Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 16:17:49 +0200
Opinion: Treason or War?
Written by : <http://www.aawsat.net/author/tariq-alhomayed> Tariq Alhomayed
on : Wednesday, 24 Sep, 2014
The fall of Yemen's state institutions into the hands of the Houthis without
any significant resistance is a remarkable development. More interestingly,
Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Monday that a verbal altercation had occurred
between the Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Gen. Ali Mohsin
Al-Ahmar.
Reportedly, the argument erupted after President Hadi criticized Ahmar for
retreating ahead of the Houthi advance. The newspaper reported that Ahmar
responded by walking out of the meeting. But this is not the full story.
Yemen's Minister of Interior Hussein Al-Tarb called on the security forces
to cooperate with the Houthis after they occupied many official buildings in
Sana'a, instead of confronting them. In a statement published on the
Ministry's website, Tarb called on "all Ministry staff to avoid engaging
with the Houthis or be involved in any kind of disputes with them." The
statement urged Ministry employees to rather "cooperate with the Houthis in
consolidating security and stability, preserving public property,
safeguarding state facilities, which are the property of the people, and
considering them as the friends of police."
What exactly is going on in Yemen? Are the Houthis an occupying force or
friends of the Yemeni police? To put it bluntly, is what happened in Sana'a
the outcome of an act of treason or conflict? Surely, what is happening is a
betrayal of the Yemeni state with all its components and institutions,
rather than the international community, Arab Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and
Yemenis, including politicians and tribesmen, being to blame for not
realizing the seriousness of what is happening in Yemen, a country falling
apart after being hit by waves of instability. Following instability stirred
up by Al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood and tribal conflicts, it is now the
Houthis-under the auspices of Iran-who are seeking to dominate Yemen's
fragile domestic political scene. How absurd! How can it be said that the
Houthis are friends of the police and partners in state institutions while
they continue shelling and laying siege to Sana'a?
How can the Houthis be friends of the police while they are occupying and
hoisting their flags atop the building of the General Command of the Armed
Forces, seizing the buildings of the Shura Council and parliament, Sana'a
radio station and the Iman University? Not to mention the conflicting
reports about the Ministry of Defense falling into rebel hands and the
taking of the headquarters of the Fourth Brigade. What kind of partners are
they? It is puzzling, indeed.
Whatever the situation in Yemen truly is, whether it is betrayal or
conflict, the security of our region, particularly in the Gulf, should not
be subjected to the whims of warlords setting their country ablaze and
threatening our security. The Gulf states must develop an effective plan to
deal with Yemen and its latest dangerous crisis. The security of the Gulf is
far too important to be left in the hands of adventurers.
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Hadi brands Houthi takeover of Sana'a as "foreign plot"
Houthi leader vows to defeat Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Written by : <http://www.aawsat.net/author/arafat-madabish> Arafat Madabish
on : Wednesday, 24 Sep, 2014
Sana'a, Asharq Al-Awsat-Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi said in a
meeting at the presidential palace on Tuesday that the Houthi takeover of
Sana'a came as a result of "a foreign and internal plot," warning that the
current crisis could plunge the country into "civil war."
"There is a foreign and internal plot that aims at impeding the experiment
of Yemen in the peaceful transition," Hadi told members of the cabinet,
parliament and Shura Council on Tuesday.
Hadi's comments came less than 48 hours after the central government and the
Shi'ite Houthi rebels signed a UN-brokered deal to defuse the month-long
crisis, which has seen the Houthis take control of a number of government
buildings in Sana'a after intermittent violence killed over 300 people.
In the month prior to the agreement, supporters of the Houthis occupied a
number of protest camps across Sana'a demanding the formation of a more
inclusive government and the reversal of a controversial fuel subsidy cut.
Though Hadi did not explicitly accuse any foreign state of masterminding the
recent crisis, many observers believe his criticism was directed at Iran.
"Many powers came together, either those who lost their interests in Yemen
or those pushed by their personal grievances to take their revenge on their
country rather than on individuals, or the opportunists who take advantage
of any disaster to attack the country," the state-owned SABA news agency
quoted him as saying.
Hadi vowed to "restore the security and stability in Yemen" despite the
challenges and to "work towards implementing the outcomes of the National
Dialogue Conference."
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Yemeni presidential advisor Dr. Faris Al-Saqqaf
said: "My initial assessment of the implementation of the agreement is that
it is going well and smoothly and I can say that the ceasefire was observed
on the night of the signing of the agreement, and now we are in the process
of implementing the remaining terms."
According to Saqqaf, the primary concern now is to name a new prime minister
and appoint two presidential advisors from the ranks of the Houthi Ansar
Allah organization and the secessionist movement based in Southern Yemen
known as Al-Hirak. After that, a gradual clearing of Houthi sit-ins will be
enforced, he maintained.
When asked about Hadi's allegations of a foreign plot behind the Houthi
takeover, the advisor argued that what was happening in Yemen was due to the
"former regime's remnants who resist change and think it does not serve
their interests."
Meanwhile, thousands of Houthi supporters marched through the streets of
Sana'a celebrating their successful takeover of state buildings.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi saluted his supporters in a speech from
his stronghold in the governorate of Saada on the border with Saudi Arabia,
pledging to remove "the remaining obstacle," a reference to the Sunni
radical militants of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
<http://www.aawsat.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Houthi-celebrations.jpg>
Supporters of the Shi'ite Houthi movement wave Yemeni flags as they
celebrate in Sana'a, Yemen, on September 23, 2014. (EPA/Wadia Mohammed)
Supporters of the Shi'ite Houthi movement wave Yemeni flags as they
celebrate in Sana'a, Yemen, on September 23, 2014. (EPA/Wadia Mohammed)
(image/jpeg attachment: image003.jpg)