Mukalla (October 6 2002), YT - A source at the port of al-Dhabbah in the Shihr constituency of Hadhramout governorate where the French tanker Limburg caught fire Sunday morning said that a collision with an object or smaller ship or boat may have been the cause of the blast. This supports the claim of the French embassy in Sanaa that the tanker may have been exposed to a possible terrorist attack.
Official sources are yet to comment on this development.
Security forces have sealed off the area and prevented all individuals to stay more than two kms away from the port. An arrest campaign has also started in the area, strengthening the idea of a possible attack.
Fire raged Sunday morning on the French crude oil tanker Limburg which was carrying around 400,000 barrels of crude oil coming from Iran. "The accident happened when it was 5 kilometers away from the al-Dhabbah in the Shihr constituency of Hadhramout governorate." an informed source told Yemen Times. According to an official source, the rescue attempts were successful in saving the lives of all the 25 crew members who were the ship except one who is still missing. Several crew members were injured because of the blast and fire, and all were taken to a hotel in Mukalla city, 60 km away from the port.
"The fire was triggered when the vessel was 5 miles away from the export port of al-Dhabbah.. Our rescue forces have exerted all possible efforts to save the captain and all 25 crew members on the ship." the source said. The fire was put out entirely in the early evening hours of the same day after extensive efforts were exerted by the Yemeni authorities at the port. Even though reports of AFP said that a French diplomat said that the incident resulted from a terrorist attack similar to the USS Cole's incident in 2000, yet official sources initially rejected this statement and said that there were no terrorist attacks reported. Marcel Goncalves of the French Embassy in Sanaa had told the AFP that "The oil tanker was rammed by a small boat stuffed with explosives." He also said that the tanker was in danger of sinking, but sources at the port confirmed that the ship is anchored at the port.
All contacted sources confirmed however that a large amount of the crude has already leaked into the Arab Sea. An official press statement said that the situation is serious, and flames have resulted in extensive damages to the tanker.
On the other hand, the public has expressed concern over the environmental hazards resulting from the spill of oil to the sea, which could potentially result in great damage to the environment. The issue is particularly serious because most residents of the area depend on fishing as their source of income. The Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment agreed to form a committee to prevent further damage to the natural habitat in the area.
It is unlikely that the exact cause of the attack would be clear until all necessary investigations take place. This was also agreed upon by both President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen and Jack Chirac of France as both said in a telephone conversation between them Sunday night that they would wait for the investigation results to be out before judging whether the incident was caused by a terrorist attack or any other reason.

Sept. 29 fatal firefight near British Embassy
Gun battle 'normal accident'

Sheikh Abdullah bin Hussein al-Ahmar, Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of Islah Party, says the shootout between his sons and police in Sana'a last Sunday is no big deal.
Varying reports suggest at least two and as many as four men - three soldiers and one Yemeni passerby - died in the firefight that erupted near the British embassy in Sana'a.
Al-Ahmar, however, describes the incident as 'a normal accident,' pointing out in press statements that some people in the government have tried to make a mountain out of a molehill.
He said the government is making the issue part of electoral propaganda.
The shootout, which lasted at least 30 minutes, erupted after two sons of al-Ahmar wanted to park their cars in a closed area near the embassy.
The son of al-Ahmar, Kahtan, and one of his escorts were among the injured.
Official sources have accused al-Ahmar's sons of breaking the law and starting the gun battle, which sheikh al-Ahmar denies strongly. He holds the policemen accountable, claiming they are unqualified and unable to perform their job well.
His press office also accused the Ministry of Interior of being unable to ensure security and safety for people in Yemen.
He said his sons were presented to prosecutors following orders from President Saleh. He also said that President Saleh interfered to stop the shootout when he ordered the withdrawal of government troops.
The official investigation continues.
Sources told the Yemen Times that the government did not allow Kahtan al-Ahmar to go abroad for medical treatment until the issue of injured soldiers is settled.
It's believed the incident did not target the British embassy, even though it was showered with bullets during the fight.
Such incidents happen frequently in Yemen, but most are not reported. It is believed that this incident gained more significance because it occurred near a Western embassy.
Yemen has been suffering from the spread of weapons for decades. However, the problem became more dangerous recently because it resulted in several violent incidents that damaged Yemen's reputation abroad.
It is estimated that 60 million pieces of weapons are in the hands of Yemenis, which indicates that on average, each Yemeni carries three pieces of weapons

Armed clashes tainted some voter registration centers this week, as an estimated one million voters signed up for 2003 national elections.

