Press Review [Archives:2000/51/Press Review]

The major news topics dealt with in this weeks local press are meetings of the Yemeni-Saudi coordination council held in Madina al-Munawara in Saudi Arabia, an international report on human rights, the short visit by president Ali Abdullah Saleh to the UAE and his meeting with Sheikh Zaied bin Sultan president of UAE, developments of investigations on Cole incident and preparations for local councils elections and referendum on the constitutional amendments.

Main Headlines:
-President & Saudi Crown Prince Evaluate Results of Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council Meetings
-King Fahd of Saudi Arabia Receives Yemens Prime Minister
-The President Visits UAE
-Dr al-Eryani, Prince Sultan Co-chair Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council Meetings
-Prosecution Returns Coles Suspects Files to Security
-Opposition Coordination Council Discusses Local Elections
-Labor, Budget Support, Challenges Facing Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council
-Sanaa Libraries Complain of Municipality Blackmailing
-Eight Million Yemenis Without Food by 2025
-Government Attempts to Control Non-governmental Societies with New Law
-US$ 80 Million, Saudi Support For Yemen
-Three Firms Compete on Building Industrial Area in Aden
-U.S. Navy to Punish Coles Captain
-Islamic Bank Participates in Building 5 Water Dams.

Excerpts from articles published in some Yemeni newspapers this week.

Al-Mithaq weekly, organ of Peoples General Congress party, Dec. 11, 2000

The weekly editorial is devoted to Yemeni-Saudi developing relations particularly focusing on meetings of the joint coordination council held in Madina al-Munawara in Saudi Arabia. The editorial affirms that the meetings of the coordination council come as a practical confirmation on activating the developed relations between the two countries. The political leaderships of the two countries have the favor and good role of pushing forwards these relations on the road of realizing the two peoples aspirations and hopes for achieving on a basis of mutual benefits, common interests and ensuring convenient circumstances for transferring from the stage of good neighborly to partnership.
Undoubtedly, the topics on agenda of the meetings co-chaired by Yemens prime minister Dr Abdulkarim Al-Eryani and prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, second deputy premier, the minister of defense and aviation are highly important and reflect he developed level of the two peoples who are having many common denominators. The meetings represent a significant step so that to place orientations of the two countries political leaderships into practice.

Al- Ihyaa Al-Arabi weekly of the Arab Baath Socialist Party, Dec. 11, 2000

The newspapers editorial is dealing with the Zionist atrocious acts committed inside the Palestinian occupied territories going on for some months. The editorial says that the situation in Al-Quds nowadays reminds us of that in July 1099 when the Arabs of Palestine had been subject to an unsightly crusade massacre. Palestine today is covered with martyrs blood for more than one time.
To consider the time and place would lead us to hold comparison between the crusade carnage of 1099m and the present manslaughter perpetrated by the Zionists in Palestine. The only difference is that the crusades were representing Europes states but as for the new Jews crusaders they are now representing interests of the European states, particularly Americas. The queer thing is that the Palestinian national authority has changed into a follow-up element of resolutions of both the recently held Arab and Islamic summit conferences. It is as if the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference are not existing or are not concerned with the matter. This in fact reflects the catastrophic situation deep inside which are developing the factors of frustration and precepts of conspiring against the intifada. What is defect in this respect is that the summits are convened under the American guardianship . The summits decide what is dictated on them beforehand, completely ignoring and disregarding the pan-Arab strategy and importance of the Arab security and calculations of both present and future.
In conclusion the editorial wonders when the Arab rulers come out of the chains containment they are tied with so that to put an end to this farce.

