Main Headlines: – U.S. State Department’s report on human rights in Yemen: Ambiguity of constitution, judiciary weakness, executive authorities practices, obstacles against the change – Yemen and America, a race towards the unknown – Libya issues death & life sentences against university professors. In an article this week Saeed Thabit Saeed writes that political sources expect that the imminent visit to Yemen by the U.S. vice president would coincide with arrival to Yemen of the first group of around 100 U.S. military advisors to train Yemeni forces on fighting terrorist acts. Sources also mention about growing security and military coordination between Sana’a and Washington since president Ali Abdulla Saleh’s visit to the United States last November. The U.S. has on more than an occasion expressed satisfaction over the Yemeni big response in the field of fighting terror, as termed by American official institutions. The latest of this stance is President Bush’s letter to President Saleh conveyed by the American ambassador to Yemen in which Bush highly expressed Yemen’s stands supporting the United States and world efforts for fighting terror, confirming they are greatly appreciated stands. Observers see that Sana’a and Washington have lately headed toward intensifying security cooperation and coordination away from accustomed protocols and bilateral agreements and memoranda through continued visits by American investigators to Yemen to follow up the issue of USS Cole explosion incident. Observers of the cooperation scenario expect two probabilities: either the Yemeni government backs up from its former stands of not violating the constitution and the law in the question of dealing with foreign issues in a manner complying with the American demands, or the latter (America) would respect what it deems as red lines. Here the features of the scenario would rely on the American response. RAY weekly, organ of the Sons of Yemen League party, 5 March 2002 Main Headlines: – Murder incident in Sa’ada still nuclear – Five persons killed in renewed battles in Yareem – Twelve Malaysian Students released – Zinni in Sana’a soon. Mr Abdula’lem Bagash says in an article that since the eruption of the war in Afghanistan, all have surprisingly noticed how the majority of Yemeni political parties have appeared without expressing clear and frank attitudes, that looked like a kind of political flirtation. The hope is that the said stand would be evaluated later if there appears in future an American need for settling accounts based on stands or a direction towards distributing political gains. Possibly the apparent prevalence of some numbered persons constitute the axis of many prominent parties and that may make the formation of a coalition government something strongly probable even if that matter was confined to entrusting coming ministerial roles to representatives of only major parties. Supposedly that within the frame of ” balanced interests” the United States is serious in its intentions concerning Yemen ” Stronger government, stronger security” for encouraging investment and tourism, what is intensively going on of meetings between the American ambassador to Yemen and tribe chiefs is not merely for practicing an acquaintance hobby. It would come out to be an organized and designed perhaps preparing those for a future role regarding tourist security. Granting a large number of tribe sheikhs official authorities even though nominal within the boundaries of their governorates may provide a security climate encouraging tourism and consequently becomes a factor of a stronger government holding all the reins. This may also make kidnapping incidents as part of history. Al-Ihya’a al-Arabi weekly, organ of the Arab Baath Socialist party, 5 March 2002 Main Headlines: – AL-Farouk Centre Students in Zaidiya appeal to the education minister – Taliban &al-Qaeda reorganize their ranks , confront American forces – Parties of Coordination Council in Lahj: Shelling Ameria shelter the worst American aggression against civilians – More than 30 Palestinian Martyrs, 100 wounded since invasion of Balata & Jenin refugee camps Saeed Mohammed Hameed says in his article this week that Inspection body is one of the main pillars working on implementing and following up administrative laws and measures leading to improvement of school administration role. Upon this inspection means field work examining the measures and laws and extent of their implementation. The role played by the inspection body in the education department in capital secretariat has reached a stage of inaction and changed into merely offices crowded with employees. The process of financial and administrative reform should necessarily start from activation of the role of laws and regulations of each administration according to its specialization set for it legally and there must not be any overlooking of any legal and administrative links. This is so if we want actually to bring to success the educational process and realization of its goals and reform of its course.
