Press Review [Archives:2002/36/Press Review]

Al-Balagh weekly 27 Aug. 2002.
Main Headlines:
-The president challenges announces purchasing missiles from North Korea
-Military Shoura Council and Mujahidine unified command threat to carry out operations in Yemen
-Bin Laden alive, al-Balagh publishes copy of his latest written message
-Saudi Arabia denies supporting al-Qaeda
-The U.S. embassy hampers release of bin Laden’s father in law
The newspaper’s editorial says at last the parties at the Supreme Committee for Elections (SCE) have at last agreed on the shares of registration committees after this question was about to be the beginning and the end of the Joint Meeting Parties that used all possible means of pressure to attain the highest available percentage of committees shares. The SCE has managed to deal with these pressures through the law that granted it power in the face of political parties , including People’s General Congress party.
It should be indicated that partisan and democratic practice is not devoid of such political battles and pressures. The process of registration and preparation for elections would expectedly witness political battles, maybe fiercer than previous ones. What should be stressed is that all the parties must put the law and constitution above all and the higher national interest must be the foundation and the dynamo motivating all partisan goals.The parties also must not forget that our country is still on the first steps of democratic ladder, therefore, they and the SCE must monitor mistakes that could appear in the electoral practice in order to avoid in the coming elections. What is more important at present is to stabilize the democratic life and the parties have to follow confident steps towards correct practices of democratic life far from narrow partisan or personal interests.
Al-Jamaheer weekly, organ of the Arab Baath Socialist party, 25 Aug. 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Divisions of local constituencies, advance change of ballot boxes results
-International Monetary Fund discloses failure of economic reforms in Yemen
-Transport and communications trade union rejects a decision on land transport liberalization
-Special law regarding refugees in Yemen
-Al-Ahmer, chairman of National Security Apparatus
-Saudi citizen denies terror charges against his son
-Zionist enemy continues blasting and demolition of Palestinian houses
In his article the editor in chief says the political system on which the Yemeni state is founded is a parliamentary one built on elections and political pluralism, as it is stipulated in the constitution and had been considered among its fixed chapters. Accordingly the multi-party system and elections are necessary matters for political stability. Attempts of waving with threat or attaching descriptions to the national forces is a breach of the constitution. Dealing with mistakes and rectifying them could only be achieved by upgrading those forces and support their activation if they are meant to be a support of authority. The first responsibility is maybe that of the president of the republic as he is concerned with preserving the social contract between him and the people and application of the constitution articles. He has all the powers in his hands. The people and their political forces would remain responsible for participating in implementation of tasks and plans designed by the state for the development of the homeland and its potentials. By providing convenient circumstances and atmospheres for the people and their political forces within the frame of development, results of the efforts would be good, otherwise they would be barren. Advance is only accomplished by joining efforts in a parallel form.
Al-Wahdawi weekly, organ of the Nasserite People’s Unionist Organization, 27 Aug. 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Unidentified military council threatens killing officials’ sons
-Foreign ships in Hadramaut, Palestinian national arrested in Aden
-National Security Apparatus re-arranges security situation in Sana’a
-Difficulties facing deployment forces in al-Jawf
-Number of Political security members arrested in Sana’a
-Unidentified persons threaten wife of bin Laden’s father in law
-Elections Committee abides by opposition demands
Columnist Mohammed Yahya al-Sabri comments on the GPC recent 6th conference by citing certain challenges facing the ruling party. He says the GPC is facing big challenges in order to alter from a party of the state to a party for the majority.
The is a relationship problematic between the GPC and the head off he state and public establishments and state-run media. The most significant of them all is the relationship with the army and the security. The most serious thing is that the GPC, in its political action, does not compete with its adversaries but rather provokes and antagonize them in a manner creating politically tense situations.
The other challenge is connected to Yemen’s foreign relations and crises and dangers they are causing to Yemen. The writer sees that due to Yemen’s geographical position, continued regional and international conflicts, Yemen’s foreign policy has been leading to repeated internal crises inside the neighborly countries and in Yemen itself. He thinks that in order to represent a party for the majority, the GPC has to build a positive foreign policy based on engaging other parties in drawing up the main orientations of that policy.
