President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen arrived Sunday in the town of Arta, Djibouti where he attended a grand ceremony for the inauguration of the new Somali president Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, as the first head of state in almost a decade. Leaders of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development had been invited to witness the ceremony.
The democratically elected Somali president Abdiqasim Salad Hassan was sworn in Sunday. Attending the inauguration ceremony were also the Sudanese president Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir, Eritrean president Issias Afwerki, Djiboutian president Ismael Omar Guella and Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi.
Somali transitional parliament elected Hassan, 58, as president of the state early Saturday morning after three rounds of elections. The elections were monitored by representatives from the United Nations and Inter-Governmental Authority for Development. Also attending the elections were the ambassadors of the United States and Italy to Djibouti. Salad, belonging to Hawiye clan, had undertaken portfolios of interior, mineral resources, higher education and sport before Mohammed Siad Barre’s rule was overthrown in 1991.

The parliament voted in approval Wednesday the principle of constitutional amendments, while some ruling party and opposition MPs expressed reservations.
The president had earlier proposed the amendment of some constitutional articles pertaining to extending parliament term, the presidents’ right to dissolve the parliament without holding a referendum; to strip it of the right to instruct, restricting its role to make recommendations and setting up a 111-member Shoura Council. Members of the Shoura Council will have the right to vote on strategic and important decisions together with the parliament.
Some MPs expressed their disapproval of the way Speaker of the Parliament sheikh Abdullah bin Hussain al-Ahmar had dealt with the issue, indicating that he had not given them chance to express their views. They criticized the Parliament Presidium for not announcing the number of attendants, and of those who voted in favor of the amendments and the reserved members.
Parliament Speaker announced that the members who expressed reservations did not exceed 7 , Parliament Secretariat said the number was 17. Some MPs confirmed in press statements that the number exceeded 50 along with 100 absent members not taken down in the session records.
Other MPs expressed their objection to the principle of constitutional amendments, as being backing down from democratic course and chaining it, said Sa’ad al-Din Taleb, MP.
He added that he had objected to the wrong voting procedures adopted in presenting these amendments. He said “Article No 156 of the constitution gives the President of the Republic along with two thirds of MPs to propose amending one or more articles of the constitution, while the President’s memorandum requested amendment, changing and addition, which is unconstitutional.”
Said Doman, MP, Islah Party, has stressed his bloc is split between those in favor and opponents. However, he said that almost all the MPs were objecting to some articles such as dissolving the parliament without holding public referendum and denying the Parliament of its authority to direct the government.
Yahya Mansor Abo Usba’a, Socialist MP, one of prominent opponents strongly criticized the amendment of certain articles especially those proposed giving legislative rights to the Shoura appointed members, equal to those of the MPs as well as the article authorizing the president of the republic dissolving the parliament without a need for referendum.
Dr. Abdulkudoos al-Medwahi, Political Office Secretary, People’s Nasserite Unionist Party, expressed the party’s rejection of these amendments which were abruptly presented and were allotted very short time to be endorsed.

Parties within the Coordination Council for Opposition exchanged charges of acting in collusion with the government to let these constitutional amendments go. Worth mentioning is that the Supreme Coordination Council for Opposition Parties held an extraordinary meeting last Wednesday to discuss those amendments.

Military forces last Monday randomly opened fire in Asser area in an attempt to vacate houses said to be belonging to the Military. The action sent a wave of panic amongst the inhabitants as 15 houses were demolished instantly and some residents were arrested and taken prisoners to the military jail.
Following the incident, homeless residents appealed to the Speaker to protect them against the repeated attacks by the military police. Meanwhile an informed source revealed that President Saleh has sent a memo to the Cabinet urging them to provide replacement residence to the affected residents of the area.
Elaborating the situation, a Military police commander said that the houses, which belonged to the Military, were used as warehouses. The residents were a one-time security guards. He added that the illegal residents were asked on many occasions to vacate these houses and that action was taken against them on the directives of the Government.
Following the incident a number of victims tried to meet the Vice President; but his guards turned them out.
It is understood that these residents have been living in these warehouses for the past 20 years.

More than 150 graduates specialized in oil had staged a sit-in on Wednesday in front of the Parliament. Despite clear instructions by the president to incorporate them in the cadre of the Ministry of Oil, they are still unemployed.
Protesters wore T-shirts on which were painted the Presidents’ picture and his memorandum to employ them. Worth mentioning is that for the past three years oil graduates have been going in demonstrations and organizing sits-in requesting the authorities to employ them.
Earlier instructions by Dr. Iryani, Prime Minister, indicated the delegation of 250 graduates to work in education field. However, after their delegation period is over, they are again unemployed.
There are no vacant jobs for them at the Ministry of Oil, some official sources claimed.
Yemen Times met with some of these graduates who revealed that they wanted a real and clear explanation for unemploying them and for not carrying out the Presidents’ orders.
They presented a memorandum to the parliament explaining the misery they went through while following their issue up with the authorities concerned.
“There are a lot of foreign employers who can be replaced by Yemeni ones. However, the Ministry of Oil along with other institutions affiliated to it are still suffering from the “foreigners complex”, preferring foreigners to Yemenis. We will escalate the issue if our demands were not met in accordance with the Presidents’ orders.” they stated.

Worth noting is that these graduates already staged sit-ins and demonstrations late in 1999 calling for their employment. In one of these demonstrations they stayed at the Ministry. Oil Minister was then forced to escape using back doors while the police tried to disperse them. It is expected that the issue of these graduates will be aggravated if the authorities concerned do not take a prompt action.
On the other hand, students continued their strike last Saturday in front of the Cabinet protesting their unemployment. They stated that they would continue staging sit-ins until their demands are met. Otherwise, they would file a suit.

There are no vacant jobs for them at the Ministry of Oil, some official sources claimed.
Yemen Times met with some of these graduates who revealed that they wanted a real and clear explanation for unemploying them and for not carrying out the Presidents’ orders.
They presented a memorandum to the parliament explaining the misery they went through while following their issue up with the authorities concerned.
“There are a lot of foreign employers who can be replaced by Yemeni ones. However, the Ministry of Oil along with other institutions affiliated to it are still suffering from the “foreigners complex”, preferring foreigners to Yemenis. We will escalate the issue if our demands were not met in accordance with the Presidents’ orders.” they stated.
Worth noting is that these graduates already staged sits-in and demonstrations late in 1999 calling for their employment. In one of these demonstrations they stayed in the ministry. Oil minister was then forced to escape using back doors while the police tried to disperse them. It is expected that the issue of these graduates will be aggravated if the authorities concerned do not take a prompt action.
On the other hand, students continue their strike last Saturday in front of the Cabinet protesting their unemployment. They stated that they would continue staging sits-in until their demands are met. Otherwise, they would file a case.