Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Syrian 3105, Is he back to his Senses or playing time,

For the last two weeks, the Events in Syria were travelling on two Parallel Lines. One, that the Europeans, as they claimed, giving more time to Assad, to do the necessary Reforms he promised three months ago, and were left, Verbal Promises, and the Revolts, raged stronger, and his Security Forces the ( Shappiha), murdered more Innocent, and Bare Chests Protesters. The Other Line, the Europeans, were waiting the Opposition Groups, to decide who, they would be talking to. Also, Assad, played the same games, by giving the Europeans, Empty Promises, and send in his Deadly Forces to smash down the Revolts, moving from City, to another, sending more people to the Mass Graves.

The Europeans will reach some where, to find the Oppositions Groups's Committee, that, will be replacing the Collapsed regime. But Assad did not reach anywhere, but made the Situation Worse, and because he failed to smash down the Revolts, he decided with a Public Presidential Order, forgiving, all the Revolting people, who paid over One Thousand Martyrs, and over thousands Injured, and murdered in Hospitals and on their way for help, by the Security Forces, and ten thousands prisoners, Tortured to DEATH, as we witnessed, the Thirteen Years Old Boy El Khateeb, was DEAD for a month before he was taken back to his Parents.

Sure it is too late, for such Decisions, and any more to be taken, by the Head of the Syrian Regime, because he is deeply diving under People's pools of Blood, and that, is UNFORGETTABLE or FORGIVEABLE, the History will pin him down in a Grave, to be remembered for decades to come.

تشكيل لجنة تحقيق بشأن الفتى السوري الذي تعرّض للقتل والتعذيب في درعا

الثلاثاء 31 أيار 2011

ارسل

احفظ

اطبع

ذكر التلفزيون السوري أن وزير الداخلية (اللواء محمد الشعار) قرر تشكيل لجنة تحقيق لتحديد ملابسات وفاة الفتى حمزة الخطيب (13 عاماً) الذي تعرّض للتعذيب والقتل في درعا.

وكانت السلطات السوريّة إعتقلت الفتى المتحدر من قرية الجيزة بالقرب من درعا مع آخرين أثناء مشاركتهم في تظاهرة يوم الغضب في 29 نيسان لفكّ الحصار عن هذه المدينة.

المعارضون السوريون في انطاليا: قرار العفو غير كاف وتأخر كثيرًا

الثلاثاء 31 أيار 2011

ارسل

احفظ

اطبع

أعلنت المعارضة السوريّة من أنطاليا في جنوب تركيا حيث تعقد مؤتمرها تحت عنوان "المؤتمر السوري للتغيير" أنّ قرار العفو العام الذي أصدره الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد اليوم "غير كاف وتأخر كثيرًا". وفي هذا السياق، قال رئيس المجلس الوطني لإعلان دمشق في المهجر عبد الرزاق عيد في حديث لـ"فرانس برس": "نحن طالبناه به منذ فترة طويلة، وبالنسبة إلينا نحن صدى لـ"صوت الشعب" الذي أجمع على أنه يريد إسقاط النظام، ونجتمع تحت شعار إسقاط النظام، ونحتاج إلى إيضاحات حول ما إذا كان العفو يشمل المعتقلين أخيرًا مع المحكومين منذ عشرات السنوات".
من جهته، إعتبر رئيس وفد "الأخوان المسلمين" إلى المؤتمر ملهم الدروبي أنّ "خطوة الأسد إيجابية لكنها غير كافية و"الأخوان" يطالبون بمطالب الشعب الذي يطالب بالحرية ويريد إسقاط النظام"، مضيفًا للوكالة نفسها إنّ "دماء الشعب لن تذهب هدرًا وعلى من ارتكب جرائم أن يُحاسَب على فعلته".
يُشار إلى أنّه بعد إبلاغ المجتمعين بقرار العفو إنطلقت الآيادي بالتصفيق والأصوات بالهتاف: "الشعب يريد إسقاط النظام" و"الموت ولا المذلة"، و"إسلام ومسيحية، الشعب يريد الحرية"، مع التلويح بالأعلام السوريّة.

