Annas [Archives:2005/888/Press Review]
Main headlines
– After 25 years in exile, Saudi delegate to discuss demand for handing over al-Asnaj to Yemen
– Conflicting news on sheikh al-Mouyad's health deterioration
– British ambassador in steps of the American ambassador in criticizing situations in Yemen
– Yemen denies relation to Somalia weapons and Jeddah guns
Columnist Ali Mohammed al-Sarari also writes on he American ambassador to Sana'a statements on state of democracy in Yemen saying the back down of the American ambassador last week regarding his previous statement talking about democracy in Yemen as having stopped in its progress did not save the deterioration between the two countries. The American ambassador resorting to diplomatic skill to save the situation was no more than amending his saying of the stop of democracy process in Yemen and replacing it by a phrase of it slowness. Slowness here is undesirable description of an emerging democracy whose advocates are trying hard to gain an international certificate asserting its maturity and voidness of defects.
This backing down by the American ambassador from his statements has harmed his reputation among the public. They revealed weakness of his credibility among the domestic public opinion and extended to his country's reputation which is naturally not good. Those opposing the American policy found in it a material to say this superpower is giving priority to its small security interests to the people's big interests of the people of Yemen. It has added a new argument to those of the government aimed at inspiring despair into the citizens hearts in that the United States is not serious in raising the slogan of political reforms in countries of the Arab region and those reforms are merely a card of pressure Washington uses against Arab rulers to realize intentions having no relation to democracy or human rights or victory of values of freedom.
The official reaction to statement of the American ambassador has been characterized by intense toughness and the information source has taken the forefront position in a media campaign against the ambassador and the policies of the United States in the region, adding hat the statement has represented an interference in Yemen's internal affairs and that democracy is an affair of Yemen alone. The source wondered if the United States wanted the type of democracy in Yemen similar to the democracy the United States is establishing in Iraq and in Afghanistan.
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[archive-e:888-v:14-y:2005-d:2005-10-24-p:press]
