Press Review [Archives:2001/26/Press Review]

Main Headlines:
President Ali Abdulla Saleh: Yemeni-Saudi Relations an Example of Arab-Arab Relations
Meetings of Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council concluded
Alawi Al-Attas: Amendments of Elections Law to be Discussed this week
US State Department Urges its Citizens in Gulf Region to Maintain High level of Vigilanc
YSP Refuses all Forms of Terrorism &Violence
National Committee of Youth, Set Up
Fighting Renewed Between Tribes of Ahnoum and Dhulaima in Amran Governorate
Al-Mikhlafi: Ruling Party Totalitarian, Our Dialogue inside Organization Normal
Journalists Syndicate Condemns Shoura Weekly Suspension
Confrontations Renewed Between Islamist Groups & Government
University Employees Stage a Sit-In in front of Council of Ministers Headquarters
Medical Faculty Morgue Killer, Executed.
Here are excerpts from articles and editorials published in some Yemeni local newspapers this week.
Sout Al- Shoura weekly organ of Union of Popular Forces party, 17 June 2001.
A front page article by the newspaper’s political editor says it goes without saying that the aspired for progress in our country is linked to the existence of the state’s decisive role. Such a role could not be found without prevalence of a constitutional, institutional and decentralized modern state.
Undoubtedly, success in completing the modern democratic state is dependent upon realization of democracy and ensuring human rights. Therefore the Union of Popular Forces works for consolidation of the principle of political plurality, freedom of establishment of political parties and organizations. The party affirms that the political system is based on two major factors, i.e., the multi-party system and the peaceful transfer of power through free and fair elections.
The political editor stresses in is article that the Union confirms the necessity of commitment to democracy constants and its relevant concepts, including the principle of equal opportunities for all citizens regarding rights and duties. The party also stresses that all political and civilian freedoms be guaranteed for them. The Union of Popular Forces party calls for firm commitment to the democratic pursuit and preparation of constructive climate for building the civilian constitutional state and insists on guarantees for holding fair elections.
RAY weekly organ of Sons of Yemen League party, 19 June 2001
The weekly editorial says the Yemeni political arena is experiencing certain developments showing indicators of awakening and return to the circle of reason, the field of collective action under conviction that the democratic experiment could not be so unless based on conception of accepting others and keenness on their active presence.
The political parties sit to dialogue table under sponsorship of the Yemeni Institute for Development of Democracy, the Yemeni Forum of Democracy. The most prominent characteristic of the dialogue is plenary presence of all elements of the Yemeni political spectrum; the ruling and opposition. All of them meet under the motto of political reform, developing and activating democratic practice. It is appreciable of the ruling party that it has begun to embody an awareness acknowledging the importance of the other party in the equation of democratic action, but it needs confirmation of its seriousness and credibility.
Al-Wahdawi weekly organ of the Nasserite People’s Unionist Organization, 19 June 2001
The weekly editorial is devoted to talk about the security premonition of the Arab citizen in various parts of the Arab world. It says security premonition would be always the issue of the Arab citizen for maybe a long period. The Arab citizen is still squeezed in a narrow corner where he is deprived of the simplest rights to secure and stable life.
In Palestine he is subject to annihilation, displacement and suffering, no people have seen up till now, at the hands of gangsters possessing all means of destruction and backed up by tyrants of the world. In Algeria the Arab citizen is leading an ordeal supported by hidden colonialist forces and other internal ones. In Yemen no day passes without witnessing incidents of clashes and opening fire, in most cases the state is involved. Incidents of kidnapping are repeated in a way very unusual in this country of faith and wisdom. Freedom of press frequently come under attack, newspapers brought to trial and are suspended if they continued their criticism.
The Arab citizen in the Arab peninsula is not secure while foreign naval fleets desecrate his waters and land. In the case of Iraq he is besieged for a long time and the colonialists every now and then invent new ways for toughening the blockade on him. As Arabs we unfortunately do not object being the instrument of implementing those sanctions imposed on the Iraqis. The same situation is applied to the Arab citizen in the Sudan, or Egypt or Libya, in the Arab Maghreb and Somalia. The editorial calls on all Arab intellectuals to shoulder the task of enlightening the people on the dangers of the situation.   ATTARIQ weekly, 19 June 2001.
The newspaper has devoted its editorial to the second meeting of the Yemeni-Saudi Higher Coordination Council held this week in Sanaa. It says the council’s meeting and the issues on its agenda represent a new addition in the continued meeting of the brethren at highest levels and their joint endeavour to deepen the close Yemeni -Saudi relations in the context of developing them into the level of partnership.    Since signing the Jedda border treaty the two countries’ relations have seen large-scale development generated great satisfaction between on part of the two countries and peoples. It has deepened their joint confidence. This represents a normal reflection due to the care rendered to those relations by the two countries’ leaderships of President Ali Abdulla Saleh and King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz.
Saut Al-Mua’radha (Voice of the Opposition) weekly, organ of Opposition National Council 21 June 2001.