 Al-Raie Al-Aam weekly Dec. 12, 2000

Amin Manea Dammaj has written an article published on the back page of the newspaper on the issue of constitutional amendments. The author says throughout the past fifteen years, president Ali Abdullah Saleh has been boasting of what he has accomplished during his tenure as president. The most significant of his gains is the democratic approach he has effected. The president has a few months proposed certain amendments on the constitution and have been lately approved by the parliament and are going to be put to referendum. In case they are approved in the referendum it would mean doing away with democracy or the democratic margin and the return to totalitarian system. It would mean that the president would no longer have what to be proud of in future. One would not believe that he would try to destroy what he has built by himself. During the past ten years the constitution was amended for more than one time, whereas some constitutions in the world are being in use for tens of years with having been amended not even one of their articles.  
RAY weekly, organ of Sons of Yemen League party, Dec. 12, 2000

The RAY editorial is focusing on the meetings of the Yemeni-Saudi coordination council, saying after 3 years of suspension the council convenes again to continue cooperation and establish for a new stage between the two sisterly countries. This is one of the positive results of the historic border agreement. Any Yemeni sincere to his homeland and people would believe that the national interest lies in the rational administration of the relations with the brethren. The coordination council shall realize many big gains in interest of both parties provided the relations are prevailed with spirit of genuine cooperation.
The editorial maintains that such accomplishments in relations with the brethren in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Eritrea represent part of constituents of development start and they should be completed with performing internal requirements creating a normal and healthy climate and preparing for investing these gains for helping Yemen play its positive role at both regional and Arab levels.

An article by Ahmed Omer bin Fareed says an observer of political developments taking place in Yemen since the civil war of 1994, would notice the political authority control on drawing up whatever it wants of features and events and stands. This spontaneously means nihility of any effect of what the opposition could do against domination of the authority which does not see but its interests.   Approval of the constitutional amendments by the parliament a few weeks ago may present but one example of what we have already mentioned. The move discloses the actual reality of partisan work in our country. It also discloses accurate features of what we call the ruling party. Of course this is a traditional image differs not from any other image of any other authority party in any other Arab country claiming falsely to be democratic.

26 September weekly, organ of Yemen Armed Forces,
Dec. 14
Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council meetings and discussions have been the theme of the newspapers editorial.
The editorial says resumption of the councils activity after more than ten years of suspension comes as a product of the new atmospheres resulting from signing the border treaty between the two countries and a true translation of the two peoples aims of integration, partnership , exchange of joint interests and an expression of the two political leaderships will. The two countries are in need of each other in many areas. Saudi Arabia sees in Yemen a promising economic market, promising human wealth and a fertile land for investments and erecting joint projects for the benefit of the two countries. On its part Yemen sees Saudi Arabia a sisterly country with large field for fruitful partnership and spacious area for exchanging benefits and interests particularly through Yemeni human wealth in the Saudi labor market and the Saudi investments in the Yemeni markets. Added to that is the ambition for expanding the volume of trade exchange between the two countries within the framework of integration of interests and benefits.
Meeting of the Yemeni-Saudi coordination council is expressive of the high keenness on representing the two peoples will and aspirations and activating role of the two countries in the region.

Yasser Al-Houri has written an article on he local elections scheduled to take place on February 20, 2001 coinciding with the referendum on the constitutional amendments. The author says that the time span is no more than two months and half and that means that the political forces, parties and social personalities have to prepare themselves for the events in this short time. Most of the political parties have not defined yet their final stand towards the elections and the referendum.   As a matter of fact the call for approving the law of local authority was an urgent demand by the opposition parties or the public, but the issuance came to be disappointing . The law came to have only the name and lack the meaning whether regarding the authorities that must be granted to local authorities or pertaining the citizens right to elections of governors and heads of other districts.

Ath-Thawra daily 15 Dec. 2000.
In its editorial the daily says that the constitution and the law are the essence of the democratic system and legitimacy of the political performance within their boundaries both by the authority and the opposition. Accepting participation and public action by any political party under this regime is accompanied by accepting the existing legitimacy. This means commitment to work and move within the framework of the system of legislations, laws and constitutional institutions constituting the authorities in the country.
Within this body, judiciary occupies a position that should receive all esteem it deserves as it is the authority that decides issues of dispute and its verdicts must be respected.
Since the peaceful transfer of power represents the principle No. one of the democratic system, any practice violating that puts its source within the circle of mutiny against democracy and against any political organization calling for the establishment of the state of law and order. We find ourselves before regrettable cases created by political forces and organizations that do not respect these bases. Some of them go further to challenging decisions and verdicts of judiciary and defending practices that are not peaceful reaching the level of crime. This is applied to the case of the socialist party that in its latest congress had returned to its leadership some of the elements who were judicially condemned.

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