Press Review [Archives:2000/27/Press Review]

Main Headlines:

-Saudi Arabia Starts Pullout from Yemeni Regained Areas
-President to 26 September: Jeddah Treaty New Turning-Point in Yemeni-Saudi Relations
-In Appreciation of His Efforts in Serving Yemeni-Cuban Relations President Saleh Awards Cuban Ambassador the Order of Unity
-Opposition Coordination Council, Hails Yemen-Saudi Border Treaty
-Human Right Watch Lashes out at Yemen and Other Countries
-U.S. Congressional Delegation Arrives in Sana’a
-Yemen & Hong Kong, No Entry Visas
-Cabinet Reshuffle Expected
-Jewish Delegation Arrives in Sanaa
-Court Presents Report by 2 German Experts on Serial Killer Crimes
-Aden University Employees Strike Continues
-Overland Transport Establishment, Work Stoppage
-Foreign Ministry Refuses To Appear Before Court
-Al-Ayyam Taiz Correspondent, Released
-Death Sentence for Killers of Child Shatiri
-U.S. Delegation Sets Up Plan for Health Security
-500 Citizens Detained in Najran
-Chechen Groups Threaten to Kill Jews Arriving in Yemen
-Saba News Agency Building in Aden
-MP: Border Treaty Removes External Excuses’ Peg-Board
-Security Apparatuses Started Large-Scale Campaign to Arrest Kidnappers
-Tribal Conflict on Borders, Officers Detained in Ma’reb
-No Progress in Adam’s Trial, Interior Investigations Shrouded with Secrecy
-Six Presidential Guard Officers Kidnapped
-Gunmen Attack Ash-Shumoa Weekly, Chief Editor Detained
-Sana’a University Employees Postpone Strike Due to Examinations
-Amnesty International Report of 2000: In Yemen 52 Killed, 60 Injured by Torture; 30 Kidnapped, 27 Missing
-New Price Increase In Electricity Bill

Below are selected items from some of the last week’s newspaper issues:

RAY (Organ of Sons of Yemen League weekly, 27 June) has allotted its leading comment and analysis on the Yemeni- Saudi Arabia border treaty.
RAY editorial said signing the land and sea borders treaty between our country and Saudi Arabia was a historic achievement. It has been a great victory for the ideological, historical and fraternal ties of the two peoples.
The newspaper editorial has added that following the realization of this historic accomplishment, our government is required to seriously turn the focus of its attention to domestic problems. It should seriously and practically deal with comprehensive implementation of political, constitutional, economic, judiciary and administrative reforms.

Tackling the same subject independent weekly Attariq published in its June 27 issue an article commenting on the treaty. The article said that undoubtedly the settling of the borders problem would put the government face to face with internal demands. The demands can only be tackled by comprehensive national program containing prominent plans for radical and actual reform, politically and economically. The paper elaborated that the proposed plans should have solutions for many failures and effect profound changes in the social structure.
Now the authority can no longer advance excuses to justify continued phenomena of domestic deteriorated conditions. The current circumstances represent the touch-stone and practically put the government to the test that shows its seriousness in its declared orientations.

AT-Thawra daily of 2 July 2000 published an editorial on the local authority system saying that system which Yemen is preparing to implement represents an achievement of one of great aims.
The local authority system is another step in changing the popular participation in in the country administration into an action and practice. This includes economic affairs, administration and taking part in solving the citizen’s problems and deepening the relationship between the government and the society.

Al-Wahdawi weekly of the (People’s Nasserite Organization) has in its 27 June issue viewed the treaty from a rather different angle. It has editorialized that welcoming the solutions reached in regard to the border problem reflected the volume of the issue. The support has also indicated the volume of relationship between the two neighborly countries and peoples.
Al-Wahdawi editorial maintained that some of the welcome had not stemmed from keenness on the two countries ties, but rather governed by hypocrisy and special political ties. Those who had shown reservation towards the treaty before seeing its text proceeded from a view that taking certain stands should be after getting acquainted with the treaty’s text.
It is completely right that some of the welcome was out of keenness and was based on certain vision. That keenness was expressed out of a principled concept stipulating of welcoming the solution of border disputes between Arab countries, as such border disputes are basically meant to be part of fabricated problems.

Al-Jamaheer weekly ( Ba’ath Party pro-Syria faction), 28 June issue published an article titled ” Unreal Borders” saying that border disputes between Arab countries are one of the major factors of security disturbance in the Arab world. It has further said that borders between Arab countries are merely barrels dividing them from each other and the y only need a courageous decision to remove them.
The article has cited the Yemeni experiment in this respect. Yemen has already embarked on removing those barrels. It has removed them from Al-Shuraija (formerly dividing the two parts of the country). It has succeeded in reunifying Yemen. Yemen has managed to settle its border disputes with Oman, Eritrea and recently with Saudi Arabia. Dealing with those cases was not that difficult a process provided the higher pan-Arab interest is put in mind.

26 September Weekly ( organ of Defense Ministry) of 29 June published an editorial on Yemen-Saudi border treaty. The editorial says after the endorsement of and completion of all constitutional measures, the historic land and sea border treaty has had a high degree of importance. The treaty is not the product of chance but came after preserverant efforts and talks extended to around 22 years.
The editorial maintained that the treaty is going to be an introduction to a new era between the two peoples and countries in their interest and in favor of stabilizing security, peace and stability for the region’s peoples.

An article published in Ath-Thawri weekly, organ of the Yemeni Socialist Party on 29 June, said activities of political and party opposition find spacious scope under democratic orientation. It is a right for it to practice, even if not received with authority satisfaction. Any authority is not deemed democratically-oriented unless it practices aspects of democracy. Phenomena of the authority democratic policy are mainly embodied in showing respect towards others’ opinions and existence, and freedom of press that should not be impinged on by security apparatus. The authority in our country, although it has stemmed from the laws of political pluralism and press freedom, it has not been dealing with them in the required level.

Ash-Shumoa independent weekly editorial on 1 July said the phenomenon of government violence and suppression represented the worst in contemporary history. It becomes the worst in democratic countries. In our country it is also considered the worst as it contradicts the constitution and the still developing democratic pursuit. If such phenomenon does not disappear it would ruin the political life because practically it means muffling the voices and silencing and restraining public freedoms.
The unjustifiable attack that took place on against As-Shumoa newspaper and chief editor last Thursday by security forces is an example of the suppressive policy of the government.

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