Press Review - Issue 27

27 - July 2nd thru July 8th 2001, Vol XI

Main Headlines:

•PM: The Government to Begin Dialogue with Political Parties on Elections Law Project on Wednesday,
•US Consulate in Sanaa to Resume its Work Soon,
•Yemeni-Jordanian Higher Joint Committee Begin Meetings in Amman,
•US$ 300 Million to Repair Electricity Network,
•Parliamentary Report Discloses Corruption of Successive Governments,
•Washington Puts Pressure for Allowing its Investigators to Interrogate Yemeni Prominent Personalities,
•New Arrest Campaign Among Islamists in Aden,
•Opposition Students Refuse to Participate in Students &Youth Committee,
•YSP Performance, Cause Behind Jarallah Resignation,
•Bloody Confrontations between Tribes of Matar &Haima Al-Kharijia at Dajarin Village,
•Prominent Businessmen Involved in Promoting Zionist Lethal Drugs
•Religious Leader Al-Shami:Vengeance Committee Reaches a Basis of General Reconciliation,
•Elections Law Amendments, Totalitarian
•Navy Force Storms Grains Establishment Building in Hudeida.

RAY weekly, organ of Sons of Yemen League Party, 26 June 2001

An article by Said Awadh Al-Ha'afa published in RAY weekly says in the first place we confirm that we are living the ecstasy of satisfaction over development of the Yemeni-Saudi relations which no doubt considered to be a tributary to historical relations between brethren. Exchanged visits and closeness in viewpoints do really embody on the ground expectations of the two peoples. The Jedda treaty is considered the most important factor of security and stability in the region. It is then expected to translate this development in the Yemeni Saudi relations into a tangible reality treating the Yemeni situation.
We have at this time to open the file of overall reform and national reconciliation that is considered the most significant cornerstone in the process of building the homeland and salvage it from its current economic and political situation.

Al-Thawri weekly, organ of Yemen Socialist Party, 28 June 2001.

In an article published this week in Al-Thawri newspaper Dr Nasser Mohammed Nasser discusses the situation of opposition parties in Yemen. He begins his article with a query on whether the political opposition parties can constitute acceptable alternatives of the regime. He says social forces and segments standing behind the partisan facades, clarifying they are either tribal forces or influential families or traditional social personalities or ideological groups wielding old and exhausted slogans incompatible with life and reality of the people. Even those parties entertaining broad mass bases they do not do not involve their bases in decision-making and would not resort to them but in elections seasons. Further more these parties are unable to change their leaderships and introduce a mechanism for transfer of power within themselves in a democratic method.
Opposition democracy comes before democracy of the authority. Opposition parties' demand of the regime to be democratic and to create a mechanism for peaceful transfer of power is a demand lacking credibility as long as the parties themselves are neither democratic and would not accept peaceful transfer of power within themselves.
The writer concludes that these parties have only two options to follow. They either embark on changing themselves and establish a mechanism for transfer and exchange of power inside them or to be incapable of this change and then reality would overtake them.

AL-Ihya'a Al-Arabi weekly, organ of the Arab Baath Socialist Party, 26 June 2001.

The newspaper's editorial this week comments on the US recent security measures it had taken in the Arab area and the Gulf region in particular. The editorial says that the US had practiced the most unsightly means of state terrorism against peoples of the world and thus became the enemy number one of peoples on the entire globe. The Arab nation and Muslim peoples bear the brunt of the American aggressive policy. Therefore it is natural and an inevitable outcome that its interests become targets of those it had shed the blood of their sons and violated their lands.
From now on the US has to realize fully that it should always be on alert and to build the highest walls around its interests all over the world. It has to put in mind that it must not open an embassy or consulate in any country without being backed up with a military base to protect its personnel, the paper concluded.

Al-Wahdawi weekly, organ of the Nasserite People's Unionist Party, 26 June 2001.

