Interviews 10:50 20/09/2014

Yemeni protesters struck by al-Qaeda cells – analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Saab Shaath, a political analyst, from Belfast, about the situation in Yemen where Houthi protesters and pro-government militia have agreed to halt fighting.

Press TV: Our guest Dr. Qubaty (former advisor to Yemeni PM) puts a lot of hope in the NDC’s results as well as in the fact that the UN envoy was able to come to this agreement between the Houthis and the government. How do you feel about that – are you optimistic at all?

Shaath: We have to see why the whole thing has happened to begin with before we can be optimistic or pessimistic about it.

As your report mentioned the way in Mr. Hadi came to power was through the Gulf or the Saudi initiative – it was mainly the Saudis. And then we see who took power – this is my own opinion - the ones who seized power after that deposing Abdullah Saleh were the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood’s political parties, Islah Party or others.

After that we noticed how the Western powers were blessing that when they awarded Tawakkol Karman the Nobel Peace Prize. That shows they are blessing the Muslim Brotherhood to take control of politics in Yemen and their affairs and we see that extended from Tunisia to Libya to Egypt.

The whole thing changed when the Muslim brotherhood’s experience in ruling Egypt collapsed under the protests; and General Sisi targeted them and started a war with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Then Saudi Arabia supported the General Sisi. That support created a new war in the region against the Muslim Brotherhood, which is Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States – apart from Qatar – is supporting.

That is the drive, the financial support, which the government in Yemen was receiving and the Muslim Brotherhood-run government. So they worked with this government and the political parties pressured neighboring countries and all the Western countries who brokered that deal as well to waiver the four billion in debt which was burdening the Yemeni government.

They turned to the people from Yemen and canceled the fuel subsidies and stuff like that – they burdened the people of Yemen with lots of trouble while the bordering states like Saudi Arabia started heavily meddling in their affairs.

That is the trigger.

I see a solution to that and I’m being optimistic. First of all, if President Hadi has to build the bridges of trust to start with - with the people... because this is a new revolution and this revolution is continuing even as they receive live bullets against them.

This revolution can resolve all the issues when there is respect shown to the people by sacking this corrupt government of Yemen, which is in power.

Secondly, install a government, which can chose to be really interested in providing sevices to the people, not to the privileged few or to foreign powers.

As well - as my colleague (Dr. Qubaty) mentioned – to bring back the subsidies for fuel and all the rest to lift the burden from the people of Yemen and to ensure there is a mechanism in place to guarantee the future. These all have to be safeguarded.

Press TV: President Hadi has tried, at least on paper, to bring reforms in. He has tried to reshape and decentralize the political system by creating those six regions that would each be given greater powers to satisfy the divisions within the country.

He has also said that he would dismiss the government and even review the fuel subsidies and requirements of the Houthis movement.

And also as Dr. Qubaty mentioned the National Dialogue Conference was hailed as a victory as well, so... where has he gone wrong exactly?

Shaath: This man was put in after charismatic leader Abdullah Saleh and he was in his shadow. His roots are from the south of Yemen and he was running the south of Yemen and the people of the south have been revolting against him. That tells us who is running the show in Yemen.

Today Yemen officials are talking about scores of al-Qaeda militants have moved into Yemen’s capital Sana’a. Who is behind deploying these al-Qaeda around the protester’s camps? Some of them are targeting the protesters.

To remind the viewers and with this they may get some ideas about the situation... Last week a military source told the Yemeni news agency that the majority of al-Qaeda militants killed in the army of Eurasia and Iraq at the time were Saudis – Some of them were Afghanis, Somalis and Chechens, but the majority were Saudis. This can pin-point the finger of who is meddling in Yemen affairs; who is trying to sabotage the Yemeni revolution from handing power to a sovereign nation.

Let’s not forget as well that this al-Qaeda in Yemen is one of the most dangerous branches of al-Qaeda in the region.

Did we hear anyone from the international community or even from the Yemeni state trying to probe into the killing of these protesters? No. so I want to mention here a big title that Saudi Arabia executes what the United States need and wants. And this is the major player in Yemen, Saudi Arabia.

Press TV: Many people say the Yemeni revolution still continues. Do you also agree with that?

Shaath: Yes indeed I agree with that. This is a phase of the Yemeni revolution. Civil disobedience is on a huge scale; massive protests against the government - even despite the shooting of the protesters.

The protesters are pressing for the government of Hadi to quit. If only the demands of protesters are met, which represents the nationwide interests of the people of Yemen, then we can see a settlement and the revolution can take a more peaceful curve than confronting the state and the army and the terrorists at the same time - because the people are willing to go that far to implement change in Yemen. 



