Press Review [Archives:2002/22/Press Review]

Al-Jamaheer weekly, organ of the Arab Baath Socialist party (Syrian organization), 19 May 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Yemens embassy building in Damascus, sold
-Aden Hotel sold for US$ 50 thousand
-Political security officer in Taiz orders demolition of a citizens house
-American security unit arrives in Sanaa
-Gang forfeits prime ministers signature
-First goods boycotting conference wrapped up in Dubai
Editor in chief says in an article that the constitution guarantees the citizens right to political affiliation, freedom of expression and thought. It also guarantees his right to safeguard his property and honor. It is not permissible to arrest him or storm his house or confiscate his rights without a legal warrant.
Pursuant to this concept, the authority policy m not violate this rule least it should change into a factor causing a political rift. Sit-ins implemented under various aims must not distance us from the rule of democratic practice and we should resort to the logic and reason because this would guarantee dealing with matters according to their legal data.
This means that dictated outside conditions must be subject to criteria of national an d pan-Arab interest rule and that of democratic and constitutional action. It should be in a way the political decision is to be understood not as a tool easy to mould or manipulate as much as the condition of addressing institutions and interests. This is necessary to keep the political decision away from embarrassment and renders it as balanced, in addition to preserving national cohesion. Certainly that does not apply to any kind of sabotage act because such an act would harm the homeland and violate the constitutional rule.
As-Sahwa weekly 23 May 2002.
Main Headlines:
-MPs reject electricity dose, PGCs deputies accuse Islah of siding with people
-Islah headquarters in Sharaab stormed
-Report on free zones, hampered
-Islah denounces militarization of universities
-Sheikh al-Ahmer foils the governments trickery regarding electricity
Columnist Zaid al-Shami confirms in an article that stable atmospheres usually serve the ruling party better than others. Therefore it has to issue directives to its official writers to write in a proper way. They have to know that none has the right to deprive anybody of his citizenship right. He who is in power does not possess the power to eliminate another, nor to force him to be a mere echo to what he wants. The rightful word would benefit an official more that harm him and serve the authority as well. The one who spells out an opinion should not be deemed a demon and the ruling party has no right to install itself an authority giving directives and orders to other parties on how to adopt stands.
We are living the present reality and well aware of the fact that the democratic margin is not enough. We are aware that the use of money and authority constitutes the basis for maintaining influence and rule in the name of democracy and freedom. We are dealing with this situation as reality that would not change in overnight.
There are very big mistakes committed and large amounts of public money are wasted as well as confiscation of the peoples rights. The ruling party and its government have to admit and recognize the existence of citizens living on this land. That they have rights they must enjoy and that the constitution allows political plurality. These citizens have the right to organise themselves in parties, having their own stands that can be in accordance or opposed to the government. These are the rules of the democratic game, so the government should not get angry for that.
Al-Wahdawi weekly, organ of the Nasserite Peoples Unionist Organization 21 may 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Gunman retain military commander in Marib
-Government freezes investment in a gas project
-Clashes between tribes and army in Sarwah
-Countdown started for war between Yemen and Eritrea
-Palestinian resistance: No back down from martyrdom operations
-Boycott conference calls for refusing foreign funding
The newspapers editorial is devoted to deal with the Yemeni unity anniversary, describing 22 May 1990 as a date when healthy and sound life returned to the homeland to inaugurate the Yemeni peoples march towards construction and development.
All the people forces and energies join hands in compensation for the horrible past of poverty, ignorance and deprivation. That past has gone and present day and future Yemen have come back with an effective role in the face of most difficult circumstances. In order to see that role gets stronger, internally and externally, we have to warn against tendencies of individualized assessment of the course of national construction and unleashing judgments on it out of an individual angle. It should not be subjugated to an endless series of demands leading to damaging the great accomplishments of the unity. Such demands could be listed under calls for revising and amending documents of the unity, as happened for the constitution and elections law under justification of parliamentary majority.
The national political system is still at the beginning and has long way to go. What we nowadays consider majority, may turn to be untrue according to later criterion founded on singling out forces and expression of interests. The obvious criterion of today and maybe for unpredictable span of time, dictates on us to not exaggerate in our judgments on issues still at their beginnings.
Al-Ihyaa al-Arabi weekly , organ of the National Arab Baath Socialist party 23 May 2002.
Main Headlines:
-With the reunification, the nations hopes for comprehensive unity enhanced
-On eve of 22 May, president Saleh: We renew the call for fully ending of blockade against Iraq
-Armed clashes renewed between Waela and Dahm tribes
-Student movement faces intentional disintegration
-Jordanian human rights society demands pardon for former deputy Toujan al-Faisal
-First local councils conference, concluded
-Peoples boycott proves fruitful
The newspapers political editor writes on Yemens unity 12th anniversary saying that it represents the most important and dearest of the peoples achievements.
The article maintains that now, after the unity has taken root, it is time that it needs leaderships translating ambitions of this accomplishment and rising by their work and loyalty to the level of this great gain. They must be as forces esteeming high the size of sacrifices the Yemeni people have offered to realize it. They would then prepare precepts for construction and building of foundations for the aspired future this great Yemeni people deserve
 

ATTARIQ weekly, 21 May 2002.
Main Headlines:
-USA normalizes its military ties with Eritrea
-One child killed, another injured in explosion in Shabwa
-Attack on commander of armored brigade in Marib
-30 US military experts arrive in Yemen
Mr Jihad Jameel Muhsin says in an article that official statistics issued in 1994 indicated that volume of child labor in Yemen was exceeding 400 thousand children at ages ranging between 10 to 14 years. But unofficial sources confirmed that childrens number working in difficult and hard jobs was much more than mentioned in government statistics.
An international humanitarian organization lashed against the state and family in Yemen and drew the attention to causes of child labor percentage increase and spread of the phenomenon in towns and countryside. The organization ascribed the phenomenon to low rates of development and deterioration of economic situation in the country during the last decade. Those situations led to the increase in proportion of poverty ad deprivation and rise in prices accompanying the governments implementation of economic reforms program, ongoing since 1995. The organization requested the Yemeni government to shoulder its humanitarian responsibility towards speeding up tackling the problem of child labor. It says such an end would not be attained but through realizing an actual development at all economic levels. The government has to curb spread of the phenomenon by accurately determining its volume, studying situations of families and their social conditions and choosing a number of children able to be professionally qualified to upgrade their standard and return them to labor market.
Al-Balagh weekly, 24 May 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Binladen appears anew, threatens attacking an American city
-British prime minister denies being Bushs lapdog
-America uses stick-and-carrot policy, Yemen behaves cautiously
-Yemen challenges Guantanamo investigations
In his article, the editor in chief expressed the wish that the Palestinian authority and chairman Yasser Arafat would have voiced their intention of reforms by their own will, not in response to Zionist conditions.
Such position would not follow the reforms course as much as meeting Zionisms terms demanding termination whoever the Zionists deem as not responding to them in political or security talks. It also means kicking out those sympathizing with intifadha and resistance movements.
Reform intended by Sharon is aimed at advancing to high positions those who would easily respond to Palestinian authority orientations and would not act as tumbling stone in the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and on he road of the so-called peace conference called for by terrorist Sharon. That is the type of peace wanted by Sharon.
When he was besieged inside his headquarters, Arafat announced he would prefer to be martyr. At present he describes martyrs and their operations as acts of violence and condemns them.

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