Press Review [Archives:2003/53/Press Review]

Al-Wahda weekly 25 Dec. 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Forging a minister’s signature deprives the state of two million dollars
-Sabotage plot targeting western interests, aborted.
-U.S. commander in the Horn of Africa: No individual military operations in Yemen
-Italian support for Yemen’s Coast Guard
-Opposition accuses elections committee of violating the law
-No restraints on democracy in “Demonstrations Law”
-Saudi Arabia refuses to take part in attack on Iraq
Columnist Yahya Tahir al-Hakiem says last October, the government of Yemen received promises from the donors conference held in Paris to get assistance and early loans amounted to $ 2.300 billions. The amount is for supporting development projects and programs for fighting and alleviating poverty.
The columnist adds that there is a big chance before the Yemeni government to win bigger trust from the donors. Such trust could be build through drawing up practical and implementable plans and programs for using those loans in projects achieving alleviation of poverty, reducing unemployment. Rates as the value of any project lies in the number of job opportunities it would create for the unemployed. The government has to effect unhesitatingly a real reform that achieves positive results. This could begin with serious steps to put an end to the state budget exhaustion, caused especially by repeated names in payrolls of both military and civil administrations. The government should also introduce work out proper rules for spending and others for collecting state revenues and levying taxes.
ATTARIQ weekly, 24 Dec. 2002. 
Main Headlines:
-Aden hosts Yemeni and Saudi brothers meeting
-U.S. Navy commander in Horn of Africa:
-We work with Yemenis to protect oil sites in safer.
-Yemen member of GCC economic bodies
-Head of Saudi side in the preparatory committee: Relations of the two countries .leadership and people concrete
-Aden trade unions threaten with general strike beginning of 2003.
-Trade unions in Taiz call for tackling problems of 1189 employees.
-Medical profession union in Abyan waves with strike
Columnist Ahmed Abdrabu Alawi says civil servants in government institutions represent the society’s segment in most need of care and help. It is true that there are many complains about some of the employees’ carelessness and dereliction and other sorts of negative behavior. But these negative aspects are an inevitable product of the state of imbalance between inflation and high prices, on the one hand and the small salaries they receive, particularly in light of the rise in prices of almost everything. Thus the government employees’ wages have become incapable to meet their necessities.
Against this situation we find that merchants, profession also, foreign or investment company employees or those in the private sector, earn from their jobs many folds more than the amounts of wages received by the state employees.
No doubt, the government is a ware of the extent of suffering of those employees at present. But the natural answer at all events is that the government is enable to meet their demands.
However, the government can find proper solutions for this problems. One of the first steps is that the government most not employ new employees but with the number urgently needed. We should follow a policy based on a fact saying that work would be organized better and would yield better results with a less number of employees and higher salaries. This is much better many times than much bigger number of workers with lower salaries. It has become unavoidable to reconsider the policy of appointing every year graduates without taking into account actual jobs that would absorb them. In linking work to production and granting incentives there must be a kind of justice applied as well.
AL-Balagh weekly, 24 Dec.2002.
Main Headlines:
-Demonstrations, Powell’s imitative, GCC, new themes for rounds of conflict between the authority and opposition
-Foreign minister: U.S. military build- up in the region does not mean war
-Five million rials ignite confrontation between security and al-Qaeda in Mukalla
-Presidential amnesty for al-Biedh and rest of the (16)expected
-American plan to establish schools for teaching American -styles Islam in the world
-Algerian army chases al-Qaeda member
Editor in chief of the newspaper says the law on demonstrations is still before the parliament to be discussed and passed, is considered one of the dangerous laws due to the future results it would produce in terms of affecting the democratic march in Yemen. The danger maybe lies in one of its articles that stipulates permission of the interior ministry of staging demonstration, adding that if the ministry does not reply in 48 hours it is an indication of its implied permission. Nevertheless, giving any side the right to ban any demonstration is a violation of the constitution and against the rules of freedom and democracy because nobody has the right to prevent demonstration even if it is against the government. The government, or the interior ministry has the right to ask information about those in charge of the demonstration and its course for the sake of keeping security and not to change into acts of riot. It is the right of any political party or organization or group to call for any demonstration and for whatever purpose. We are now experiencing a dangerous turn in the history of our Arab and Island nation as is the case with our country due to interconnection of world events and their impact on every country. Under these circumstances & situation, the policy of allowing more freedom, more democracy and giving more rights to the citizens to exercise their right to take part in running their political, economic and social life affairs is the best road to help the country avert the danger of clandestine blocks or gatherings to be established.
