"Yemen’s leader to quit, warns of Al Qaeda" May 22, 2011|By Ahmed Al-Haj, Associated Press
SANAA, Yemen — Under pressure from protesters and regional allies, Yemen’s president said yesterday that he will sign a deal to step down after 32 years in power. Still, he condemned the proposal as “a coup’’ and warned the United States and Europe that his departure will open the door for Al Qaeda to seize control of the fragile nation....
In a sign that he may be ready to leave this time, the coalition of opposition political parties involved in the talks with Gulf Arab mediators was persuaded to sign the deal yesterday, a day ahead of Saleh, based on what it said were guarantees that the president would follow through....
Until he is actually physically out of the place I'm not buying it. He's said this before.
The proposal, mediated by a six-nation regional bloc called the Gulf Cooperation Council, grants him immunity from prosecution if he leaves office within 30 days....
Saleh has managed to cling to power in the face of near daily protests by hundreds of thousands of Yemenis fed up with corruption and poverty....
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But now he is going, right?
Related: Deal for Yemen's Saleh to depart thrown into doubt
Wrong.
"Saleh balks at resignation deal; Refuses to sign pact as militia floods capital" May 23, 2011|By Ahmed Al-Haj, Associated Press
SANA, Yemen — Yemen’s embattled president resisted intense US and Arab pressure yesterday and refused to sign an agreement calling for him to step down in 30 days. New turmoil swept through the capital as armed supporters of the regime thronged the streets demanding he stay.
Hundreds of militiamen trapped the American ambassador and other envoys inside a diplomatic mission for hours.
This guy is supposed to be our friend?
The militiamen, armed with guns, knives, and swords, blocked the entrances to the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Sana. At least five US, European, and Arab ambassadors had gathered at the embassy, expecting President Ali Abdullah Saleh to arrive to sign the agreement.
Finally in the evening, Yemeni military helicopters landed at the embassy and freed the diplomats, taking them to the presidential palace. There they witnessed several Yemeni ruling party officials sign the accord. But Saleh, shown on state TV standing alongside the US ambassador, did not sign.
Saleh said afterward he would not do so unless opposition leaders attend and sign it as well in public, not “behind closed doors.’’
It is ALWAYS SOMETHING!
“If they don’t comply, they are dragging us to a civil war, and they will have to hold responsibility for the bloodshed in the past and the blood which will be spilled later on because of their stupidity,’’ Saleh warned in an address on state TV.
Oh, THEY ARE, huh?!!!
The developments threatened to wreck a US-backed, Gulf Arab-mediated accord that diplomats hope could resolve the turmoil that has raged in Yemen for the past three months, with tens of thousands of protesters demanding Saleh step down after 32 years in power and his regime unleashing a deadly crackdown....
A coalition of opposition parties signed the accord in private on Saturday, and Saleh promised to sign it the following day.
If the mediation collapses, many fear further deterioration of the political situation, including an escalation of armed conflict between Saleh’s loyalists and military units that have joined the opposition.
At nightfall yesterday, tensions were high in Sana. Progovernment gunmen and soldiers locked down main streets around the capital with roadblocks, while tens of thousands of anti-Saleh demonstrators massed at their camp in a central square, worried that a new crackdown could ensue.
Saleh has backed away from signing the deal at least twice before, adding to the opposition’s deep mistrust of a leader known for adept political maneuvering that has kept him in power for decades.
A Gulf official in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, warned that the Gulf Cooperation Council, the regional body that mediated the deal, would withdraw from mediation if Saleh did not sign by the end of the day yesterday.
I'm sure he's shivering in his boots.
Where are the regime-changing forces a la the Ivory Coast, or the no-fly civilian protection zone a la Libya?
Throughout yesterday, hundreds of armed Saleh loyalists deployed in the streets of Sana in what appeared to be a campaign orchestrated by his regime, aiming to show that the public wants him to stay....
The diciest moment came when hundreds of armed Saleh loyalists massed outside the UAE Embassy, and shouted against Gulf intervention in Yemeni affairs, witnesses said.
Biting the hand that fed him.
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"Yemen gunbattles erupt after Saleh refuses exit" May 23, 2011|Ahmed Al-Haj, Associated Press
Security forces and opposition tribal fighters battled with automatic weapons, mortars and tanks in the Yemeni capital on Monday, blasting buildings and setting government offices on fire in violence that hiked fears of an armed confrontation after the collapse of efforts to negotiate a peaceful exit for President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The street fighting, in which six people were killed and nearly 40 wounded, was the heaviest clash between the pro- and anti-Saleh camps since hundreds of thousands of Yemenis began taking to the streets three months ago in protests demanding the ouster of the president after 32 years in power.
It erupted amid increased tensions after Saleh refused at the last minute on Sunday to sign a U.S.-backed agreement, mediated by Yemen’s powerful Gulf Arab neighbors, under which he would step down in 30 days. Saleh had promised to sign the deal, but instead, his regime sent mobs of armed supporters into the street Sunday, protesting at embassies, in an orchestrated campaign to demand he stay in power.
The United States expressed growing frustration with Saleh, an ally that Washington has relied on to fight al-Qaida’s branch in the impoverished nation at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Fearing the turmoil is disrupting the campaign against the terror group, Washington has been trying to manage a transition that will keep some measure of stability.
So ONCE AGAIN the U.S. is trying to MANIPULATE the Arab Spring to ITS ADVANTAGE!
