Courtesy: "New York Times", 2 May 2011
The agreement, reached last week with the help of Persian Gulf nations, would require President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after almost 33 years in power, in exchange for immunity from prosecution for himself and his family. Mr. Saleh would be the third Arab leader to be forced from power in the wave of popular uprisings sweeping the Arab world.
But many in Yemen’s political opposition fear that Mr. Saleh — a political survivor with a taste for brinkmanship — is deliberately stalling for time in an effort to outmaneuver his political rivals.
Last week’s agreement came amid intense pressure from Saudi Arabia and the United States, which are concerned about a rise in jihadist violence after more than two months of street protests and government paralysis in Yemen. Seven Yemeni soldiers were killed on Sunday by gunmen, Yemeni officials said, in the latest of a series of attacks believed to have been carried out by the local affiliate of Al Qaeda.
The agreement was to have been signed on Sunday or Monday in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. But Yemen’s political opposition balked after Mr. Saleh made it clear that he would sign not as president, but in his separate capacity as leader of the governing party. There are also concerns about how various details of the agreement would be carried out — symptoms, some say, of a total lack of trust between the two sides.
There is widespread concern that groups on all sides of the conflict are arming themselves for violence in the event that the talks collapse completely. A number of Mr. Saleh’s former allies have defected to the opposition since the protests began, including the country’s most powerful military leader, Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsin al-Ahmar. General Ahmar’s troops have at times appeared to be on the brink of open clashes with forces loyal to Mr. Saleh.
“I think all sides are now at their highest military alert,” said Abdul Ghani al-Eryani, a political analyst in Sana, the capital. “If this doesn’t work, all hell will break loose very quickly.”
Yemen’s political crisis is complicated by the gap between the formal opposition parties and the street protesters, who have denounced the agreement for a transfer of power. The protesters have rejected the 30-day transition period the agreement stipulates, saying the president should leave immediately. And they have deplored the immunity clause, saying Mr. Saleh and his relatives, who occupy important positions in Yemen’s security apparatus, should be prosecuted for the deaths of some 140 protesters since the demonstrations began in February, and for corruption.
The agreement also calls for the opposition to bring the street demonstrations — which are taking place in cities across Yemen, not just in the capital — to an end. But the opposition, a coalition of political parties that have long coexisted and often made deals with Mr. Saleh, say they lack the ability to stop the protests. And the protesters themselves have made it clear that they would not obey orders from opposition leaders.
The agreement was brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council, an association of Yemen’s neighbors, and had the backing of the United States and the European Union.
The American government views Mr. Saleh as an important partner in counterterrorism and stayed neutral after protests broke out in Yemen. But in recent weeks, American officials have given quiet but firm indications that Mr. Saleh should step down so that stability can be restored. Officials in Saudi Arabia and other gulf states have taken similar stances.
Diplomats continued to press for a deal on Sunday, anxious about the consequences of failure. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia spoke to Mr. Saleh by phone, according to a Yemeni government statement, in what appeared to be a last-minute effort to salvage the agreement.
One Yemeni government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Saleh’s conditions on the deal were motivated in part by concern about the vagueness of the agreement, and the need to maintain security during and after the transition.
But there were signs that Mr. Saleh’s hesitations were testing the patience of his erstwhile allies.
“It’s one thing for him to conduct brinkmanship politics at home,” said Ginny Hill, an analyst at Chatham House, who is now in Riyadh. “It’s another thing to offend the G.C.C. foreign ministers and other international players who were lining up to witness the deal.”
Yemen’s chaos has become a special concern for American officials thanks to the Yemen-based branch of Al Qaeda, which has aimed attacks at the United States, including a failed effort to bomb a Detroit-bound airliner in December 2009 and a plot to send explosive packages by courier to Chicago last year. In recent weeks, with the military tied up in the political crisis, Yemen’s American-trained counterterrorism commandos have largely been confined to their barracks.
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Deal to End Yemen Crisis Is Faltering as Talks Bog
By ROBERT F. WORTH
WASHINGTON — An agreement to end Yemen’s political crisis appeared to be crumbling Sunday, as talks bogged down yet again between the country’s mutually suspicious political factions and a signing ceremony for the deal was postponed indefinitely.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh would be the third Arab leader to be forced from power.