سوريا قد تنزلق إلى النموذج الليبي
مسلحون يصدّون الجيش في تلبيسة والرستن

للمرة الأولى منذ بدء الاحتجاجات في سوريا، استخدم سكان البنادق الآلية والقذائف الصاروخية لصد قوى الامن التي تحاول التقدم في وسط سوريا، الامر الذي ادى الى نشوب قتال شرس وغذى المخاوف من احتمال تحول الانتفاضة الشعبية نوعا من النزاع المسلح على الطريقة الليبية.
وافاد ناشطون ان سكان مدينتي تلبيسة والرستن، اللتين تتعرضان لهجوم منذ الاحد، قرروا القتال بالاسلحة الرشاشة والقذائف الصاروخية وان اربعة مدنيين على الاقل قتلوا.
وقال احد سكان حمص الذي له اتصالات واسعة في المنطقة: "لقد شعروا بأنه ليس في امكانهم ان يجلسوا اكثر من ذلك ويصلوا الى الله كي يساعدهم". واضاف ان "الجيش يواجه مقاومة مسلحة وليس قادرا على دخول المدينتين". واكد ان "الجيش لا يزال خارجهما وقيل لي إن عربات للجيش وبينها ناقلات جند قد اشتعلت فيها النيران".
وأوضح ناشط ثان ان السكان خاضوا قتالاً، لكنه اشار الى ان ذلك يشمل اشخاصاً حاولوا حماية أنفسهم، وان لا مقاومة منظمة تمتلك هيكلاً قيادياً.
وذكّر بأن "الاحتجاجات بدأت سلمية، لكن ممارسات قوى الأمن التي أذلت الناس أدت أخيراً الى استخدام الاسلحة". ولفت الى انه جرت العادة ان يقتني السوريون الاسلحة الخفيفة مثل البنادق في منازلهم. وسجل في السنوات الأخيرة تهريب اسلحة من دول مجاورة مثل لبنان والعراق.
وهذه التقارير الاولى الموثوق بها عن وجود مقاومة جدية لسكان يحملون السلاح. ولكن من غير الواضح مدى تعميم هذه الظاهرة في أماكن أخرى من سوريا، على رغم ان تقارير تحدثت عن مقاومة السكان في تلكلخ قرب الحدود مع لبنان. وتقول الحكومة السورية ومجموعات لحقوق الانسان إن أكثر من 150 جندياً وشرطياً قتلوا منذ بدء الاحتجاجات في سوريا في آذار.

لمرعبي: يبدو أن الرئيس بري لا يسمع ماذا يحصل في الشمال

الثلاثاء 31 أيار 2011

ارسل

احفظ

اطبع

استغرب عضو كتلة "المستقبل" النائب معين المرعبي كلام رئيس المجلس النيابي نبيه بري حول محاولة إقامة خطوط تماس على الحدود مع سوريا، وقال: "يبدو أن الرئيس بري لا يسمع كالعادة ماذا يحصل في الشمال، لم يسمع بعمليات القنص التي طالت المساجد والناس، ومقتل إمرأة وطفل".
المرعبي وفي تصريح لمحطة "lbc" أضاف: "لقد ناشدنا الجيش اللبناني أن ينتشر في المنطقة لحماية اللبنانيين من القنص، ولكن لم نتلق أي جواب، ولذلك يمكن أن نطلب من الامم المتحدة أن تنتشر"، مشيراً إلى أن "هناك حواجز ليلية لعناصر تدور في الفلك السوري، وان بعض الاهالي يشكون من الامر، وهذا بتصرف الجيش اللبناني".
وختم المرعبي حديثه بالقول: "مع الأسف، طالبنا قيادة الجيش مرات عدة بهذه الامور، ولكن الجيش اللبناني ليس لديه "لا شغلة ولا عملة" إلا ازعاج المواطن عبر استدعاء العكاريين إلى مراكز المخابرات أو توقيف أحد النازحين".

Syrian Town surrounded by troops, it is NOT Mistakes, it is MURDER

Children hurt in storming Syrian Cities by Troops.

Two people died amid protests in Syria on Monday, as government troops and tanks surrounded one town and apparently shelled another for a second day, according to protest organizers and a witness.

One of the deaths occurred in Rastan and the other in Talbiseh, according to the protest organizers known as the Local Coordination Committees of Syria.

The deaths bring to 12 the total number killed since troops entered towns in Homs province early Sunday to end protests against government rule, according to the committee. Ten people, including two children, died Sunday.

CNN has not been granted access into Syria and is unable to independently verify the accounts.

A witness in Rastan, who did not want to be identified for security reasons, said he heard intense explosions beginning around 4 a.m. that lasted for several hours.

