Financial constrains postpone YSP general conference to May [Archives:2004/801/Front Page]

Mohammed Al-Qadhi
The Yemeni Socialist Party's (YSP) Fifth General Conference Preparatory Committee decided to postpone the fifth general conference that was scheduled December 28th to May 2005, a YSP official told Yemen Times. The reason behind the delay is said to mainly be financial constrains. The YSP Central Committee is due to endorse the postponement decision in a meeting next week.
The official said that the preparatory committee of the event presented a comprehensive report on the preparations for the assembly, what has been done since the previous conference and the challenges they were facing and suggested that the event be delayed until May 22. He denied information that the reason behind the delay was internal fighting within the party. He added: “We do have different views and opinions towards several issues, but this was not the reason behind the delay of the general assembly.” He stressed that lack of sufficient funding and unsatisfactory preparations for the event were the main factors behind the delay.
The YSP has been facing financial difficulties since its defeat in the 1994's civil war upon the confiscations of its offices and properties. The defeat of the party in July 1994 weakened its position as a strong opponent of the PGC in achieving the unification of the country in 1990. The offices and assets of the party were confiscated resulting in financial difficulties for the party to the extent that it was not able from time to time to issue its mouthpiece newspaper al-Thawry. The party received another hit when its assistant General Secretary Jarallah Omar was assassinated by an Islamic extremist Ali Jarallah in December 2002.
During the event, new leadership will be elected; it is expected that the current General-Secretary Ali Saleh Obad will step down, a wish he expressed several times due to his health problems. Dr. Yassin Saeed Noman, first Parliament speaker after unification, is the strongest candidate to replace Obad. Noman was living in the UAE since the civil war and was able to come back to Yemen last year after a presidential amnesty was issued.
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