MOHAMMED AL-QADHI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
An 11-member parliamentary committee started Wednesday investigating into the question of Yemeni detainees suspected of having link to al-Qaeda network and of carrying out terrorist acts. The committee started listening to complaints of the detainees' relatives and protest to their detention without any legal warrants or trials. They also complain that they have been denied access to see their relatives in the Political Security Organization prisons. Some families still do not know the whereabouts of their relatives. They also demand the Yemeni government to tell them about the situation of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay as well as others detained in the USA or Europe.
The detainees' families started pouring into the Yemeni parliament headquarters in Sana'a to give details about their people to the committee that was set up by the parliament on request by 25 MPs. The committee is expected to present a report to the government of Yemen asking for the release of the detainees or presenting them to court.
The National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms (NODRF), chaired by Mohammed Allaw, MP and advocate, has been very active in following up the situation of the detainees. Despite of the authorities' of holding 85 persons for security measures only, NODRF disclosed earlier that the number of arrestees was over 110. It also presented a list of detainees names and other information
about them. The NODRF also disclosed that some detainees had been subjected to various forms of torture and harassment.
Zakiah Mohsen, mother of detainee Abdullah Saleh al-Hakem, said her son was captured two years ago, following the USS Cole bombing without any charges. She said his crime was that he had got a beard. She also added that she and his two kids and wife had no one to support them. She said she visits him on Thursdays and Fridays but she can not ask him about his situation as they are both accompanied by security guards.
Abdullah Saleh al-Haj, cousin of arrestee Saleh Mane'a al-Najar, says these people are arrested to appease the US. He confirmed that his cousin used to travel to Pakistan for business. His uncle, Ali Muzaid al-Jamah, said he had stayed for one day in front of the Central prison of Aden, asking for meeting with his relative but to no avail. His mother, according to them, can visit him but he asked her in her last visit not to go to him anymore as he is in a very bad psychological condition. His uncle said " We love the US people but we do not like their government which is under the control of the Zionists."
Other relatives confirmed that when they asked the people in charge to release them or send them for trial, they would answer by saying those detainees were not subjected to no legal measures.

BY HASSAN AZZAEDI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Tribal sources told the Yemen Times that the authorities demanded the Sheikhs of Bani Nowf Aal Yahya, one of the Dahm tribe in al-Jawf to hand over tribesmen charged of opening fire at helicopter last Wednesday when the president came back to Sana'a after a short visit to al-Jawf governorate.
The sources added that two people have been arrested who are said to taking part in opening fire at the helicopter.
In his speech, the president totally scorned those who have become stumbling block in front of the border Demarcation Company carrying out the Yemen-Saudi borders. He further emphasized that strict and relentless measures will be taken against them.
Meanwhile, the Dehm tribesmen at the Azza and Ashaf Mountains oppose border demarcations and they are still stationed in these areas.
The German company has operated its task while being guarded by military units stationed near the site of border demarcation company.
The company has so far finished fixing 111 border markings out of 298 that should be fixed along the borderline between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

A group of judicial policemen had ruthlessly beaten up a juvenile inside the west capital court in Sana'a Tuesday Sept. 17 while trying to arrest him instead of his father who has escaped a judicial verdict, his lawyers stated.
The Chairman of Yemeni Lawyers Syndicate, Mr. Abdullah M. Rageh, has filed a complaint to the Minister of Justice, the Prosecutor and Minister of Interior denouncing the attack on the juvenile and demanding protection of human rights.
He appealed to authorities concerned to punish the offenders. " The boy, while beaten up, was disarmed even of his dignity and honor although he had nothing to do with his father's case. The incident is extremely horrible and one would feel that his dignity is valueless in this country." Mr. Rageh concluded.