Will Syria be criticized at U.N.?

RELATED TOPICS

Tanks and soldiers have the city completely surrounded, and there is no electricity or water in the city, the witness said.

Despite the siege, protesters took to the streets for about 30 minutes of defiant protest, the witness said.

The Rastan witness said that residents there could hear shelling and gunfire coming from Talbiseh, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) away. But he said it was unclear what was happening there communications have been shut off.

Security forces shelled that city on Sunday as well, with one round striking a school bus carrying children.

In addition to Rastan and Talbiseh, the towns of Deir Ba'albeh and Teir Ma'alleh were also targeted, according to protest organizers.

Syria's government has undertaken a fierce crackdown against demonstrations that have demanded reforms of President Bashar al-Assad.

Roughly 830 people have been killed in the protests, according tot he Syrian Human Rights Information Link. That number does not include security personnel which the Syrian government claims died in attacks from "armed groups."

The United States has imposed new sanctions on al-Assad and other senior Syrian officials, freezing any assets held in the country over human rights abuses.

U.S. sanctions target Syrian president

Should Obama get even tougher on Syria?

RELATED TOPICS

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama's new blueprint for change in the Middle East slammed the Syrian government for "murder and mass arrests" and sent a blunt message to President Bashar al-Assad to get with democratic change.

In a wide-ranging speech about Middle East policy on Thursday, Obama touched on the fierce Syrian crackdown against the street demonstrations that have rippled across the country since mid-March.

Obama told an audience at the State Department that Syrians have displayed "courage in demanding a transition to democracy" but the regime "has chosen the path of murder and the mass arrests of its citizens."

"President Assad now has a choice: He can lead that transition, or get out of the way. The Syrian government must stop shooting demonstrators and allow peaceful protests; release political prisoners and stop unjust arrests; allow human rights monitors to have access to cities like Daraa; and start a serious dialogue to advance a democratic transition. Otherwise, President Assad and his regime will continue to be challenged from within and isolated abroad," he said.

U.S. sanctions target Syrian president Should Obama get even tougher on Syria?

Monday, 30 May 2011

Yemen 30 05, Today

Yemen clashes with Security Forces, firing indiscriminately.

(CNN) -- The toll from reported clashes between Yemeni security forces and anti-government protesters in Taiz grew to 11 dead and 160 wounded, medical officials said Monday.
Security forces opened fire on tens of thousands of demonstrators on Sunday in an effort to disperse them, witnesses told CNN. Hundreds of protesters responded by throwing rocks at the security forces, which drew more gunfire from the troops, witnesses said.
The developments came on the same day embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh met with top military and security officials to talk about "hostilities and crimes" occurring in his country, the Yemeni State News Agency reported.
Saleh has been resisting protests calling on him to step down after 33 years in power.
The recent fighting has raised fears of a full-blown civil war in Yemen, an impoverished, arid and mountainous nation that has been a key U.S. ally in the battle against the al Qaeda terrorist network.

آذار الماضي وانضمامه الى صفوف الثوار.

وهناك شقيق ثالث، حسين، الذي كان له دور بارز في تنظيم مقاتلي القبائل الذين شاركوا في قتال الحوثيين في محافظة صعدة المتاخمة للحدود مع المملكة العربية السعودية.

اما الشقيق الرابع، حميد، فهو من كبار سياسيي المعارضة ورجال الاعمال في اليمن إذ يمتلك شبكة سبافون للهواتف الجوالة ومحطة سهيل التلفزيونية الفضائية.

وكان حميد قد شارك من مؤيدي مرشح المعارضة في الانتخابات الرئاسية الاخيرة التي شهدتها البلاد في عام 2006، وهو يدعم التحالف المعارض بالاموال.

وكان حميد الاحمر قد التقى منذ بضع سنوات بمسؤول امريكي في صنعاء وكشف له - حسب رواية صحيفة الواشنطن بوست حينها - عن خطة سرية للاطاحة بالرئيس صالح عن طريق التظاهرات الشعبية وما وصفها "بالفوضى المسيطر عليها."

وعندما أطاح الثوار التونسيون بالرئيس زين العابدين بن علي، شعر حميد بدنو فرصته وقرر ان يتحرك.

