Press Review - Issue 50

50 - Dec 11th thru Dec 17th 2000, Vol X

The main news trends in Yemeni press this week concentrate on several domestic premises in addition to some Arab and world issues. This week has marked the beginning of Ramadhan month of fasting, the event of which urged newspapers to remind people of the virtues of the month and publish news especially on attempts by food merchants to raise prices.
Another news item capturing the press front pages is the continued kidnapping of the Swedish expert and negotiations for securing his release that have at last succeeded to have the Swedish citizen set free. Developments in investigations and interrogations pertaining to the explosion in the USS Cole destroyer at Aden seaport last September have also occupied good space on the newspapers front pages. There are other domestic issues being highlighted on the front pages of the press dealing with various political, economic and social questions.

Here is a review of the main nesw headline that have been front-paging the Yemeni press this week.

-President Saleh Addresses the Nation on Advent of the Month of Ramadhan
-Arab, Islamic Efforts on Providing Protection for Palestinian People
-Legal Affairs Minister: Parliament’s Approval of Constitutional Amendments, No Violation
-Mediation Efforts to Free Swedish Expert Continue
-Seven Girl Students, Victims of School Incident in Sana’a
-Constitution Protection Committee Calls For Rejecting Amendments
-Yemeni Markets Flooded with Israeli Goods
-Journalists Syndicate Observes 20 Violation Cases Against Journalists
-American Fears from Speedy Trials for Suspects of Cole Incident
-Yemen-Saudi Trade Exchange Resumed
-Speculations on Forming National Unity Government After Local Councils Elections

Excerpts from articles published in some Yemeni newspapers tackling various domestic and Arab issues.

RAY
weekly of Sons of Yemen League party, Nov. 28, 2000
The weekly’s editorial is discussing the rule situations in Yemen and proposes certain suggestions and visions as solutions. RAY editorial says that Yemen has reached to a sickly state no longer needs to be diagnosed. It adds that any reasonable person does not have to seek for indications on conditions of the ill phenomena, because there are many apparent ones. It says all particles of our life are pregnant with malfunctios associated with malfunctions in other areas in a manner forming a destructive system. No political observer can deny his knowing of hundreds of true patriotic voices diagnosing and spotting areas of disease and prescribing the kind of remedy needed, the editorial has further said.
The editorial has concluded that the Yemeni problematic requires to stop introducing more theories and to start immediately in sincere treatment by laying foundations of unity destined for continuation and rectifying failures of the ruling system. The situation requires genuine activation of the submitted proposals, main of which is conducting comprehensive national reconciliation.

Ath-Thawri
weekly, organ of YSP, Nov. 30, 2000
An article by Hashim Abdul Aziz published in the paper has been devoted to talking on the 33rd anniversary of November 30 independence day that ended the British occupation of southern Yemen. The article stresses that on the 30th of November struggle of the Yemeni people and continued resistance to the British colonialist occupation culminated in the victory of October 14 revolution that managed to wring out independence of the southern part of the homeland.
Along with observing this dear national occasion, there should be an expression of gratitude towards those who sacrificed themselves for the homeland and towards those who had made the homeland’s independence and freedom above all other aims of national salvation and historical development embodied by the continuous march of the Yemeni revolution since its outbreak on September 26, 1962, despite the difficulties it is facing.
The article confirms that the British form of colonization is the worst among all others the Arab region had experienced. It is still feeding its old crimes and continues them against our nation. Nobody would now clarifies the reason behind this British colonialist policy but that of saying that it is based on ambitions.
Britain is for instance fully responsible for what has befallen the Palestinian people and the Zionist war of annihilation they are now subject to. Britain is also responsible for the inter- Arab border disputes as it was the party that created them before its evacuation from the Arab countries that had been under its occupation, as well as its responsibility regarding the Emirates’ isles in the Gulf. Nevertheless Britain has not even apologized for what it had done of hostile political acts harming the Arabs. The British politicians have to realize that no Arab would ever beg for its apology. What should be remarked here is that the present boycotting campaign directed against Israel and the US should include Britain as it is the Arabs’ enemy No. one particularly regarding the Palestinian cause.