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the Obama administration is “deeply disappointed’’ by Saleh’s refusal to sign the accord, saying the Yemeni leader “is turning his back on his commitments and disregarding the legitimate aspirations of the Yemeni people.’’
So far both sides in Yemen’s turmoil have tried to avoid a direct armed confrontation.
Actually, ONLY ONE SIDE HAS and that would be the PROTESTING PEOPLE!
I'm sorry, readers, but I HAVE REALLY HAD IT with this SLANTED, AGENDA-PUSHING PROPAGANDA POSING as NEWS!
The protesters are backed by heavily armed tribes and by army units that defected to the opposition, while Saleh has been able to cling to power by retaining the loyalty of the country’s best trained and equipped military and security forces, which are headed by his relatives.
Trained and paid for with U.S. tax dollars in the form of military aid.
His security forces have cracked down on protesters — killing at least 150 over the past three months — but the two sides’ armed factions have generally eyed each other warily around the capital without major clashes. But Monday’s fighting underlined how explosive the tensions could be....
Yeah, but neither side has wanted violence, blah, blah, blah.
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And no sooner do I say it than....
"Conflict in Yemen escalates as tribes join uprising; Balance shifting; fighting in capital kills at least 38" May 25, 2011|By Ahmed Al-Haj, Associated Press
SANA, Yemen — Fighters from Yemen’s powerful tribes fired on government buildings yesterday, prompting soldiers to respond with intense shelling in street battles that left at least 38 dead as the uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh threatened to become a militia-led revolt....
As the battles developed, the heart of Yemen’s capital was turned into a no man’s land with heavy gunfire, mortar rounds, and artillery fire from government forces.
As the death toll mounted, Saleh called for a cease-fire....
This guy is really something else. He needs to cease having his head attached to his body.
Both sides traded blame for triggering the latest violence, further deepening the rifts and suggesting Yemen could be stumbling toward a potentially bloody showdown between well-armed tribal militias and pro-Saleh troops....
Saleh has refused to step down despite three months of nearly nonstop protests calling for an end to his 32-year rule. He also snubbed attempts by Arab neighbors to negotiate his exit.
But the decision by Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar, the head of Yemen’s largest tribe, called the Hashid, and others to take up arms sharply alters the balance.
Yemen’s tribes are considered essential allies for any government to survive. Ahmar and others had abandoned Saleh two months ago even though he is, too, a member of the Hashid clan. But the tribes decided to keep their weapons in check even as government forces fired on street demonstrations in attacks that have claimed more than 150 lives.
Now, however, the battles that began Monday may significantly increase pressure on Saleh’s regime — either by encouraging more clan leaders to join the fight or pushing more military officials to abandon the government....
Yesterday’s clashes broke out after government forces tried to storm Ahmar’s compound in Sana’s Hassaba district.
And he had the damn gall to call for a cease-fire.
Hundreds of tribal fighters came to Ahmar’s aid and pushed back government troops to take control of strategic points around the district. Militiamen also used chains to seal the doors of the ruling party headquarters and several ministries.
A senior military official said that sending forces to Ahmar’s house was meant to “break the will of the tribes, but so far it’s failed.’’
Saleh’s forces took up positions inside the interior ministry, which came under sustained attacked from tribal forces.
Government forces then struck back.
In AmeriKan newspeak that means they started it.
Mortar barrages targeted Ahmar’s compound and other villas belonging to family members. Later, what appeared to be several artillery shells slammed into Ahmar’s home, injuring at least three tribal leaders including the chief mediator with the government, said one of the militiamen, Yehia Mansour Abu Isbaa.
Oh, so they TRIED KILLING the GUY like NATO is trying to kill Khadafy?
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Related: US orders most staff to leave Yemen
That's a prelude to U.S. invasion!
"Yemen tribes warn president of civil war" by Ahmed Al-Haj, Associated Press / May 27, 2011
SANA, Yemen — Fighting spilled across Yemen’s capital yesterday and frightened residents fled or cowered in basements as a powerful militia alliance warned embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh to either step down or face civil war. At least 28 people were killed as the four-day death toll neared 110.
The bold ultimatum reflected the growing confidence among the opposition forces — led by Yemen’s largest tribe — that they could be gaining the upper hand against Saleh’s regime with the uprising shifting from near daily street protests to fast-moving urban combat.
But Saleh also has shown he will not go easily. He has managed to ride out swelling antigovernment demonstrations for more than three months, defections of military commanders, and pressure from Arab neighbors and Western powers to leave office.
The difference this time for Saleh could be the vast influence of Yemen’s main tribes, which command well-armed militias and can tap into traditional clan-based loyalties to try to bring down Saleh’s 32-year rule.
In the latest battles, government forces pounded tribal fighters with artillery and mortar rounds....
When Khadafy does it he's a monster.
I'm not saying it's right, I'm just sayin'....
Fighting also flared in other hot spots around the country, which has the world’s most active Al Qaeda-inspired group.
So that is where the CIA is concentrating its efforts.
But there was no indication of Islamic extremists joining the offensive....
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"President, tribal leader call truce
SANA — A mediator says Yemen’s president and the country’s most powerful tribal leader have agreed to end five days of urban gun battles that killed at least 124 people and threatened to push the country into civil war. The battles began when President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s security forces attacked the home of Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar, a former ally who has abandoned the president (AP)."
So is he GOING TO LEAVE NOW?
So is he GOING TO LEAVE NOW?