A bloody start
During the four days of the voters' registration for the upcoming parliamentary elections, tens were reported injured because of violence.
The Supreme Committee for Elections (SCE) declared that one million eligible voters have already registered for the elections, expected to be more violent than local council elections held in 2001.
Most of the clashes occurred in Ibb, Hajja, Saada, Jowf, and Mareb governorates because of disputes over lists of voters and also because of political and party-related issues.
In Mareb governorate's center number 279, an outbreak of violence resulted in the injury of a number of citizens. The dispute was in lists of members of electoral committees.
In Taiz governorate's center number 48, in the Maqbana constituency, four men were injured after the head of the Islah party fired at the security committee representatives to prevent them from moving from the center to other branch centers in the constituency due to an argument with the ruling Party General People's Congress (GPC).
An official source at the Ministry of Interior said that the Islah party's branch in Maqbana attempted to fire at Colonel Saleh Al-Dhanin, head of Brigade 33.
In his answer to a question by Yemen Times on whether this is a signal that arms would be used in coming stages of elections, Mr. Abdo Al-Janadi of the SCE said, "I call upon all parties to take things under control and use peaceful means to resolve any disputes and not revert to weapons and violence. "The violence has resulted to the suspension of work in more than 80 election centers because of various disputes" he said.
"I also call upon the public to not let such violence hinder their participation in the democratic practice in their regions."
Al-Janadi did not rule out the possibility that violence may be supported by certain opposition forces because of some opposition parties' inability to deliver their promises to their members or for other tribal and political reasons.
To be held in April, the election will see more than 300 parliamentary seats filled. Voters are now registering.
The number of citizens at the registration centers has been increasing every day, said Abdu Mohammed al-Janadi, head of the Information and Awareness sector.
"We are optimistic about the number of people registered at these centers," he said.
Al-Janadi emphasized the committees entrusted with registering voters will note any registration infringements that may occur, even after the registration period ends.
He further called members of the cabinet, parliament, Shura council, and the local authority to help raise awareness among people on the importance of registration processes and the necessity to get new electoral cards.
He added that registration gives the right to everybody to participate in the elections. Previous electoral cards will be cancelled.
The last national election was held in 1997. The General People's Congress holds 187 of 301 seats.
Meanwhile, a statement has been issued by the Islah Party mentioning an illegal infringement in some registration centers in some governorates of the republic.
They claim the legal age of each registrant is not being considered. The statement added that Constituency 184 has been shifted to the house of a Member of Parliament in Hodiedah.
In Marib, there are also reports that registration forms have disappeared and distributed only to the members of the GPC.
A worsening situation is also occurring in Taiz governorate, where a number of military units of the republican guard are armed and deployed in three election constituencies.
In a statement issued by the Joint Political Meeting, JPM in Lahj governorate strongly condemned the unfair allocation of some committees in al-Qabaitah and other districts.
The JPM has refused all attempts of the GPC to shift or change centers by the constituencies to other locations unless the SEC has approved the shift. The statement described these behaviors as "inconsiderate and uncaring."
The JPM has called concerned bodies to perform their duties while showing respect for the law.
It also called for the monitoring of any election frauds that may occur.

Sana'a - Yemen is rejecting the U.S. Congress' recent decision that names Jerusalem as capital of Israel. The U.S. has also decided to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
Yemen has given a warning to the UN Security Council, and all countries keen on peace, to refute the decision because it will bring more instability to the region.
Yemen's foreign ministry said Wednesday Yemen believes the U.S move ignores relevant UN Security Council resolutions at a time the U.S. is threatening to attack Iraq.
Sources at the foreign ministry maintained that Congress' decision is a threat to the international community as it tries to find a just peace in the region.
They say the decision will mean more tension in the region, which will lead to more violence and extremism.
Yemen has also deemed the American decision a violation of international legitimacy resolutions: the 4th Geneva Convention and UN resolution 242 that considers Jerusalem an occupied Palestinian territory, and decision 252 that confirms it's illegal to make Jerusalem Jewish.
The National Committee for Supporting Arab and Islamic Nations has distributed a statement calling on masses in Arab nations to act and use all means to prevent Jerusalem from being recognized as a unified capital for Israel.
The statement also called on the Arab governments to take measures to protect the nation's lands and rights, otherwise they could be deemed accomplices in a criminal act.