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:15
Adele bursts into tears as she embraces Céline Dion in Las Vegas
Adele is feeling the love from a fellow musical icon at her latest concert! The “Easy on Me” singer, 36, got emotional after...
16:59
Mass repatriation of Artsakh Armenians impossible without political processes, lawyer says
Human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, who represents Armenian prisoners of war and their families at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR),...
16:05
Lawyer insists on Armenia’s participation in COP29
Human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, who represents Armenian prisoners of war and their families at the ECHR, insists on Armenia’s...
15:30
Armenia names new delegate to Miss Universe pageant
Armenia has named Emma Avanesyan as its delegate to the Miss Universe pageant to be held in Mexico on 16 November, Miss Universe...
15:06
Armenia's CEC sets dates for local elections in 2025
Armenia's Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has set March 30, June 8 and October 5 as dates for the local self-government elections in the...
14:35
Armenian Yerkrapah Union head under fire over latest remarks
Sasun Mikayelyan, the chairman of Armenia’s Yerkrapah Volunteer Union (Homeland Defenders Union), has come under fire after his remarks...
14:14
Civil society groups call for release of Armenian prisoners before COP29 in Baku
Dozens of Armenian civil society organizations have urged the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and...
13:52
Armenia's defense spending set for rise in 2025, minister says
Armenia’s public expenditures are projected to rise by 5.4 percent to around 733 billion drams in 2025, Minister of Economy Vahe...
13:11
US, France and Armenia named top three buyers of Indian defence exports
With India shedding its hesitations in exporting lethal arms to other countries, Armenia has emerged as its biggest client of...
12:45
EU's Michel urges probe into Georgia election 'irregularities'
European Council President Charles Michel on Sunday pushed for a swift and transparent investigation of alleged irregularities during the...
12:30
Opposition MP slams Yerkrapah Union chief's remarks
Opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan has denounced the latest statement of Sasun Mikayelyan, the chair of Armenia’s Yerkrapah Volunteer...
12:04
Francesco Totti hints at return to football
Roma and Italy icon Francesco Totti has hinted that he could come out of retirement at 48 amid interest from some Serie A clubs, GOAL...
11:33
Temperatures to drop in Armenia tonight
Clear weather is expected in Armenia this week. Temperatures are set to further fall by 2-3C on Monday night. Freezing temperatures are...
11:15
Georgian president won't recognize election results, calls for protests
Pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who has broken with the ruling Georgian Dream party, said she will not recognize the results...
11:00
Armenia's Alexandra Grigoryan wins gold at European Junior & U23 Championships
Armenia's Alexandra Grigoryan has clinched a gold medal at the European Junior and U23 Championships being held in Raszyn, Poland, from...
17:03
Death toll from tropical storm in Philippines climbs to 81
The death toll from tropical storm Trami that slammed into the Philippines this week has risen to 81, with around 20 other people still missing,...
16:51
Armenian wrestler beats Azeri, Turkish rivals at U23 World Championships
Armenian freestyle wrestler Manvel Khndzrtsyan (57 kg) on Saturday outcompeted his Azerbaijani and Turkish opponents to advance to the...
16:12
Comedian Mikhail Galustyan celebrates 45th birthday
Russian-Armenian actor, comedian and showman Mikhail Galustyan celebrated his 45th birthday on October 25. Galustyan was born in...
15:31
Greta Thunberg visits Turkish radio station closed over Armenian genocide row
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Friday visited Istanbul's Acik Radyo, whose broadcasts were silenced earlier this month by...
15:00
Temperatures dropping in Armenia
Rain is expected in some parts of Armenia on Saturday and overnight Sunday with snow set to hit the country’s mountainous regions....
14:36
Iran says has inherent right to self-defense after Israeli attack
The Iranian Foreign Ministry denounces Israel's aggressive actions against certain military installations in Iran, characterizing them as a...
14:06
Expert: Outcome of Georgian elections decisive for Armenia
The ongoing elections in Georgia promise to be decisive for Armenia’s further engagement with the European Union, US foreign policy expert...
13:30
Netherlands to host benefit concert honoring Artsakh war hero
On November 2, at 3 p.m., a benefit concert dedicated to the indelible memory of Artsakh war hero Aren Mehrabyan will be held in the church of...
13:02
PSG still refuse to pay €55m to Kylian Mbappe
Paris Saint-Germain have again refused to pay Kylian Mbappe €55 million (£46m/$59m) in unpaid wages and will take the matter to...
12:45
Armenian expert: Israeli strikes on Iran ‘went unnoticed’ by many Iranians
Iran specialist Vardan Voskanyan has weighed in on Israel’s overnight attacks on Iran. In a social media post on Saturday, he cited...
12:14
Israel launches strikes on Iran
Israel launched its long-awaited retaliatory strikes on Iran early Saturday local time, CBS News reported, citing the Israeli military....
12:03
Armenian church commemorates Twelve Holy Teachers
The Armenian Apostolic Church on Saturday commemorates the Twelve Holy Teachers (Doctors) of the Church, namely Hierotheus of Athens, Dionysius...
11:45
EU must stop 'lecturing' world, Michel says
The participation of EU partner nations in a summit in Russia hosted by Vladimir Putin is a message for Brussels to stop “lecturing”...
11:35
Armenia sets up working group on visa liberalization with EU
Armenia has established a working group to coordinate visa liberalization talks with the EU. The group led by Deputy Prime Minister Mher...
11:21
Vienna Open: Khachanov through to semi-finals
Russian-Armenian Karen Khachanov moved into the semi-finals of the Vienna Open by winning against Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-1, 6-4 at the...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}