The Yemeni government demanded the US to do justice to Yemeni citizens detained in Guantanamo and in the US and provide them access to advocacy, a Yemeni official said Friday. The official said Yemen demands the US to do justice to Yemeni citizens who are detained either in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, or have been recently arrested in New York. The official said "their visits to Afghanistan should not be their charge on which they are punished". He demanded that these arrestees should be given access to have advocates to defend them. He pointed out that many Yemenis have been to Afghanistan and that they were encouraged by the US itself to fight communism in Afghanistan in 1980s. He said some of these fighters went back home and led a normal life, taking part in developing their society. "

There should not be generalization and considering every one who went to Afghanistan is a terrorist", he stressed. He also denied information that some alqaeda elements have fled to Yemen, taking it a safe shelter. He considered such allegations groundless. He stressed that Yemen has been victimized by terrorism and that the government will continue to take part in the world campaign to crack down on terrorism. He strongly said Yemen will not allow the leaking of terrorists to its soil whatsoever, an indicator of Yemen's supports for the US war on terrorism. The Yemeni official said Yemen's security cooperation with the US is going okay and that the arrest of some Yemenis suspected with having links to alqaeda will not affect this cooperation. He pointed out that Yemeni authorities arrested a number of alqaeda elements or other people suspected with carrying out terrorist acts; they are being now interrogated.

YASSER AL-MAYASI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Sana'a, 18 Sept. (YT)_ A four-day training workshop on '' Press Coverage of Elections'' sponsored by Yemen Times English-language weekly and German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, on Wednesday concluded its meetings.
Twenty-five journalists representing Yemeni newspapers had over four days listened to lectures on developing and upgrading the level of press performance in impartial and objective coverage of elections delivered by senior professors specialized in this field, especially Dr Salwa Sharafi, journalism professor at the Press Institute, University of Tunis.
Trainee journalists at the workshop had also received comprehensive study and training on using the Internet service in searching for information.

BY HASSAN AZZAEDI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
The Islah Party last weeks inaugurated the election campaign in Marib, 100 km, east of Sanaa. The Islah party in this governorate has won the majority of Islah members during the previous local council elections.
The inauguration of the election campaign has irritated the General People's Conference (GPC) and resulted in a blitz attack against the District Director, Ali al-Yousefi when he tried to stop the summer camp by orders of Marib governor.
Resources fear that the Islah's win of the sweeping majority in these three different governorates including, Marib and al-Jawf governorate might cause splitting headaches on the part of the ruling party where the tribes represent a political and military might.
This can be clearly detected through the GPC and Islah maneuvers.
In this context, the GPC has been seeking to win the trust of tribesmen residing in these governorates.
A prominent leading figure at the PGC in Marib said that the main reason behind the Islah's superiority in these areas can be ascribed to its use of religion for political purposes and therefore could win the trust of most tribes.

Dr. Banadar Bin Mohammed Aal Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Arbitration team, stated in a press conference held on Sept. 16, after the conclusion of the Fourth Arbitration Conference was that the Arab Arbitration Union which held its first meeting in 1997 at the Arab League, aimed at gathering Arab legislators together.
He said although the Arab Arbitration Union was established to settle Arab issues, but there still some Arab countries insisting in requesting foreign interference in their conflicts.
Dr. Bandar added that the Arab Arbitration Union is providing different consultations and assistance for the Arab arbitration centers in different issues.
He said one of the recommendations of the conference is issuing the Arab arbitration law. He described the conference as the best and successful conferences held by the Arab Arbitration Union. "The main issue of the Arab Arbitration Union is to establish a bridge of confidence between it and the Arab businessmen and traders and the Arab Union has no objection to solve political disputes". Dr. Bandar concluded.

TAIZ-The Human Rights Information and Training Center, (HRITC) is organizing a 2-day training course for journalists starting today in Taiz.
This is the second training course which has been organized by the HRITC. It will include organizing workshops, delivering lectures on the freedom of opinions and expression in national charters and legislation. It aims also to provide journalists with the necessary skills and knowledge which enable them to defend themselves in the context of legal issues" said Ezza Addeen al-Asbahi, the Chairman of the HRITC.
The training course has been entrusted with experts from Egypt and Yemen and will be attended by around 40 journalists, mainly reporters of foreign media.

