Press Review [Archives:2002/04/Press Review]

As-Sahwa weekly, 17 Jan. 2002
Columnist Zaid ash-Shami says in his article that there are many statements and articles published recently about the existence of so-called terrorism seminaries here and there in Yemen and that manhunt is going on against them.
The danger of such news would confirm the charges against Yemen as a country harboring terror and that the government is unable to hold sway over the country. This would lead to look for justifications by the government to acquit itself from them and might be compelled to fabricate events or maybe problems or wars to prove that it is chasing terror.
Stating of the existence of terrorist individuals or groups searched for by the state and that there are illegal religious institutes and such others would men offering evidence against them and consequently as if summoning America to do what the state was unable to do for the domination of law sovereignty over the country.
The state is well aware that Yemen is far from terrorism. Certain events and incidents that occur in some towns and villages are similar to very many ones taking place in many parts of the world. Why they happen in Yemen can be ascribed to the absence of justice, spread of nepotism and spread of corruption.
Al-Ihya’a al-Arabi weekly, organ of the Arab Baath Socialist party, 15 Jan. 2002
The newspaper’s editorial is devoted this week to recalling the 17th of January, the anniversary of the US-led war against Iraq in 1991. The editorial says the date reminds us of the most atrocious and ugliest aggression humanity has known in their old and modern history. It has further added that during the aggression 141 thousand tons of explosives were dropped on that country by the U.S., British forces and those allied with them.
The editorial says the aggressors were thinking that they could destroy all aspects of new life and push Iraq back to pre-history circumstances, a goal the world Zionist movement dreams to be achieved.
The January 17 represents an aggression on the entire Arab nation, not just Iraq. It represents an aggression on all peace and progress-loving forces and against all those refusing colonialism and foreign forces presence on their territories, the editorial concluded.
Al-Wahda weekly, 16 Jan. 2002 
Mr Abdulraqeeb Muqbil writes in his article that the opposition in Yemen is weak and fragile. If it continues like that it would end to nothing.
Opposition in Yemen has so far not realized anything worth to mention except very little of self gains and has further more failed to achieve the minimum extent of their declared programs or understandings between its constituent parties.
Yemeni opposition has not till today made a real approach the people and find out about their problems. It could not benefit from corruption situations in order to present a clear-cut vision away from narrow aims. Personally I am not against the opposition parties, but I am aware of much frustration of peoples towards such an opposition that could not achieve anything to be as a testimony on its existence as an active force.
The author says the opposition parties should benefit from all that they have experienced before and to start discovering their way and needs of the people to give them priority in their slogans and demands they are talking of. Their dialogues with the government and the ruling party should proceed from a demand base in favor of the people who are groaning under the yoke of the hard living conditions. In conclusion the writer wishes to see one day an opposition enjoying a broad and deep vision so that the people can defend it according to their convictions.
Ash-Shoura weekly, organ of the Union of People’s Forces
Columnist Abdulrahman Seif Ismael says in an article that the local authority law has aroused a large-scale controversy among various national circles, ruling and opposition. The law came under a large campaign of criticism, a matter which affirms that the law is characterized by vitality and importance.
The government viewed it as the real outlet for it from the situation of embarrassment and pressure it faces everyday. As for the opposition, it has seen it as not meeting the minimum extent of its demands for creating real political and administrative reforms and a broad-authority local governance curbing domination of the center and extending participation of various political and social organizations and forces.
As soon as elections have begun, the government and the opposition discovered the negatives and positives of the law. The opposition adhered to the law and began asking the government for the significance of having respect toward it and to implement it genuinely. Some authority circles, however, started their demands for discarding the system of local authority completely. Their argument was that the law has given the lower administrative units extensive authorization in practicing many financial and administrative issues. They also argue that the elected local council began imposing strict monitoring on performance of heads of administrative units and those in charge of executive offices.
Against these facts some observers of local affairs see the law at this transitional stage would be subject to many essential amendments that would necessarily include articles granting local councils the right to withdraw confidence from the head of administrative unit along with other articles that would weaken domination of the central authority in return for some parties in authority giving up their demand for abolishing the system of local governance.
Al-Wahdawi weekly, organ of the Nasserite Popular Unionist organization, 15 Jan. 2002
Mohammed Ibrahim Ahmed has written in his article saying that since the foundering of the settlement at the first actual test of the seriousness of the Zionist entity towards returning of Arab rights, there been a need for reconsideration of the Arab stand altogether. This is based on the facts produced on the eve of negotiations sponsored by the United States of America that reflected Washington’s adoption of the Israeli propounding and then holding the Palestinian authority the responsibility for failure of negotiations. This would submit the fact of the irrationality of the Arab betting on the present world order to get Arab rights.
