Press Review [Archives:2002/30/Press Review]

Al-Balagh weekly 9 July 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Surprise split inside Salafia trend, sheikh al-Hashidi opens fire on Saudi sheikhs
-Foreign minister: We appreciate womans aspirations
-Army deputy chief of staff survives attempted assassination
-American secret document: attacking Iraq from three fronts
-Healed political battle, political parties sell membership of electoral committees for thousands of rials
Under a heading America and Mass Destruction Policy the newspapers editor in chief says HUD society has published a list of names containing those detained in the wake of the 11 September events in America. The society has demanded the release of those still detained. The writer supports the call and praises president Ali Abdullah Salehs decisions through which he aims at keeping our country away from American harassments related to those events. The president has confirmed more than once that there are no al-Qaeda members in our country and those arrested were for not giving the Americans a pretext to harass Yemen. The release of a group of them came to confirm those statement of the president.
The U>S> policy dealing with Muslims prior to 11 September events has created for it enemies all over the globe, who may be counted in hundreds. But after the 11 September events and because of its racist policies against Muslims have sown the seed of enmity of thousands of Muslims against it. These may adopt a policy similar to that followed by al-Qaeda. It would have been better for the U.S. to have pursued a flexible policy characterized by an amount of justice leading to keep its interest and avoid it hatred and enmity. The U.S. has chosen a hostile pursuit, taking terror as a conduct and killing as an instrument for dialogue with the other. This would not lead to peace that America claims to seek. The U.S. administration needs to reconsider the policy it has adopted lately towards Muslims in order to reach the peace the Muslims do in fact call for so that all peoples would live under the banner of peace.
Al-Wahdawi weekly, organ of the Nasserite Peoples Unionist organization, 9 July 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Army shells tribal areas in al-Jawf
-A PGCs minister re-divides the capitals Secretariat constituencies
-Opposition parties wave boycotting elections
-Yemen responds to American pressures not to release detainees of terrorism campaign
-American hostile plan against Iraq, disclosed
-Journalists Muhsin and Hussein still in prison
Columnist Mansour Hayel says in an article that the virtual image fixed in the westerners minds on Yemen was the kidnapping of foreigners, blastings and spreads of weapons. After the 11 September events another image appeared about Yemen and that is the kidnapping of school girls, teachers, journalists, merchants, businessmen and children. Kidnapping has crept also to include even dreams. Kidnapping has begun to include that of authority, kidnapping of wealth, positions and salaries and ending with kidnapping freedoms particularly the freedom of expression.
All this happens at a time when reports by experts of human development are warning of expected collapses in Arab countries, including Yemen, confirming that the major cause of this is the strangling of freedoms and chaining the innovative potentials in the country.
26 September weekly, organ of Yemen Armed Forces, 11 July 2002.
Main Headlines:
-President Saleh receives a message from Saudi crown prince on bilateral relations and developments in Palestine
-Heavy rainfall causes damage to houses and properties in old Sanaa
-American authorities cancel their strict measures against Yemeni travellers
-Agreement on rescheduling Yemens debts to Japan
-Chairman of elections higher committee: We gave political parties full chance, electoral committee would be formed according to law
-European companies to invest in tourism, industry and railways in Yemen
Fatma Hayel says in an article that following the events of 11 September in the United States many queries have been raised about the situation of Arabs and Muslims all over the world. As a result of those events the situation of Arabs and Muslims developed to the worse as their image has been attached to terror and opportunity was given to Israeli tanks to destroy houses, refugee camps and to carry out mass killings against the Palestinians under justification of fighting terror. Condition of the Arabs and Muslims has become critical and deteriorated in the west, especially America, as a result of repeated harassment by American legal apparatuses to the extent that it has exceeded democracy that has been violated in the land of democracy itself.
What is worse is the western media campaign launched against Islam and Muslims aimed at defaming the principles of Islam and circulating the idea that Islamic teachings feed hatred, extremism and terror against other peoples and religions. It is as if some have been waiting the opportunity of those events in order to attack the Arabs and Muslims.