The newspaper's editorial tackling the democratic experiment in Yemen and its future. It says the people have approved the post-unity constitution whose formulated laws regulating its articles had granted the citizen rights that can be standard compared to those before the unity. The citizen began to feel that his vote is of value and democracy has built its piles inside the society.
It has been hoped that after the positive steps there would be other additions to build the democratic policy. But recently it is noted that there is a retreat from what it should have been done, by carrying out constitutional amendments granting more authorities to the ruler at the expense of the people.
Nowadays, the Yemenis are at the threshold of another stage of amending the elections law for the second time. We rejoiced the government announcement that the amendment was going to be discussed with all the national forces. But we have been surprised when we learnt that the proposed project has been submitted to official bodies in a move looks to be a retraction from the earlier announcement. Discussing the project by all with an free openness guarantees getting an evaluation pushing the experiment forward, the editorial concluded.

Al-Mithaq weekly, organ of the People's General Congress Party (PGC), 25 June 2001.

Tahir al-Junaid discusses in an article the phenomenon of Yemeni migration saying that Yemen's history, old and modern, is linked to Yemenis migration. Non-official estimates say that there are about 5 million Yemeni expatriates in various parts of the world. Yemenis' migration is mainly attributed to political, social and economic reasons.
Here, we reiterate our stress that the Yemeni bodies in charge of expatriates affairs have to carry out their duties to improve the living standard of those expatriates through effecting a strategy helping them overcome certain incidents that can form a disaster to them. For instance some countries oblige their expatriates to remit part of their incomes to be invested back home in building houses and projects so that when the expatriates return home under any circumstances they would not face any difficulties in living.
After reviewing the causes of migration the writer proposes to make available all possible job opportunities for the Yemenis to prove their presence and skill and avoid them the agonies of migration.

Al-Shumou weekly, 30 June 2001.

The weekly's editorial says despite the unjust verdicts passed by judiciary against the '' Al-Shumou'' the latest was the sentence passed by the Amana Court of Appeal,, we would not adopt any stand hostile to judiciary because we are convinced of the necessity of judiciary independence and respect the verdicts it passes.

Proceeding from this stance we perceive that the course of events and their complications and diversification dictate on us to have future visions putting aside events of the past. The prime aim is to establish a kind of volunteer harmony to ensure success of efforts for combating corruption.
The editorial maintains that our view goes to making press a supporter to the steps taken by general prosecution aimed at protecting the country from the corrupt. Since the goal is a common one, so the work of both the judicial power and press should be complementary for serving the homeland and the citizen.

Al-Balagh weekly 26 June 2001. Mr Najmudin Al-Rifaie has this week tackled the same topic of the relationship between Yemen and Saudi Arabia and the necessity of its integration.
He says it is obvious that Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have since signing the border treaty, managed to take long and speedy steps towards cooperation and openness in their relations and return of the warmth of those relations.
Life has returned also to the Yemeni-Saudi Coordination Council that resumed its meetings after a period of suspension. But those successes are still in need of more enhancement and more involvement of the two countries citizens in building strong relations founded on joint interests of both peoples not merely a political will of two leaderships.
What the Kingdom and Yemen possess of material and human potentials and riches can build a unique economic integration capable of developing the two countries economy and building a nucleus on the road of Arab-Yemeni cooperation and achieving Arab unity.

Al-Umma weekly, 28 June 2001. Mr Mohammed Abu Al-Qassim has written an article on the Yemeni-Saudi relations confirming that the Yemeni citizens are keen to witness their country's relations with its neighbor Saudi Arabia to be that of brotherly, good neighborhood and common interests, but not a relationship of subservience based on the balances of power. Taking into consideration what has so far been achieved of the border treaty between the two countries it is obvious that it has not exceeded the exchange of visits and medals. This calls for investigation into the causes and hindrances. They can be ascribed to the lack of transparency and correct information on the two countries' relations towards each other.
The announcement of the Saudi side of adopting the Yemeni proposal of establishing the Free Zone could be reckoned as the sole merit of Emir Sultan Abdulaziz's latest visit to Yemen. Nevertheless observers do not expect a rapid accomplishment of the free zone based on the assumption of following a strategy of longanimity.
Among the commitments of signing Jedda treaty are finishing demarcation of land and sea borders, choosing the implementing company, locating inlets and redeployment of land forces on the two countries' borders and discussing the question of labour but what has been declared of steps goes far away from what it should be.
We do not want to register any objection to the official rapprochement but to affirm the necessity that the relationship of the two countries be of benefit for both peoples.