With Sharon’s assumption of power in Tel Aviv and repeated scenarios of Zionist terror against the Palestinians under pretext of oppressing the Intifada and other relevant Israeli crimes, it has become imperative to re-activate the weapon of economic boycott. The aim is to put pressure on Tel Aviv politicians, at least regarding respect of their agreements with the Palestinians and reconsidering Sharon’s barbaric policy. The economic boycott can also be a card to be used in future negotiations, if there remained a hope in a settlement scenario.
Current Arab developments reflect a host of facts pushing towards activation of Arab boycott under the ruling out of an Arab comprehensive war against the Zionist entity, and the adoption of peace as a strategic option.
Arab boycott is believed o be a successful weapon had it been activated, and an instrument for pressure on Israel through a translation of the political stands of actual effects on the Israeli economy in the countries that do not have diplomatic or trade relations with Israel.
14 October daily, 19 Jan. 2002.
The newspaper’s editorial says the Zionist policy of destruction and aggression has in the last two days to the maximum degree of savagery and took a dangerous dimension that no longer can be kept silent about or to wait for more dangers and losses at the expense of the Palestinian people. The Zionist policy has reached the extent of trying to demolish the infrastructure of the entire people of Palestine by ferocious shelling of civil institutions and areas and surrounding the president Yasser Arafat, keeping him as prisoner inside his headquarters.
All these types of aggression are perpetrated under the very nose of the Arab world and the international community without any response issued to condemn this terrorist policy and to take a stand demanding for putting an end to them or obliging Israel to commit to resolutions of the international community on the peace in the Middle East.
In reality Israel is pursuing its terrorist policy with the aim of digging its own grave for it absolutely cannot break the Palestinian national will or force the Palestinians to stop their legitimate struggle for wringing out their national rights by independence and establishment of their independent state with Al-Quds as its capital.
What is really shameful is the Arab silence and international indifference towards what is happening inside the Palestinian territories.
Al-Ayyam daily 13 Jan. 2002
Mr Abdulla Ahmed Ghanem, minister of Legal Affairs wrote an article discussing and criticizing of Forum of the Sons of Southern and Eastern Provinces of Yemen established on 8 Jan, 2002. Mr Ghana says we have expected that those who advocated the idea of founding this ”Forum” to back off in the light of the objective criticism directed to such endeavor, especially the clear signals contained in president Ali Abdulla Saleh’s speeches before and after Eid Al-Fitr. Those signals were enough for them to realize the mistake of their effort and its danger.
Mr Ghanem has further said that this forum comes as a feeble continuation of previous attempts against the national unity and confirming it would lead to more damage to this unity. He adds that out of this ”we confirm that this behavior came in violation of the constitution that considers preserving the national unity a duty upon each citizen.”
Violation of the constitution is more serious when taking part in such an action members of parliament as they are according to the constitution obliged to express interests of the nation as a whole. If an MP behaves contrary to this rule he is as if expressing narrow interests, he has further said. Mr Ghanem also pointed out that the constituent system of the Yemeni republic has provided guarantees and necessary mechanisms for political and social activity and granted legitimacy for the citizens right to establishment of scientific, cultural, social and political organizations and national unions provided that these organizations are established and work in a way serving goals of the constitution, not contradicting its aims and texts.
In conclusion Mr Ghanem expressed his confidence that wisdom will be victorious and all would join forces for protection of the national unity and ” our political democratic system, and the concerned sides would bear the responsibility of putting an end to tampering national and political constants.”
Annas weekly, 14 Jan. 2002.
Dr Abdulsallam Qassem confirms in an article that the essence of the U.S. war against terror is to subjugate the state of its hegemony over all continents within the frame of the unipolar globalization, which the Americans term as the new world order.
Within the framework of international legitimacy and within this fact. violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty, elimination of Taliban regime and al-Qaeda organization and hunting down bin Laden are but part of the great hegemony in the frame of the American world strategy. That strategy had been set up for a long time and it is in fact just an exploitation of justifications to crystallize the means hat would achieve that strategy. There is a wide difference between justifications, (the attacks on Washington and New York), an act prohibited by Islam , and the reasons that do not justify the large-scale assault on Islam, the Arabs and Muslims. They also include the measures for building new military bases in Afghanistan and expansion of the American military facilities.
American has surely decided to deal with Arab and Islamic territories, seas and airspace as a field for its vital interests that justify for it to use military intervention in any forms of fierceness and savagery stemming from the American perspective of terror. It aims to make the Arabs pay the bill of military expenses in order to invest the American security globalization.

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