But many in Yemen’s political opposition fear that Mr. Saleh — a political survivor with a taste for brinkmanship — is deliberately stalling for time in an effort to outmaneuver his political rivals.
Last week’s agreement came amid intense pressure from Saudi Arabia and the United States, which are concerned about a rise in jihadist violence after more than two months of street protests and government paralysis in Yemen. Seven Yemeni soldiers were killed on Sunday by gunmen, Yemeni officials said, in the latest of a series of attacks believed to have been carried out by the local affiliate of Al Qaeda.
The agreement was to have been signed on Sunday or Monday in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. But Yemen’s political opposition balked after Mr. Saleh made it clear that he would sign not as president, but in his separate capacity as leader of the governing party. There are also concerns about how various details of the agreement would be carried out — symptoms, some say, of a total lack of trust between the two sides.
There is widespread concern that groups on all sides of the conflict are arming themselves for violence in the event that the talks collapse completely. A number of Mr. Saleh’s former allies have defected to the opposition since the protests began, including the country’s most powerful military leader, Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsin al-Ahmar. General Ahmar’s troops have at times appeared to be on the brink of open clashes with forces loyal to Mr. Saleh.
“I think all sides are now at their highest military alert,” said Abdul Ghani al-Eryani, a political analyst in Sana, the capital. “If this doesn’t work, all hell will break loose very quickly.”
Yemen’s political crisis is complicated by the gap between the formal opposition parties and the street protesters, who have denounced the agreement for a transfer of power. The protesters have rejected the 30-day transition period the agreement stipulates, saying the president should leave immediately. And they have deplored the immunity clause, saying Mr. Saleh and his relatives, who occupy important positions in Yemen’s security apparatus, should be prosecuted for the deaths of some 140 protesters since the demonstrations began in February, and for corruption.
The agreement also calls for the opposition to bring the street demonstrations — which are taking place in cities across Yemen, not just in the capital — to an end. But the opposition, a coalition of political parties that have long coexisted and often made deals with Mr. Saleh, say they lack the ability to stop the protests. And the protesters themselves have made it clear that they would not obey orders from opposition leaders.
The agreement was brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council, an association of Yemen’s neighbors, and had the backing of the United States and the European Union.
The American government views Mr. Saleh as an important partner in counterterrorism and stayed neutral after protests broke out in Yemen. But in recent weeks, American officials have given quiet but firm indications that Mr. Saleh should step down so that stability can be restored. Officials in Saudi Arabia and other gulf states have taken similar stances.
Diplomats continued to press for a deal on Sunday, anxious about the consequences of failure. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia spoke to Mr. Saleh by phone, according to a Yemeni government statement, in what appeared to be a last-minute effort to salvage the agreement.
One Yemeni government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Saleh’s conditions on the deal were motivated in part by concern about the vagueness of the agreement, and the need to maintain security during and after the transition.
But there were signs that Mr. Saleh’s hesitations were testing the patience of his erstwhile allies.
“It’s one thing for him to conduct brinkmanship politics at home,” said Ginny Hill, an analyst at Chatham House, who is now in Riyadh. “It’s another thing to offend the G.C.C. foreign ministers and other international players who were lining up to witness the deal.”
Yemen’s chaos has become a special concern for American officials thanks to the Yemen-based branch of Al Qaeda, which has aimed attacks at the United States, including a failed effort to bomb a Detroit-bound airliner in December 2009 and a plot to send explosive packages by courier to Chicago last year. In recent weeks, with the military tied up in the political crisis, Yemen’s American-trained counterterrorism commandos have largely been confined to their barracks.
....................
Note: The viewpoint expressed in this article is solely that of the writer / news outlet. "FATA Awareness Initiative" Team may not agree with the opinion presented.
....................
We Hope You find the info useful. Keep visiting this blog and remember to leave your feedback / comments / suggestions / requests / corrections.
With Regards,
"FATA Awareness Initiative" Team.
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