The most important challenge is how would the GPC actually manage to transmigrate, to a great extent, its connection with the state institutions during the forthcoming elections on April 27, 2003.
26 September Weekly, organ of Yemen Armed Forces, 24 Aug.2002
Main Headlines:
-Yemeni-Indonesia talks to expand partnership, investment and political coordination
-President Saleh: Any party has the right to majority, democracy, the honorable competition through ballot boxes.
-President Saleh reviews message from president Saddam Hussein of Iraq.
-40 thousand Gulf citizens visited Yemen in the summer vacation.
-U.S. delegation to visit Yemen to close Cole file.
-Yemeni-Ethiopian talks Saturday
-Yemen parliament speaker al-Ahmer heads for Baghdad to take part in extraordinary parliamentary conference supporting Iraq.
Hameed Mohyoub Abdualziz al-Qadhi says in an article that political pluralism has become a pillar of the Yemeni political system. The constitution has granted the people the right to organize themselves politically and professionally and in unions through forming scientific, cultural and social organizations and in national unions in the way serving the constitution. Any political party or organization should perform its activity with peaceful and democratic means to achieve a definite program dealing with political, economic, social and cultural affairs. Political parties shall also contribute to political, democratic, social economic and cultural progress of the country, as well as stabilization of the national unity.
As the constitution and law authorize the Supreme Committee for Elections running the electoral process, it has adopted a correct decision in using its right by forming registration committees from university educationists quite natural from political parties. It was also rightful in other measures that regulate the citizens’ democratic right to registration and voting guaranteed by the constitution and the law.
RAY weekly, organ of the Sons of Yemen League Party, 27 Aug.2002.
Main Headlines:
-Unidentified organization threatens to begin operations if detainees not released
-Salafia Sheiks continued their efforts to end differences inside the group
-Eritrea sets free 17 Yemeni fishermen, the Coast Guard releases an Eritrean ship.
-For selling missiles to Yemen, North Korea subjected to U.S. sanctions.
RAY editorial has this week focused on the conference of the GPC ruling party held last week. The editorial congratulated the GPC on its party congress and the success it has scored. On the other hand the editorial wanted to remind the ruling party about certain demands the party is requested to meet.
is required from the GPC to lead a political reform process confirming rules of democracy and consolidating determinants of its relationships.
It is requested from it to lead a revolution on itself rectifying all mistaken concepts within its ranks, those concepts which mingle between boundaries of the party and the state, and consequently use all public potentials and capabilities in favor of the party and its targets.
The party is requested to immediately take the initiative to read reality of the rule system and failures permeating it and then to treat them by effecting factors of its entity’s cohesion.
It is requested to make a quantitative transfer in styles and modern of its thinking regarding the democratic process and mechanisms of dealing it by giving up the outdated traditional ways.
Lastly the GPC and its leadership should abandon the method of subjugating strategies and constants to serve traditional tactics.
Al- Asboa weekly, 29 Aug. 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Amnesty International delegation meets families of 30 detainees
-Fire devours an oil storage of Safer refinery, Mareb
-Fight between an official sons and University guard
-Purging campaign within ranks of the ruling party
-Jewish tourists team to arrive in Aden
Political editor of the newspaper commented on president Ali Abdulla Saleh’s opening speech at the GPC conference saying that it was not lacking of a purpose when the conference has ignored the parties grouping in the Coordination Council and not extending an invitation to them to attend the opening ceremony of the conference. He says the speech was expressive of bitterness towards the political and media performance of the opposition and showed annoyance for an opposition alliance that this time has shown more adherence , especially the alliance between the Islah party and parties of the Opposition Coordination Council under the grouping of Joint Meeting Parties.
The newspaper’s political editor cites in his commentary two messages the president, as the writer thinks, wants to convey to the opposition. The first message as the writer sees is that the GPC wants to indicate that it is the sole inheritor of the revolution in Yemen and the one bearing its principles. The second message indicated in the presidents speech, according to the writer, is that the GPC is still holding all cards of the political game and consequently it can turn over the table at the face of the opposition when it wants.

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