Al-Wahdawi
weekly
Nov.28, 2000 An article by Saeed Thabet Saeed has been devoted to deal with passing the constitutional deal by the parliament. The article author affirms that the parliament has proved its inefficiency for being a real legislative and observation authority. It has accepted a reverberation of the executive power and merely its feeble satellite.
The writer maintains that no one should think that ‘’our political battle with forces of corruption has ended with passing in parliament the constitutional amendments draft,’’ the road is still long and the rounds are many.
This is particularly presumable as the citizen has nowadays become more aware that the existing authority and its deputies are isolated from the constitutional legitimacy. He knows that the authority never one day has committed itself to the constitution or the valid law.
Connivance of the parliament with the executive authority on reproducing two constitutions out of the present one; one of them in the hands of the people, the other in the hands of the president of the state, would not be the end of the distance.

Al-Mithaq
weekly, organ of the People’s General Congress party,
Nov. 27, 2000 An article by Mohammed Al-Lawzi devoted to the Palestinian cause says that the Palestinian miracle has actually come, causing the collapse of conditions of those who want to render peace into surrender and dictate intentions of the Israeli occupation.
Al-Aqsa intifada has managed to introduce itself to the world as a whole in a way confirming truthfulness of the Arab Palestinian right and making the Jewish state, through its racial practices and insistence on violence and suppression, as an entity hostile to life in all of its aspects.
Undoubtedly, the Palestinian intifada represents the difficult equation that Israel would not be to solve save by bowing to the will of the Palestinian people who clearly defined their future. It is embodies by the Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital. The Palestinian intifada has placed the international community before the option of peace based on the right, justice and resolutions of international legitimacy. Now there is no room for arrogance, demonstration of power and adoption of violence as an approach for implementing desires of the Israeli state.
One of the merits of the inifada is that it has succeeded in creating a somewhat better degree of Arab solidarity and in inflaming enthusiasm of the Arab masses, making them to be close and adherent to it. The intifada has also managed to make Europe realise the importance of Palestinian struggle and the return of the right and increase in the European awareness of justice of the Palestinian cause.

26 September
weekly, organ of the Yemen Armed Forces, Nov. 30, 2000
The weekly has devoted its editorial to highlight the 33rd anniversary of the national independence. The editorial says that after 33 years of independence many huge and great gains and accomplishments had been achieved in Yemen. These gains are the product of the independence that was realised after hard strife and armed struggle against the foreign colonialist and large number of martyrs who had sacrificed their blood and life for the homeland till the evacuation of the last British soldier from Aden on November 30, 1967.
The eruption of 26 September revolution in the north had contributed greatly to the 14 October revolution and beginning of the armed struggle for four years against the colonialist and its collaborators. The interconnection between November of independence of 1967 and November 1998 of signing the Yemeni unity occupies an exceptional importance and great indications, because with unity came democracy as an integral part and also with it were created energies of creativity and positive action. At the Arab level the independence day of Nov. 30 has very important implication as it came immediately after the Arab setback of June 1967.

Al-Umma
weekly,
Nov. 30, 2000 The newspaper editorial is devoted to talking on Ramadhan the month of fasting, mercy and love. The editorial has said that the occasion places all before their responsibilities.The authority has to pay attention and take care of its citizens’ affairs and conditions and reconsider its policies and practices, the editorial has called. It has also called on the merchants to avoid raising goods and foodstuffs prices particularly in these blessed days.
The Zionist continued aggression on the Palestinian people and the daily scenes of killing, destruction and rocket shelling by the occupation forces, can be deemed as one of the main calamities befalling the struggling people.
The weekly editorial has called upon the Arab and Muslim nations for performing jihad and fighting the aggression and the danger threatening the Islamic nation.