Press Review [Archives:2002/05/Press Review]
Ath-Thawra daily, 26 Jan. 2002
The daily editorial for today has concentrated on the theme of the Arab efforts and good offices exerted nowadays for clearing atmospheres of Arab relations from all their defects accumulated along the past years.
The editorial says that among the positive indications derived from positive and encouraging statements by Arab officials we can find that there is an evidence about availability of mutual willingness and joint will for starting a new chapter for a bright future of the Arab system. Positive indicators carry with them good omens and rather the realization of putting an end to a past dominated by crises expected to be achieved during the upcoming Arab summit in Beirut. It seems, in the light of that, the Arab political reality is approaching reconciliation in coincidence with dictates of defending the issues of the nation and service of her interests.
Perhaps one of the most important necessities of positively employing of stands is to replace dispute and individual stances by communication and integration of roles. Within this context, the editorial maintains, our country under leadership of president Ali Abdullah Saleh has played its role and remarkable contribution to restore Arab solidarity through its initiative of the political mechanism regulating convening the Arab Summits. The issue of reconciliation among the brethren has occupied the largest portion of our leadership’s political priorities. Undoubtedly, the realization of comprehensive Arab reconciliation would represent the strongest of responses to the Israeli arrogance.
Al-Wahdawi weekly, organ of the Nasserite People’s Unionist Organization, 22 Jan. 2002
Columnist Ali Al-Saqqaf has written that since the blasting incident of the USS Cole Destroyer at Aden harbor, October 2000, American officials have been repeatedly visiting our country. These visits have not ceased but the Yemeni citizen has not noticed anything produced by them. Official news has always reported that the visits include talks with Yemeni officials pertaining to cooperation in fighting terror and progress of investigations into Cole explosion incident.
Information given by the Yemeni side is often very little, and if there is any information it is often confused and contradictory and usually bewilder observers and makes them more ignorant of what is going on. This in act explains why many of those dealing with such news resort to western media for help. They specially seek information at American media which sent information where it is difficult to be confirmed by officials in our country, for they desist from giving any information for reasons we usually do not know. What really annoys in this regard is that when any one of the media deals with information or news coming from outside, official newspapers start dealing ready-made accusations to those media.
Al-Wahda weekly, 23 Jan. 2002
The newspaper’s editorial says that experiments have proved that fighting terror in societies and states that have experienced this phenomenon, it could not be with arms only. There are many certain ways and channels that should be made available to be employed in the war against terror.
Development is the first and most effective kind of weapon to be used in combating terrorism. For with the comprehensive and wide-range meaning of development the prominent factors of preventing the birth of the germ of terror can be attained. Development can also provide the important conditions for fighting terrorism itself.
Experiments and examples have proved that terrorism can spread in areas clearly lacking of features of development and necessary facilities. Poverty, unemployment, ignorance, disease and other such factors constitute the incubator for terrorism. Thus improving living conditions and providing essential services for the people, such as education, medication, good roads, electricity and water, ..etc, would pave half the way towards safeguarding against terror.
The editorial maintains that parallel to development condition there comes the media and enlightenment weapon. This one is the responsibility of mass media and religious platform. Men of letters and preachers are the forward partners with security bodies and architects of development. Moreover, all the country’s institutions and social segments are called to join forces to fulfill this task.
Al-Balagh weekly, 22 Jan. 2002
The weekly’s editorial stresses that Israeli forces are continuing their disregard toward the Palestinian authority and chairman Yasser Arafat by clamping the siege against him in Ramalla city and shelling of the Palestinian Broadcasting and Television Establishment there.
Despite of repeated offenses, president Arafat addresses letters to the U.S. president Bush asking him to exert efforts for saving the ” peace” settlement but he receives no relevant response. It is as if Arafat has not perceived yet that there is no longer anything called ”Peace Process” but in his own imagination. I t would have been better for Arafat to address his messages to the Arab and Muslim rulers and Islamic peoples to rescue him personally and also to save the Palestinian people. The peace process has become a pretext by which he can direct the Palestinian authority weapon towards the resisting Palestinian people.
Chairman Arafat’s calls have been much repeated to president Bush about salvaging the peace process and also he has repeated his statements on his being sticking to peace, a ”peace of the courageous” without all that humility and surrender leading to any result. Arafat is now experiencing an arrest the Israeli enemy decided to keep. When would we hear president Arafat announcing that it is the right of the Palestinian people to resistance and that he would not give his orders to the authority’s police to arrest the Palestinian mujahideen?
