The
publisher and chief editor is Aiman Mohammed Nasser, a young man, who is
better described as a fighter. He has put up with hell to continue issuing
his newspaper.
Q: Could you briefly tell us about Attariq's
early beginnings?
A: Attariq was first published
in 1966 by my late father, the martyr Mohammed Nasser. The country then
was in the throes of armed struggle against British colonial rule. Also
at that time, the revolution in the north was under vicious counter-attacks
by royalist forces.
Attariq, a daily publication then, played a widely recognized role
in supporting both revolutions by promoting principles of freedom, justice,
equality and unity. It remained a forum for all patriotic writers until
it was closed down by the colonialist authorities in February, 1967.
Q: What about the new Attariq?
A: The idea to start re-publishing
Attariq came in 1993, taking advantage of the democratic atmosphere that
prevailed following the re-unification of the country in 1990. Preparations
took a while. So, actual publication started in 1995, after a 28-year absence.
Q: What is the general line adopted by Attariq?
A: Our aim is to look for the truth
and make it public. Without promulgating truth, you can't talk about freedom
and equality. News items, information, opinion, articles, etc., all have
to reflect the concerns and hopes of the nation. They have to uncover anything
that is liable to harm the country's security, stability, territorial integrity
and future.
Despite its very modest resources, Attariq has been able to gain its
readers' trust through its impartiality and the integrity of its journalists.
Our copy distribution grows so fast that we barely are able to keep up
with the demand of our distributors.
Q: Who are Attariq readers? To which calls
do they mainly belong?
A: Attariq is popular among people
from widely differing backgrounds. Its readers are both intellectuals and
laymen. They are professional people, academics, students, public employees,
workers, soldiers, etc. Most important of all, Attariq has quite a big
female readership.
Q: Does Attariq deal with issues concerning
the southern part of the country only?
A: Attariq belongs to the whole
Yemeni nation. We are sometimes accused of allocating a too much space
to issues concerning mainly the southern and eastern governorates. This
" accusation" is often corroborated by the fact the Attariq is largely
popular in these parts of the country.
In all this we have our logical and objective viewpoint. These governorates
have witnessed and are still experiencing a lot of monumental events that
can't simply be ignored. For example, the relatively more socially and
politically developed Aden and Hadhramaut represent a model for a more
advanced civil society. Their citizens are law biding and are very proud
of their history and culture.
The differences in awareness and social development have become a focal
point of instability and confrontation in the southern and eastern governorates
between the peaceful citizens and the arrogant and sometimes violent representatives
of authority.
Q: How is Attariq financed?
A: We rely on our personal financial
investments, the paper's sales and advertising. It is quite ironic to note
here that when Attariq's patriotic standpoint becomes more deeply rooted,
the advertisements - quite few as they are - become even less. This is
despite the paper's wide circulation. It is as if some hidden influences
are at play here.
Q: How do you classify Attariq? Is it an opposition
newspaper?
A: Attariq is independent of any
political influence, whatsoever. We formulate our own policy without coordinating
with any party or organization, official or otherwise. We are guided by
our convictions, patriotism, professional ethics, and conscience.
For a newspaper to be truly independent, it must rely on independent
financial means.
Q: What are the major difficulties you face
in your work?
A: We face 2 types of problems.
First, there are the common obstacles facing new enterprises such as lack
of adequate resources and facilities to be able to effectively compete
with others. This hindrance was surmounted through sheer patience and hard
work.
Second, gaining our readers' trust. We have achieved this with flying
colors, overtaking many older and more established newspapers. There are
in the country today three official daily newspapers as well 18 partisan
and independent weekly publications and about six irregular ones. Due to
particular circumstances, some readers lost their faith in what is published
by the press.
Our task was, and still is, to publish trustworthy material so as to
build a good readership base. This we have achieved successfully, thereby
raising Attariq circulation from 3,000 to 12,000 a week. While other publications
are still struggling at 5,000 copies a week, at best.
Q: Attariq has recently purchased new equipment.
Could you tell us more about it?
A: Since publishing the newspaper
in 1995 and up to very recently, we had relied in type-setting and other
processes on other press institutions. Then were able to purchase modest
equipment which enabled us to computerize the lay-out and type-setting
and get the various pages on tracing paper ready for the printing press.
The technological leap forward came when Attariq reserved its website
on the worldwide Internet. This move came in response to the many demands
we received from Yemeni living or studying abroad.
Q: How do you evaluate the current political
situation in Yemen?
A: The " legacy" left by
the 1994 civil war and its malignant consequences constitute a far-reaching
political, economic, security and other crises. There must be a comprehensive
national dialogue with a view towards an ever-lasting national reconciliation.
The hatreds of the past can only be overcome with tolerance and feeling
of patriotic responsibility on both sides of the political equation. This
way can we start to build a modern Yemeni state based on constitution and
law.
Q: How do you view freedom of the press in
Yemen?
A: There is no doubt that freedom
of the press in this country is suffering some setbacks, as do other civil
rights. This is actually one of the consequences of the civil war. The
resultant imbalance of power has diminished the democratic margin.
It is very important that all people concerned with political and other
civil rights should unite their to deal with this crucial issue. All agree
that the current press law is a sure guarantee for freedom of the press.
Any attempts to undermine this law, under whatever pretext, must be resisted.
The Journalists Syndicate must be more active and independent. Also,
journalists must be a more responsible lot and avoid slander and blackmail.