The newspaer’s political editor has tackled in an article the question of the U.S. State Department decision of closing the consulate section in the American embassy in Sana’a lately. He says the U.S. State department stand in this regard is to be considered as a political event regardless of its size and various effects. Consequently it is an event that should not be dissociated from its backgrounds, current motives and future dimensions. Outwardly the US seems to have pulled back its interest in Yemen at all levels especially after it has been shocked by strong stances and rejection of its demands usually refused by all Yemenis.
Though the American attitude was rather expected to a certain extent, the US gave it an element of surprise. That has produced contradictory reactions by Yemeni officials and an apparent interest in the local and foreign press. President Ali Abdulla Saleh has recently confirmed our country’s firm stand towards the Aqsa Intifada and refusal of any conspiracy attempts on it, clarifying that
despite clarity and transparency of its stands, Yemen does not pay attention to ways of extortion against those stands.
The American stand of closing its embassy’s consulate section in Sana’a cannot be dealt with in a casual manner. For since the war of 1994 summer the United States began to possess some new cards in
Yemen and it had thought that holding those cards would guarantee for it to obtain what it had aimed at and therefore it had practiced various sorts of pressures t serve that end.
Ath-Thawri weekly organ of the Yemeni Socialist Party 21 June 2001.
Hashim Abdulaziz has written an article on the American new administration policy in the Middle East. He says the U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell that the US follows in the Middle East a policy of ”hands off ” because the new administration does not want to repeat mistakes of the former administration.
The Americans have lifted their hands from the actual basis for resolving the Mideast crisis; resolutions of international legitimacy, resolutions of Madrid conference for peace, and the principle of land for peace. The American have taken hold of the peaceful settlement to create strategic arrangements based on imposing peace on the region based the reality of the Israeli occupation. In general the American hands are off regarding any support to the Arabs that help them face their issues including living, and development and confronting the various difficulties and challenges. The American hands are always extended for Israel in economic, political, military and diplomatic support. The US political activities backing Israel have led to foil many international resolutions on condemning the Israeli aggression and colonization and many other issues pertaining to Palestinian human rights and the Arab territories still under the Israeli occupation, let alone the savage crimes against the Palestinian people.
 
Al-Balagh weekly 19 June 2001.
The weekly chief editor has published an article dealing with last week’s program by Sanaa Radio on water crisis in Yemen. He says his issue is in need of much attention by specialists and mass media men because it represents a question of life or death for many areas, towns and villages. A crisis such as that threatening the basin of Sanaa, expected to drain away by the year 2010 if necessary measures are not taken to stop the present rate of water consumption that is unparallel with the basin’s water resources. He says if government officials would not deal seriously with this disaster, it would mean a mass migration of the capital inhabitants for lack of water and subsequently it would change into a deserted city. This would also mean an economic loss of billions of dollars.    The writer maintains that water crisis in Yemen is well-known and many studies about it had been prepared showing ways of tackling it. But the actual problem is that the solutions do not find those to implement.

——
[archive-e:26-v:2001-y:2001-d:2001-06-25-p:./2001/iss26/press.htm]