Provocations of the sons of al-Ahmar will not drag us to civil war: Saleh
The Source: SANA'A/hadhramaut.info/almotamar.net. - 26/05/2011
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President Ali Abdullah Saleh has on Wednesday reaffirmed the positive dealing with the Gulf initiative for solving the political crisis in Yemen, as complete system.
That came in the talk of President Saleh during the press conference which he held in the capital Sana’a on Wednesday with a number of foreign media outlets ; Alhurrah Channel, Radio Sawa, Reuters Channel, German Chanel, Chinese National TV, European Blumberg Channel and Chinese Xinhua agency.
In his response on the fate of the Gulf initiative and the efforts being exerted for reviving it, the President said, “We have welcomed the Gulf initiative and we thank our brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states for the efforts they have exerted and will deal with it positively, but much regretfully we cannot say it has failed but suspended because of rejection of the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) to come to the Presidential Palace to sign it.
How are we going to be partners with the JMP and the initiative is integral system , in it the formation of a national accord government , removal of elements of tension and ending sit-ins, it is integral system and they (JMP) are the cause behind suspending it . We are ready to deal with it positively if they complied with understanding on signing the initiative, along with drawing up a mechanism for implementing it because it needs a mechanism. “
The President maintained to say if it has been optionally timetabled by the JMP, such as transferring power in thirty day and holding elections in sixty days, what concerns them in the initiative is the transfer of power, they don’t care about causes of the crisis such as sit-ins, arousing chaos which caused damage to the national economy that must be cured in the frame of the initiative as a complete system.
He wondered about what would be the stand of the neighbouring countries and the friendly countries concerning their supporting Yemen after coming out of the crisis, especially in the economic aspect.
On democracy, Yemen future and China’s stand of the crisis, President Saleh said China is a friendly country and has good stance Yemen, whether at the United Nations or in all international forums and Yemen is tied with friendly relations with China and its stands are firm by the side of Yemen and the Chinese government has big and acceptable influence on Yemen.
The President has emphasised that democracy in Yemen was wrongly understood by some, as if it is the anarchist democracy or the so-called creative chaos, but we are sticking to democracy and we will practice it with all means.
On what is happening at present of acts of chaos, whether in the capital or outside it and their impact on the GCC initiative, the President said, “We are steadfast and can endure the shocks that occur at the hands of the sons of al-Ahmar of chaos and attacks on the state establishments, the journalists in Saba news agency, the ministry of industry, the securities establishment, the ministries of interior and the local administration and emergency police and others. Those provocative acts would not drag us to a civil war but it is confined the sons of al-Ahmar and they have chosen this option and it was a wrong decision to confront the state with this violence and boastfulness. “
“I can say this is bragging. We have sent to them mediators on Monday and on Tuesday but they have exploded the situation so that to be a reaction by security apparatuses and to claim that he reason was the state , and that is was promoted by media tools sympathizing with them. “President said.
On whether there will b an outlet of the crisis and whether the mediation was still going on, the Present said up till now they continue attacking the interior ministry and want to take control of it “and we are dealing and contacting some social personalities to try to communicate with them and convince them of desisting from attacking the interior ministry and not to open fire on it to avoid expansion of the problem and the reaction to be fierce and no more blood to be shed. “
One existence of al-Qaeda in Yemen, president Saleh responded that there is a mistaken understanding in this regard, when parties of the JMP say of the regime departed and overthrown al-Qaeda will end, actually al-Qaeda came out from under the cloak of the Muslim Brotherhood party and it is part and parcel of it. What they carry out of acts of highway robbery and violence, this is al-Qaeda, and they also say also if the regime departs they will stop acts of violence and terror because they complete each other.
On the state of the Yemeni economy under the current situations , the President indicated that the Yemeni economy is not healthy “and we exert efforts for removing the crisis through the Gulf initiative and the call for dialogue with all the political forces in the arena and that all should resort to reason and logic and to come to the dialogue table and then we come to elections and transfer power peacefully and there is no problem in that. “
The most important thing is to restore recovery to the citizen and providing security, stability and peace and rearrangement of the Yemeni home but in the framework of smooth dialogue rather than in the frame of creative chaos and aggression on state institutions and blocking rods,” affirming that the national economy is need of dialogue and accord and needs programmes and integrated system, for security and stability are connected to economy.
In his reply to a question on the extent of the present crisis with the presidential elections in 2006, the President said, “In fact I said more than once that these accumulations are since results of the 2006 elections in which the opposition took part in them but they did not like their results and dealt with them negatively and began escalating the situation gradually until they reached to what they have during the past four months of sit-ins and creative anarchy.”
“ We are ready , and said that more than once , come to an early presidential elections , even without the GCC initiative or any American or European initiative and we are ready , according to the constitution, to hold elections during sixteen days , come to the ballot boxes or do you fear the results?”