BY MOHAMMED BIN SALLAM
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Mr. Riyadh al-Akbari, a former Yemeni ambassador to Baghdad and Dr. Ahmed Basarada, a former information college dean at Sana'a University, applied earlier this month to the Canadian Embassy for political asylum in Canada, an official at the foreign ministry said.
"Although the two persons occupied high positions in the government and in the ruling party as a members of the (PGC) Permanent Committee, but they complained in their request of segregation and suppression on the part of the current regime" Foreign Ministry official confirmed.
Mr. Riyadh al-Akbari, from Hadramout, was one of the leaders who fled to Sana'a after the bloody conflicts of Jan. 16, 1986 in the former south of Yemen. He then joined the Foreign Ministry and occupied many positions, the last was an Ambassador to Baghdad. "The government refused to appoint him in a new governmental position recently due to his criticism of its behavior and corruption" a close source from al-Akbari's family said.
Dr. Ahmed Basarda, has been exposed to an outrageous campaign for taking part in the formation of the (South Sons Congregation), opposing the government and for acting as its spokesman. This congregation was accused by the government of inciting regional sentiments and harming the national unity for which he was sacked form his post. Other sources confirmed he was sacked because of duplicating a research of another person and publishing it under his name in a news paper.

Within the two-month awareness campaign of the Urban Cultural Heritage Program (UCHP) on the preservation of Yemeni historical cities, Zabid is the first station in this campaign. The UCHP has organized a number of cultural activities launched in Zabid last Monday which aims at raising public awareness towards the preservation of the historical city of Zabid.
The campaign also aimed at involving all the segments of the society, including women in these activities, which included a cultural gathering for poetry recitation, Consultation meetings with local community in the city and a workshop on the conservation plan for the city of Zabid. In the workshop which held on Sept.18, the conservation team of the Ministry of Public works and the General Organization of the Preservation of Historical Cities made a presentation to consult the local authority & community on the future of historic city of Zabid.
During this campaign in Zabid that lasts till the 30th of Sept., a number of cultural as well as awareness activities will take place. For a whole week starting Saturday 21st Painting workshops for children will be held with 110 participants representing 3 schools and a lecture will be made on the relation between traditional dress in Zabid and the architecture of the city.
It is worth mentioning that the campaign which shall be closed with an exhibition to the paintings of children and a puppet show on Sept. 30, has witnessed a remarkable participation of woman in Zabid.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the 26 September revolution and 39th anniversary of the14 October revolution, the 26 September weekly newspaper organized a symposium entitled "The Yemeni Revolution, the Starting Point & Development).
More than 40 participants took part in the seminar, which centered on the heroic deeds performed by the liberal officers in the history of the Yemeni revolution.
The seminar was regarded as one of the important seminars to document the history of Yemen based on solid basis.
Different working papers focused on the wide-ranging discussions in order to record the history of Yemen and the formation of the modern state.

The governorate of Taiz is hosting the annual 4th Science Conference from 11 to 13 of the coming Oct. In a statement to the Yemen Times, Mr. Khalid Abdullah Al Ahmad, member of the Conference Committee, said that it is the first time Taiz hosts such a conference in which outstanding scholars and academicians from different countries around the world will take part.
Some of the prominent figures expected to attend the event such as, Prof. Farook al-Baz, the expert at the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) in the USA and D. Fakhri Al Bazaz, the international scholar in the environment biology in the USA.