كانت الموجة الاولى من التظاهرات والاحتجاجات التي شهدها اليمن منظمة من قبل المعارضة المعروفة، وتكفلت شبكة سبافون الخليوية التي يمتلكها حميد الاحمر بارسال الرسائل النصية التي كان لها الفضل في تنظيم التجمعات والاحتجاجات.

كما يعتقد على نطاق واسع ان حميد وغيره من رجال الاعمال اليمنيين يدعمون المعتصمين في مخيمات المعارضة ماليا.

ولكن الزخم الذي اكتسبته الثورة سرعان ما اخرجها من نطاق سيطرة المعارضة التقليدية، حيث بدأ الناشطون الشباب المستقلون بالمطالبة باجراء تغييرات جذرية في بنية نظام الحكم تمنح المزيد من السلطات الى مؤسسات الدولة وتجعل من الممكن محاسبة النخب اليمنية.

وتزامن الصراع الحالي داخل النخبة الحاكمة مع انتقال السلطة داخل آل الاحمر من الشيخ الراحل عبدالله الاحمر (الذي توفي عام 2007) الى اولاده.

وفي ذات الوقت، يناور اكبر ابناء الرئيس صالح، احمد، واولاد اخيه طارق ويحيى وعمار - الذين يشغلون مناصب قيادية في اجهزة الامن والمخابرات التي تمولها الحكومات الغربية - لخلافة الرئيس.

من نتائج هذه المناورات والصراعات انه اصبح من الضروري اعادة النظر في اتفاق تقاسم السلطة الذي ابرمه الشيخ عبدالله الاحمر مع الرئيس صالح في الثمانينيات والتسعينيات.

كما سيلعب الفريق علي محسن الاحمر، القائد العسكري الذي انشق عن الرئيس صالح وانضم الى صفوف الثوار، دورا مهما في تقرير مسار الصدامات الجارية حاليا.

"حرب بالوكالة"

فالفريق الاحمر هو قائد الفرقة المدرعة الاولى في الجيش اليمني، وقائد المنطقة العسكرية الشمالية الغربية احدى مناطق البلاد العسكرية الاربع.

وعكس ما يوحي به اسمه، فالفريق الاحمر لا يمت لآل الاحمر بصلة بل هو احد اقارب الرئيس صالح. وكان الفريق الاحمر قد شارك في حرب الحوثيين في صعدة التي اندلعت عام 2004. وكانت الحزازات بينه وبين اسرة الرئيس قد بدأت تطفو الى السطح ابان تلك الحرب.

ويقال إن الفريق الاحمر يعارض النفوذ المتصاعد الذي كان قد بدأ يتمتع به احمد ابن الرئيس صالح والذي كان يقود فرقة تابعة للحرس الجمهوري كانت تشارك هي الاخرى في حرب صعدة.

ومع حلول عام 2008، كانت النخبة اليمنية الحاكمة منشغلة بالاشتباكات التي يقال إنها دارت بين الفريق علي محسن من جهة واحمد علي عبدالله صالح من جهة اخرى. وبدأت الصحف اليمنية بالحديث عن حرب بالوكالة كانت تدور بين القوات التي تأتمر بهما تحت ستار محاربة الحوثيين.

وفي 2009، عندما دخلت المملكة العربية السعودية الحرب لسحق تعرض الحوثيين على الاراضي السعودية، سلم المخططون العسكريون الموالون للرئيس صالح احداثيات مقر قيادة الفريق علي محسن للقوة الجوية السعودية املا بالتخلص منه.

اسهم ذلك في انشقاق الفريق علي عن الرئيس صالح في مارس الماضي، والذي حصل بعد قيام قناصة قوات الرئيس بفتح النار على مخيم للمعتصمين المناوئين للحكومة في صنعاء,

ومنذ ذلك الحين تنتشر دبابات الفرقة المدرعة الاولى التابعة له في مواقع استراتيجية في العاصمة اليمنية.

The time for sweet-talking Yemen leader is over

By Letta Tayler, Special to CNN

May 27, 2011 4:35 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Letta Tayler: Yemen incident when pro-government mob trapped diplomats a wake-up call

She says U.S., EU, others deplored act but have not cut funds, weapons to Saleh regime

She says donor countries have instead tried to sweet-talk Saleh to go; this won't work

Tayler: Nations must cut funding till violence stops; push U.N. sanctions; deal with Yemen

Editor's note: Letta Tayler is a Yemen and terrorism-counterterrorism researcher at Human Rights Watch and a former foreign correspondent for Newsday.