Al-Thawri weekly, organ of the YSP, 26 Dec.2002.
Main Headlines:
-JMP discusses “Demonstration Law” with parliament speakers
-Gunter Grass: Yemeni unity based on father lines, woman status in the South was better
-In Abyan, Governor & security boss detain local council members in Zanzibar district
-Press and publications prosecution summon columnist Ali al- Sirari
-Training course on Human Rights wrapped up Thurs.
Columnist Khalid Abdul Fattah says in an article our rulers claim that the ruling system in Yemen is based on political pluralism. They confirm their regime’s democracy by citing the presence political parties, large number of newspapers issued in Yemen and holding of parliamentary and presidential elections on their fixed dates. On the other hand, the opposition parties claim that mentality of the regime officials today does not accept democracy and arbitration of ballot boxes on by words. To emphasize that, opposition parties say the rules insist on rejecting local governance and stick to the principle of appointing governors of governorates and districts instead of choosing them by elections. The opposition say such stands are indication of falsity of democracy “allegation”In their statements and addresses, the opposition parties are unanimous that the ruling authority does not only refuse recognizing others and their interests but also to destroy and banish
AL-Wahdawi weekly, organ of the Nasserite Unionist Organisation, 24 Dec.2002.
Main Headlines:
-American troops in Mareb
-Smuggling Yemeni liquefied gas to Djibouti & Somalia ignites crisis in Socatra island .
-carrying out American military operations in Yemen a probability
-Demonstration law, amendment of parliament rule, a trend to abolish the democratic margin
-Chairman of Yemeni Journalists league calls for backing “Al-Wahdawi” and all national platforms
-Strong attract on the freedom of press
Columnist Abdullah al- Dahmashi confirms that the U.S. administration has managed to bring the Arab land back to the grip of the military colonisation. Thus national sovereignty of Arab states has become occupied geographically by fixed and mobile bases of American armies. Moreover, the central command of the American army moved from America to the Arab land to become a region for the American military decision and its military operations against targets determined by America. The Arab country that does not host fixed America bases are meant to be used by the America war ministry and the central intelligence in the wars against the so-called “terror” or pre-emotive wars against possible threats to the U.S. national security. Rendering the Arab homeland into U.S. fixed and mobile military bases and its military operations against the countries that refuse American hegemony in the region, would threaten the Arab national security. It would also terrorize future of the regimes under protection of the American colonization, as a result the American wars against other Arab countries. After Iran, China and other Asian nations would be future targets of the American aggression. Retaliation by countries targeted by American aggressions would be the American bases established on the Arab territories.
26 September weekly, organ of Yemen’s Armed forces, 25 Dec.2002.
Main Headlines:
-President saleh: We refuse a strike on Iraq, it is no longer justifiable.
-President Saleh: calls Eritrea to negotiating table to resolve fishing problem
-U.S. authorities arrest 12 Yemeni citizens
-Armed forces 10th annual conference held on Saturday
-Two agreements on security cooperation signed with Kuwait, Iran
-Legal Affairs minister:”Demonstration law” in interest of political parties, does not narrow democratic margin
26 September editorial says the scenario of dealing a military blow or launching a new war on Iraq is being escalated day by day as a result of threats by the U.S. white House and the pentagon and military build ups that suggests the U.S. insistence on military option under pretext of Iraq possession of weapons of mass destruction and that it “poses” a threat to security and stability of the region. All that happens at a time Iraq has delivered to the U. N security council a dossier on its armament program, and despite that security council permanent member states are not unanimous on a military option. Iraq has accepted return of UN inspectors unconditionally and is cooperating in carrying out UN relevant resolutions, the latest of which is resolution 1441.
If the aim of waging war on Iraq is to change its ruling regime, it will represent a flagrant interference in its internal affairs and contradicts orientation towards an international order founded on international relations based on mutual respect, respect of sovereignty and common interests and peaceful co-existence, away from violence and logic of force. As Iraq has wide-opened its territories to UN inspectors, the U.S. administration should in return deal with it with similar good intentions by letting the inspectors carry out their job without pressures, if America really fears Iraq possession of mass destruction weapons. All indications point out that the issue exceeds this American alleged keenness on the region’s security and stability.

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