Survey says . . . US military presence will harm both Yemen and USA [Archives:2002/12/Reportage]

Mohammad Bin Sallam
By Yemen Times Staff
The talk about the US military presence has taken so many dimensions. Some people hail this move and some others strongly oppose it. Some have observed silence and keep watching what is going on. Others say, it is natural for the national interest to keep peace and safety. Nevertheless, some Yemenis believe that the US presence is a violation of Yemen sovereignty and has greatly affected the Arab national security. Yemen Times conducted this survey of opinions and spotlighted the negative and positive dimensions of this issue.
Excerpts.
Qassem Salam, Secretary-General of Bath Arabic Socialist Party, said, the Americans are used to the policy of blackmailing nations and pressurizing them to have their plans passed. This policy is applied to all the Third World countries, and not only to Yemen or the Arab countries.
It is clear that the United States has gone astray since the September 11 attacks as it has no longer been able to sense the feelings of the Arab masses. Yet, the United States should recognize that the Yemeni people are not ready to make it tamper with their sovereignty for some dollars. Yemenis will oppose the US presence and will fight both the US troops and those advocating their presence.
The US government should keep its money for itself and let us live decently and honorably. Yet, America should know that Yemen has been the grave of occupiers and will continue to be so.
Abdulaziz al-Mansub, editor-in-chief of Alwahdawi newspaper, organ of the Nasserite party, commented, the US government has been searching for a foothold in the region under the pretext of fighting terrorism, however, the real objective of this presence is to have the upper-hand over both the people and the resources of the region. Americas hostility to the Arab nations is evident.
Mohammed Abdulmajid al-Qubati, head of the PGCs political division, said, speaking about the US military presence in Yemen is a mere media exaggeration. The arrival of some US military trainers and technicians to help Yemen clear landmines is natural and not a new thing. Previously, there had been so many American experts and technicians for training Yemens army even before the reunification of the country in 1990. Following the reunification of Yemen namely in 1996 there were tens of American military trainers and technicians for the purpose of training Yemeni army to clear mines planted during the unsuccessful 1994 secessionist attempt.
They have actually trained our army how to clear mines that claim the lives of tens of people. Still, the US military personnel will not be involved in combating tasks.
Though, Yemen and the US hold different attitudes towards the issue of fighting terrorism, the fact is that Yemen has been countering terrorism even before the September 11 attacks and the USS Cole incident in 2000.
The existence of some US military personnel for training Yemens special task forces on sophisticated equipment and military hardware, which will be used in combating terrorism, should not be exaggerated and used for mere political propaganda by some political parties.
After all, it is easier and more cost-efficient to have 20 US trainers in Yemen than to send hundreds of the special forces troopers to the United States for the same purpose.
Likewise, Yemen will not accept the presence of US troops on its soil. This is known for all and thus should not be a point for political bargaining.
Mohammed al-Massani, said, a person who will accept the US military presence has no dignity nor any sense of patriotism. We will not allow the US forces to stay on Yemeni soil since even the presence of US forces in the Red Sea is openly an occupation of Yemeni territorial waters.
Khalid al-Hamadi, corespondent of the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi, believes that if the US military presence in Yemen will go beyond training and exceeded the proclaimed number it will be catastrophic for both Yemen and the United States.
This is because Yemen is not like the Gulf countries. Yemeni people have more means of freedom to object this presence which is lacking in the Gulf states.
Thus, such a move will backfire on both Yemen and the United States, and will have certainly more disastrous consequences to that of the USS Cole bombing. Im more afraid that this may rather affect the good relations between Yemen and the United States.
If the two side mistakenly think that the military presence will further strengthen the existing relations, later they will come to know that it isnt like this. The Soviet military presence in Afghanistan was actually one of the reasons for the collapse of the Soviet empire. Accordingly, current superpowers should learn from the mistakes of others.
Jamal Mohammed al-Jaabi, lawyer, believes that there is a public opposition of the US military presence not only in Yemen but in the region as a whole. Further, the Yemeni people are even more cautious about a stronger relations with the US.
Ibrahim Hussein Mohammed, pointed out that the Yemeni people are heedless to the US military presence because they are more concerned with winning their bread. Mostly, Yemenis discuss this issue during Qat meetings.
Yet, some people, for the most part, leftists welcome this presence because they think that eradicating terrorism will avert Yemen repeating the Afghan experience. They also think that Yemen might turn into a battlefield for Jihad groups that have no program but to issue Fatwa religious decrees.
These people believe that the US military presence will consolidate the state of law and order and will dictate on the Yemeni government to achieve more justice and respect for human rights. On the contrary, I think Yemens government has no choice but to fulfill the American demands.
Sanaa thinks that US military presence will help to suppress its opponents under the pretext of eradicating terrorism. Most properly, the Yemeni authorities will not hesitate to subdue any potential demonstration to protest the deteriorating living conditions under the pretext that they are supported by terrorist elements. Similarly, the Americans might technically support the regime in covering the suppression of that demonstrations.
The issue of suspending the US financial assistance to Yemen, in my opinion, is because the majority of the US congressmen still have doubts in Sanaas ability to support the anti-terror campaign, as the Americans are looking for a stronger ally.
Abdurahman Mohsen, a writer, said Although, the Yemeni people have strongly condemned the September 11 terrorist attacks on the New York and Washington DC, the Yemenis dont express any sense of sympathy towards the US administration.
Many Yemenis dont trust the US government and its policies in the region. I think the US military presence would be encountered by a massive rejection and resentment. Yemenis are totally against the US presence which will bread more hatred and misunderstanding.

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