Zionism plays a big and feverish role in this regard to sabotage the relations between America and Islamic world countries whose peoples become anti- America, considering it an arrogant state applying the policy of violence and terror to peoples in accordance with its own interest. The amount of Islamic nation masses hatred has raised especially after the events of 11 September as the American address has become characterized by dictating the American policy. Zionism works with all efforts to instigate enmity between Muslims and America aimed at creating a conflict between Muslims and Christianity.
Al-Thawri weekly, organ of YSP, 11 July 2002.
Main Headlines:
-All out war against al-Jawf citizens stepped up
-Al-Thawri editor in chief brought to court
-British security delegation in Yemen
– Hisham Basharahil: We regret intensified attack on press liberties and journalists.
-Journalists Muhsin and Hussein released
-Because of their coverages of al-Jawf incident, a number of foreign newspapers correspondents summoned by prosecution
Columnist Hisham Abdulaziz says in his article that it is right to say that the Arabs have, due to necessity, been seeing that the American military presence in the Arab territories and territorial waters a danger that should be removed. The American and British continued aggression on Iraq is targeting the Arab nations will, sovereignty and independence and it is a flagrant colonialist extortion of the Arabs, especially the Gulf states. The United States does not respect the Arabs issues. American politicians deal with the Arab region as if it is one of their territories and Arab rulers as low level employees and have to pay for the Americans for what happens to their nation and that the Americans do not invest in but occupy countries.
Annas weekly, 8 July 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Allaw: We ask the president to put an end to security apparatus transgressions
-Trial of debauchery network active in suspect hotels
-Local councils duties, constitute a new burden
Saeed Thabit Saeed says in his article that press freedom in Yemen is nowadays experiencing a very difficult test. After more than a month the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate became aware that some journalists are under arrest without filing any charge against them. The Syndicate issued a statement stressing that it was necessary for the journalists to avoid giving any chance for being exposed to restrict their freedom of expression. On the other hand the government has begun its campaign against press by issuing a number of circulations banning publication of any news dealing with armed forces unless licensed by the ministry of defence. It has then issued other instructions prohibiting journalists and correspondents of foreign news agencies from publishing anything related to security reports but after consulting the ministry of interior. The government measures then shifted from circulations and instructions to implementation of threats contained in those instructions.
Many journalists say the grip has been tightened against the press freedom in line with the growing number of explosions implemented by an unidentified group calling itself sympathizers with al-Qaeda organisation.
The writer maintains to say that what doubles the Yemeni journalists woes is that they look for their syndicate and could not find its role but in cases of public relations and confine itself to issuing statements and its ineffectiveness in defending its members.
Al-Mithaq weekly organ of the Peoples General Congress party 8 July 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Workshop to discuss results of seminars organized by economy and investment department
-Minister of legal affairs: The government does not interfere in tasks of elections higher committee
-Dr Qirbi: Despotic measures against Yemeni expatriates in America, stopped
Dr Abdulaziz al-Maqalih says in his article that president Bush is a human being who may be affected with weakness and pride and may be madness sometimes. But the state, the regime and the democratic experiment is the target of world query about the statements and behavior made by its president. He has discarded voluntarily the wisdom and even decorum enjoyed by heads of state, not only in the United States but also in the whole world.
What comes from president of the United States now is a complete departure from international dealing and not an extraordinary stand. In his latest speech on the Palestinian issue he has squeezed himself and his country in a strange attitude that was not expected from a president of a country to adopt, i.e. regarding the call for removing president of the Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat. Regardless of those sympathizing with the Palestinian president or those who differ with him, the insistence on changing his issued by a great power is considered a dangerous precedence and contradicts he political method the United States was characterized by in the past in dealing with heads of states. This is a matter making every head of state in the world, whether elected or not, thinks that his turn would come when the United States would announce he is undesired and that international or local situations necessitate his being changed.

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