He added that is why they endeavor for the chaos and view it better and do not want to go to ballot boxes but to the chaos and blocking roads and killing, “ we say the ballot boxes is the outlet and we are not clinging to power , which is our constitutional right until 2013. “
On movements of al-Qaeda organisation in Yemen the President said al-Qaeda took advantage of the continued sit-ins for four months and committed more than one operation against security personnel and policemen in Hadramout, Shabwa, Mareb, Abyan, the capital, Radaa and Al-Jawf and in many places in coordination and support from the elements of rebellion in the army and leadership of the JMP.
President Saleh affirmed there is an increase in al-Qaeda operations during the past two weeks and that there is coordination in the military and security action with the United States of America in combating terror.
Concerning he Yemeni-American relations, the President said the relations of Yemen with America are good and excellent, especially in the area of combating terror. Before the sit-ins the Americans were making an effort with friends and the European Union to support Yemen in the economic aspect but after the creative chaos that began in Tunisia then in Egypt and came to uproot the regimes in the Arab homeland, America began stopping in the full enthusiasm in this regard.
Regarding the positions of the Gulf states concerning the crisis President Saleh said the Gulf states stand with Yemen in a god and excellent way and supporting Yemen and their stands are positive at all levels, affirming his readiness to sign the Gulf initiative in the frame of integral system and executive mechanism and he has not any problem in that and that should be understood by all inside and outside.
“We do not carry out foreign orders and agenda of any side for this is an internal affair and they deal with us for security and stability of the homeland and democracy and to transfer power peacefully and I do not consider and do not think they are orders, no one implements foreign orders especially that we talked with the Russian and Chinese friends and they said this is an internal affair and it is supposed you address your problems by yourselves, “the President added.
The President reaffirmed his readiness for signing the Gulf initiative in the peaceful framework and dialogue and understanding of the mechanism for carrying it out because the mechanism must be clear for us and for others and when the mechanism for the initiative was clear “we are ready to sign it and leave power.”
President Saleh said, “The mediator should take the vision of all parties about the mechanism; from the authority and the opposition and works on reconciling it, especially that there is an American-Gulf –European coordination and it is supposed to work this scenario. we for our part delivered to them our vision and regretfully the reaction was not positive and the GCC Secretary General came to us and his address was not at the level by saying ‘ are you signing the initiative or are you refusing.’
The President added, “We said no one dictates orders on us and he was not successful in his talking to a head of state in this language,” pointing out that accepting the Gulf initiative came out of the good relations between the Gulf states and the regime and the General People’s Congress and its allies “we wanted it to influence the other party in the JMP and not to get affected by its submissions.”
On whether he is ready to offer other concession, President Saleh said, “No more concessions from now on and we will not receive any instructions from any party and we will confront with all power and resoluteness anyone working on threatening security and stability of the homeland and we shall face all the challenges for it is not the first time we face them and rather we faced with more than one experience and confronted more than one challenge.”
The President considered achievement of the Yemeni unity on 22 may 1990 an accomplishment achieved for Yemen during the 33 years of his presidency, let alone the development or cultural or economic or service aspects achieved for Yemen.
Concerning internationalizing the Yemeni crisis the President refused that saying, “We do not want the Yemeni crisis to be internationalized as it is an internal affair that can be resolved through dialogue of all parties of the political action in Yemen as the solution is in their hands and not in foreign hands and by God will we will not reach to use the military force. “
On his vision of coming out of the crisis the President said, “ We are exerting efforts with all the reasonable of social personalities and all those having weight in the arena to exert efforts to convince the other parties on no extremism and the return to the dialogue table. “
In his response to a question on his dear from legal chasing the President said, “The situation in Yemen is completely different and who chases who? I don’t fear I am an ordinary citizen and I will transfer power peacefully if they come to the dialogue table and I will adhere to chairmanship of the of the GPPC party and lead it to a political process and as GPC and parties of alliance we will be partners in authority , that is if the coup succeeded . “
On the possibility of nominating himself for any upcoming elections , the President said , “No, that enough I have given an early promise I will not nominate and not bequeath ,” adding that the sons of al-Ahmar repeated that with the Islahis and Muslim brotherhood and that is incorrect talk.
On his opinion on what is happening Yemen , is it an internal uprising , the President said, “ In fact it is an imitation of what happened in the Arab homeland; in Tunisia and Egypt , Syria, Bahrain and Jordan because there is a media battle managed by some satellite channels to arouse the street and direct it in a bad form, “ considering that there is no reason for what is taking place in Yemen despite the existence of economic problems and problems of the so-called the Movement and remnants of the war of the summer of 1994, it was supposed that matters should not reach to this extent for everything can be solved by dialogue.
“What is happening in Al-Hasaba district in the capital Sana’a, of attacks by the sons of al-Ahmar and their armed gags, springs from the experience the sons of al-Ahmar have in civil war, and this is explanation of what Sadeq al-Ahmar had said in Al-Siteen street that he was able for civil war, and this is an explanation of what he meant,” the President said.
President Saleh has confirmed that in case of leaving power he will be staying in Yemen Chairman of the GPC and its ally of the JMP in the new government and would lead the GPC which will part of it be in authority and other part in the opposition, and all that will be if agreement was reached on the transfer of power
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