the law, thereby depriving other political parties of participating in controlling electoral registers.

Regarding the reasons leading Islamist Islah Party Secretary-General Abdulwahab Al-Anisi and other opposition leaders to quit negotiations, Nu'man explained, “We quit negotiations because GPC Assistant Secretary-General Sultan Al-Barakani defamed opposition leaders, calling them liars before the president.

“Al-Barakani's statement does not deserve any reaction and there is no need to engage ourselves with him. We feel sorry when the GPC addresses people with such superficiality,” Nu'man commented.

Al-Barakani told media that the JMP's malicious intents are the primary reason behind the dialogue's failure, claiming that opposition leaders merely are seeking excuses.

Responding to the causes for Al-Anisi's quitting the dialogue, Al-Barakani said, “Long discussion with JMP leaders ended, as Al-Anisi quit following sharp controversy between both sides of the dialogue.” According to media, Al-Barakani hinted that JMP leaders demanded government posts.

Regarding alleged GPC attempts to persuade opposition parties to accept postponing this September's presidential elections, an opposition leader wishing to remain anonymous stated, “Some GPC leaders indirectly attempted to persuade opposition parties to accept postponing presidential elections to another time, under the pretext that opposition demands are too difficult to fulfill within the remaining time period.”

GPC political office member Dr. Mujeeb Al-Ansi told the Yemen Times via telephone, “Statements about the presidential elections' postponement are not true and this suggestion was not presented in the GPC's Seventh General Congress. Above all, there is a legislative staff for the GPC. The Constitution and the law are the sole references specifying the time of the presidential poll.”

A GPC political office member stated that the dialogue failed because opposition leaders insisted on a stance and presented false proofs. He commented, “By doing so, JMP leaders want to gain personal interests that never serve the nation, its achievements or the democratic process.”
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