(CNN) -- There may be a silver lining to the recent diplomatic incident in Yemen, in which pro-government mobs blockaded U.S., European and Arab ambassadors inside an embassy as they waited -- in vain -- for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to sign a deal to relinquish power.

The ambassadors were unharmed, but perhaps their brush with the government's heavy-handed tactics will serve as a wake-up call. After witnessing their diplomats essentially held hostage by a regime they bankroll, the United States, the European Union and Gulf states should respond to Saleh's abusive behavior by freezing security assistance and seeking action by the United Nations Security Council.

We don't know whether Saleh engineered the siege to give diplomats a preview of the mayhem he claims would ensue if he were forced from power. If so, he is playing with fire. Since the embassy blockade, scores of fighters have been killed in clashes between Saleh's forces and opposition militiamen. A show of anarchy could quickly become reality in a country where many people are armed and desperate and the rule of law runs shallow.

Gangs doing the government's dirty work are nothing new in Yemen. Since February, security forces and pro-government assailants have killed at least 146 people in repeated attacks on peaceful protesters seeking to end Saleh's 33-year grip on power. Human Rights Watch has documented how, in many cases, these gangs opened fire or struck protesters with clubs and stones as security forces either stood by or facilitated the attacks.

Yemen's donors, including the U.S. and the EU, have deplored the violence and urged Saleh to step down. But they have failed to ratchet up the pressure by officially suspending the hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons and other security assistance they send to Yemen each year.

That includes more than $252 million that the U.S. has spent in the past two years alone to help Saleh's government take on Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. But some governmental recipients of aid, such as the Central Security forces and the Republican Guards, have also been shooting peaceful protesters.

In lieu of firm action, donor countries have tried to sweet-talk Saleh into leaving on his own terms. Indeed, when ambassadors from the U.S., Kuwait, Oman, Britain and other EU countries gathered Sunday in the United Arab Emirates Embassy, they were preparing to head to the presidential palace to watch Saleh sign an exit deal that included blanket immunity not only for him but for relatives who run his security services.

Instead, hundreds of men surrounded the Embassy, brandishing guns and sticks, denouncing the exit pact and attacking the motorcade of the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the deal's chief negotiator. Hours passed before the government dispatched helicopters to airlift the ambassadors out. Saleh, for a third time, refused to sign the exit pact.

Hours later, his security forces stormed the house of a powerful sheikh in the capital, Sanaa, setting off days of armed clashes between government and opposition gunmen that have left scores of fighters dead and killed a half-dozen key tribal leaders as they were trying to negotiate a cease-fire. Elsewhere in the city, armed Saleh loyalists roam the streets, setting fires and assaulting alleged opposition members with impunity. "Fear is everywhere," one activist texted me. "It is like the gangs of New York in the (19th) century."

Before the crisis deepens, the U.S., the EU and their Arab allies should jointly freeze all security-related assistance and weapons sales to Yemen until authorities stop the violent crackdowns, conduct independent investigations into the attacks, prosecute suspected perpetrators, and compensate victims.

They also should jump-start discussions on bringing Yemen before the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions. And they should press the U.N. Human Rights Council, which begins meetings in Geneva on Monday, to stop stalling on holding a special session that would specifically deal with Yemen.

If talks resume on an exit deal, negotiators should revoke all promises of immunity for serious human rights violations, which seem only to have encouraged Saleh's forces to continue unlawful attacks on protesters.

Yemen's donors and neighbors are right to be deeply concerned about the Yemen-based branch of al Qaeda and to question whether the group will benefit from a security vacuum after Saleh leaves office. But a foreign policy based solely on security concerns is bound to fail by alienating local populations.

As President Obama said last week, "Failure to speak to the broader aspirations of ordinary people will only feed the suspicion that has festered for years that the United States pursues our interests at their expense."

If the U.S., the EU and Gulf states don't stop training and arming a regime that kills peaceful protesters to stay in power, they risk stoking the flames of extremism rather than fostering Yemen's democratic development. The consequence could be far more problematic than a brief blockade of diplomats.

US urges Yemen's Saleh to step down

Yemen's president refuses for a third time to sign deal and hand over power, prompting wide condemnation.

Last Modified: 23 May 2011 09:07

EmailPrintShareSend Feedback

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton is accusing Yemen's president of turning his back on his commitments after he rejected a deal to step down.