Ash-Shoura weekly, organ of Union of People’s Forces, 20 Jan. 2002
Columnist Mohammed Saleh al-Hadhiri has written that newspapers have last week been unanimous that many citizens have died of poisons contained in qat especially due to chemical fertilizers. This gives an indication of the volume of social corruption.
Qat has proved to be the silent killer or the first factor in claiming lives of high proportion of victims during the past years. The issue of qat is still developing towards becoming the most dangerous phenomenon against our society, necessitating interference at more than one level. One of these levels is the religious represented by religious leaders who are governed by the general rule of legitimizing and prohibition religiously in the way leading to achieve the general interest of the society. A legal opinion or decision by religious scholars must represent must represent a transfer to of their legal function towards being more effective socially. There should be a representation process of the national interest in a legal way by subjecting qat to stipulation of the rule that defines the percentage of harm or befit. Thus it would be prohibited if harm surmounts benefit and to be allowed if benefit surmounts harm.
Al-Ayyam daily, 22 Jan. 2002
Columnist Mohammed Hassein As-Soufi says in an article it is not good that our society is swept with social ills that have aggravated and taken multi colors and forms and spread rapidly. It is also unpleasant that all that happens while we keep unaware towards it, as if it is a fate or destiny in or life.
Among these social diseases is unemployment among the youth, particularly the qualified and those holding high educational degrees. This situation gives an indication that about the great gap dividing between education plans and requirements of development. And that has led to increase the number of youth who are left on the margin without having work and also destroyed any future ambitions among them.
The author puts the blame mainly on the government that is obliged to create job opportunities for the youth through invest in economically feasible projects, instead of small investment ventures that would accommodate only few numbers of the unemployed.
RAY weekly, organ of Sons of Yemen League Party, 22 Jan. 2002
In its editorial the newspaper confirms its support for those who call for the importance of the existence of educational institutes specialized in teaching sciences of language and religious law according to bases and orientations and targets preserving our generations against seditions and rifts and preserve our religion against calls for extremism, in addition to putting an end to any direction that may appear to be representing Islam in Yemen. Our people in Yemen are all Muslims representing the pure and moderate Islam away from politicizing Islam. The editorial says that Islam should not be politicized rather that we must add to politics values and ethics of our religion. Our country must undertake its role in the future dialogue among civilizations.
We should not let people affiliate of one side to be as the sole responsible for Islam and as though the others are not Muslims. Islam is the religion of all the Yemenis and we need to teach our sons its magnanimous and pure sciences which our generation for over 14 centuries have been learning.
Al-Ihya’a Al-Arabi weekly, organ of the Arab Baath Socialist party, 2 Jan. 2002
Abdulsalam Said Ahmed has said in an article that as America has dubbed each of its previous wars with a suitable name, it has chosen for its new war a slogan compatible with its goals and intentions. It has therefore dubbed it ” the infinite justice”. This war would be actually with all standards infinite in its sphere, goals and means. In this war America would be free in behavior, not to be questioned about its action and would not need permission nor justification. If it feels suspicious about any country, it would render it into rubbles and graveyards.
Against these new changeables and this American absolute behavior, European politicians and decision-makers have felt that they must do something if they wanted to survive and protect interests of their peoples. Therefore they acted in compliance with their historical responsibility towards their peoples and in accordance with what the stage dictates on them of challenges and dangers. So there was the decision of unifying the currency a wise, responsible and strategic achievement and significant for the structure of the European unity. It would, added to the previous accomplishments, enhance the economic, political and social security of the European countries.
We the Arabs are yearning for an action that would restore to us what we had or part of it or at least to preserve our scattered parts and protect them from destruction, especially that America sees us as the origin of terror and draws up its strategic plans accordingly.
Al-Mithaq weekly organ of the General People’s Congress party, 21 Jan. 2002
In its editorial the newspaper says the notorious terrorist Ariel Sharon and his government have proved to be but a gang of crime perpetrating aggression against the Palestinian people and working hard for sabotaging the ”peace process”. This state of affairs constitutes a grave danger to security and stability of the Middle East and heralds of limitless catastrophes against the Palestinian people under the Israeli occupation and its terrorism. All that happens under the very nose of the international community that stands handfolded and does not bear its responsibility in the face of killing and starving and horrifying the defenseless Palestinians.
Nowadays there are grave developments taking place which are represented by tightening the grip on the Palestinian cities, destroying infrastructures of a defenseless people wanting freedom and independence. What is going on is a tendency towards a comprehensive war involving all. This situation dictates on the Arabs to define more brave and clearer attitudes in taking decisive and rapid measures forcing the Zionist terrorist entity discard its aggression.
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