ATTARIQ weekly 5 March 2002 Main Headlines: – American military advisors to train 2000 Yemeni soldiers at a training centre in Aden – Yemeni Saudi negotiations to open Ramah-Kharakhir crossing – Yemen to be supplied with advanced American-made military boats – 3 citizens killed, 15 injured in Sa’da – Yemen considers settling citizens in desert regions in Hadramaut – Basic infrastructure of industrial zone at the Free Zone, finished – Aden hosts Symposium on easing poverty Columnist Mohammed Abduwadoud says there has been much talk and writing on smuggling that has become with sabotage the other face of the same coin, the cancer eating up our national economy. Under the age of globalization doors will be wide open before all kinds of products flowing into developing countries markets, including Yemeni markets and this event would undoubtedly be in favor of the industrialized countries. Perhaps some countries have been preparing themselves to face this kind of invasion. But unfortunately in our country we receive what is more dangerous than aspects of globalization, i.e. smuggling. Smuggled products are flooding our markets with expired goods lacking conditions of specifications through exploiting ignorance of consumers. As a developing state we have to get prepared to encounter the winds of globalization by activating the law of investment and finding convenient climate for it along with developing methods and ways of education and requirements for facing the new changeables and completing building infrastructures that help upgrade development without neglecting agriculture and investment in fish wealth. I find it a must and a necessity to point to the role of the society in rejecting consumption of smuggled goods and here also comes the role of the concerned departments of the state. All civil societies should also play their role in educating the citizens about the dangers smuggling poses to our national economy and deterioration of our currency.
Al-Wahdawi weekly, organ of the Nasserite People’s Unionist organization, 5 March 2002 Main Headlines: – Washington considers transferring spying planes from Afghanistan to Yemen – Committee of resisting normalization: Saudi Crown Prince Initiative, conspiracy on Intifadha – Arab People’s forces conference to be held in Baghdad next week – Washington seeks to launch a surprise offensive on Iraq, Iraq threatens of a new Vietnam. Columnist Abdulla al-Dahshami says in an article the Arab attitude concerning the Palestinian issue has remained impregnable to reaching agreement among the Arab countries on what option and at what level. Madrid conference in late 1991 came to impose in principle and reality a semi Arab unanimity on the peaceful solution of the Palestinian problem and the Arab-Zionist conflict. The peaceful process during the period dividing between Madrid conference and al-Aqsa intifadha has failed to produce the minimum extent of the project of the peaceful solution and peaceful settlement on its various tracks. Results of that period hold the Zionist entity for as fully responsible for torpedoing the peaceful process and calls on the Arab stand to not get lost in tracks of partial and unilateral solutions especially on the Palestinian track. As it is impracticable for the Arab citizen to demand the coming Beirut summit conference to respond to the Zionist in a similar way, he has the right to ask the Arab leaders and their conference on the Palestinian issue to defend their peaceful option against the outrageous military aggression their peaceful option is coming under. The waving of bartering the Zionist occupation withdrawal to the borders of 4 June 1967 for complete normalization with the Zionist entity is not something new for the Arab policy that committed itself to the peaceful solution base don the principle of land in return for peace based on resolutions of the international legitimacy. The reason behind what is going on in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is that the Israeli left and right are unanimous on refusing the withdrawal of the Zionist occupation army and dismantling of the Zionist settlements. It is also because of the Zionist entity’s retraction from Oslo deal and the agreements that followed it. The Arab stand we want from the Arab summit in Beirut is a clear final statement stipulating a united Arab resolution on the strategic peace option enclosed with an Arab working plan to be achieved regionally and at a pan-Arab level to be implemented on the ground. The writer concluded that if the Arab leaders would not agree on an obligatory resolution on the working plan it would be better for them to announce their resignation from their responsibilities towards the issue of Palestine, leaving the problem’s responsibility and the solution to the Arab masses.
