Press Review [Archives:1999/27/Press Review]

archive
July 5 1999

Al-Wahdawy,
Sanaa Weekly, Mouthpiece of
The Nasserite Unionists Party,   29/6/1999
Main Headlines:
1- Unprecedented Security alert at the opening of the Emerging Democracies Forum.
2- Mr. Abdul-Malek Mekhlafi, the Party’s Secretary General, states that economic reforms have done harm to Yemeni democracy.
3- The Nasserite MPs say “No” to a loan agreement extended to our country by the International Development Association. 
4- Khawlan threatens retaliation for the killing of Al-Sharif, one of the tribe’s sons.
5- The Army starts pulling out its forces from Khoradhah area, Saber District.
Issue’s Editorial
No doubt, every honest citizen, every freedom seeker and democracy lover in this country is filled with patriot pride when Sanaa embraces the Emerging Democracies Forum. Nonetheless, this feeling of pride should have been greater had the nomination of Sanaa to host this Event been based on objective international standards that testify that democracy in Yemen is immune against potential distortion or twisting.
However, there is a certain apprehension that the holding of the Forum has been dictated by international interests within a regional formula designed to serve the interests of the domineering World Powers. If such an assumption stands true, the purpose of this nomination is to clear up the image of a regime which has persisted, consciously, on impairing the democratic experience.
We believe that the champions of this Forum are not unaware of the State’s crooked and anti-democratic practices, which run contrary not only to the people’s historical democratic background, but also to their recent pro-democratic aspirations. Given this unhealthy, anti-democratic atmosphere, credit should be given entirely to the opposition parties working under the umbrella of the Opposition Coordination Council, for their unyielding struggle for real and not formal democracy.

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