The 6th Egyptian Exhibition for products was inaugurated on Sept. 18 and will continue till 27 in Sana'a. The Exhibition is organized by the Egyptian Public Authority for Exhibitions and International markets in coordination with Apollo and supervised by Ministry of Industry in Yemen.
About 48 Egyptian companies are participating in this exhibition which is held at the Expo Sana'a Center. "It is an annual economic activity meant for promoting trade relations between Yemen and Egypt. It gives more chances for businessmen of the two countries to carry out more investment projects" An Egyptian official said.

The Yemeni Authorities banned motor-cycles traffic in the capital Sana'a starting from this week till the 26th of Sept. celebrations.
Sources indicated that this comes within precautionary security measures against any sabotage actions. "It has been proved that motor-cycles have been used in many murdering acts, thefts and other sabotage acts due to their easy movement in narrow streets and the difficulty to pursue them ." security forces said.

SANA'A-The Woman Forum for Studies and Training organized on Wednesday, September 18 a discussion meeting on exposing the human rights reports that Yemen had submitted to the United Nations this year.
The exposure contained notes that Yemeni government had received concerning the need to improve human rights situations that should conform to many treaties signed by Yemen in the last few years.
The Supreme Committee for Human Rights and National Women's Committee, which represented Yemen in submitting the report in New York and Geneva, participated in the discussion.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Yemeni revolution, the Ministry of Culture is organizing musical and cultural activities started on Saturday Sept. 21.
This activities will include inaugurating 19th Sana'a International Exhibition, a seminar on writing the Arab nation history, the main musical speech ceremony, a seminar on the Yemeni culture in the last 40 years and evenings of poetic performance.
It is worth mentioning that these musical and cultural activities will be performed by a group of Yemeni intellectuals, poets, dramatists and singers.

Commencing from September 29 2002, and under a motto of "For the sake of peace and a society without violence and Guns" , the social and cultural organization of Dar al-Salam is going to inaugurate the first national campaign to spread awareness of the danger of violence and use of guns and the importance of tolerance and peace for the society. The campaign will last for 42 days covering 6 governorates. The organization has already finished typing and publishing many posters to help spreading awareness of the damage of tribal vengeance.
The organization's activities concentrate more on the regions that are suffering from tribal revenge trying to put an end to many tribal revenge cases.

By Yasser al-Mayassi
Yemen Times Staff
The Regional Conference on Developing National Industries (RCDNI) and consumer protection was concluded last Monday in Sana'a. It was organized by the Market Studies Center in cooperation with the Arab Federation for Consumer and the Yemeni Society for Consumer Protection.
More than 14 Arab countries and many international organizations took part in the conference which aimed at reviewing the reasons behind low-end national products and the solutions, seeking for better ways of protecting consumers, enhancing the in-between Arab trade and paving the way for establishing a joint Arab market as well as establishing a database to be used for designing the policies.
The conference debated many working papers at both local and international level. related to national products situation and their future under the current circumstances of the globalization.
The conference also dealt with the so many challenges faced by Arab industries. It also centers around the negative effects of globalization on consumer, opportunities given by the World Trade Organization, (WTO) for developing countries and protecting industries of less developing countries and the obstacles of marketing Arab products in the foreign markets, the drug industry, its challenges as well as the role of the media with regard to the current economic challenges.

TAIZ-Within its programs for September, Al-Saeed Cultural Foundation organized last Thursday a lecture on Education in Yemen delivered by Dr. Ahmed Ghalib Al Haboob, a Philosophy professor at the faculty of education, Ibb University.
The lecturer dealt with educational reality in the last 40 years and its current situation.
In his lecture, the lecturer indicated that there was a kind of quantitative deficits of education after the 26th of September Revolution.
It now is witnessing a gradual deterioration in the educational means, teaching staff, curriculum and methodology, particularly those used at the universities.
The old methods still in effect are affecting educational output which is not in a harmony with development needs.
He criticized abolishing the History, Philosophy and Psychology departments at the Yemeni universities confirming that they are of a great significance and stressed on the importance of the technical and vocational education as the sole way for the development of the country as well as reforming educational sector and eradicating unemployment.