Clinton urged Ali Abdullah Saleh on Monday to sign the US-backed agreement in order to prevent further chaos that has consumed Yemen for the past three months.

"We urge him to immediately follow through on his repeated commitments to peacefully and orderly transfer power and ensure the legitimate will of the Yemeni people is addressed. The time for action is now," Clinton said in a statement.

Despite intense diplomatic pressure from Yemen's Gulf Arab neighbours and Western mediators, Saleh rejected the deal that would have given him immunity from prosecution.

The mediators were hoping to bring an end violence in which more than 170 Yemeni demonstrators have been killed.

"The United States is deeply disappointed by president Saleh's continued refusal to sign the Gulf Co-operation Council initiative," Clinton said.

Remains defiant

It was the third time an agreement for him to leave after 33 years in power had fallen through at the last minute.

"President Saleh is now the only party that refuses to match actions to words," Clinton said, adding that the other parties to an agreement already had signed off on it several times.

Click here for more of Al Jazeera's special coverage

Saleh refused twice before to sign the agreement. But this weekend it had appeared he was finally relenting, under intense pressure from his allies, the United States and Gulf Arab countries that mediated the accord.

The opposition parties signed the accord on Saturday, and the Yemeni president grudgingly promised he would sign the following day.

Instead, the defiant leader showed his determination to cling to the power he has held for 32 years, despite increasing isolation.

His regime unleashed hundreds of armed loyalists into the streets of Sanaa on Sunday in an apparently orchestrated campaign to demand he not step down.

Saleh supporters, armed with guns, knives and swords, trapped US, European and Arab ambassadors at the diplomatic mission of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Sanaa.

The diplomats had gathered at the embassy, waiting to be taken to the presidential palace for the expected signing at noon.

Embassy siege

Security forces broke up the crowd after several hours of letting them besiege the embassy on Sunday. Clinton said the US was outraged about the incident.

"We condemn this action and call on President Saleh to meet his international obligations to ensure the safety and security of all foreign diplomats and their staffs working in Yemen."

The diplomats were reported to have left by helicopter, after the UAE urged Yemeni authorities to secure its embassy.

Yemeni state TV later showed several top figures from Saleh's ruling party signing the accord as the president and Gerald M. Feierstein, the American ambassador, watched. But Saleh himself refused.

Saleh said afterward he would not do so unless opposition leaders come to the palace and sign it as well in public, not "behind closed doors".

"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.

The opposition appeared to dismiss Saleh's demands that they participate in a public signing.

GCC anger

Yemeni opposition official Abdul-Malak al-Mukhlafi said the mediators from the Gulf Cooperation Council - a grouping of six Gulf Arab nations - had set down in a three-page document the details of how the deal was to have been signed and that any change in that process was considered a breach of the agreement.

"This regime is taking the world and its people lightly," he told The Associated Press news agency.

"We ask the international and regional community to pressure the regime and force it to respect the will of the people, and to impose sanctions that will make it respond to the people's demands."

In Riyadh, the Saudi capital, five foreign ministers from the Gulf council held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss what happened.

A Saudi diplomat said there is "anger" over Saleh's position. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media.

The ministers decided to suspend the initiative "because conditions were not ripe," according to a statement from the meeting. Still, they urged Saleh to sign in the "soonest possible time," he said.

Shelling shakes Yemeni capital

Threat of civil war grows as fighting between forces loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh and tribal fighters spreads from Sanaa.

Last Modified: 26 May 2011 00:26

Email

Print

Share

Send Feedback

Yemen more dangerous than Libya.

RELATED TOPICS
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Sana'a
Yemen
Hundreds of al-Hashid tribal members occupied and surrounded the SABA news agency compound and the tourism building in Sanaa after fighting with government forces in the Hasabah neighborhood.
Other ministry buildings in Hasabah also have been seized. They are the Interior, Trade and Commerce, the Education and the Local Administration headquarters. These and other government buildings in Hasabah were evacuated Tuesday night by the Interior Ministry as fighting raged.
Yemeni state-run television said supporters loyal to the al-Hashid tribe were shelling government facilities.
The fighting broke out after a regionally brokered deal calling for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave office fell through. Saleh himself is a member of the al-Hashid tribe, a huge and powerful entity with many strands.
After a march Friday, during which dozens of anti-government demonstrators were killed, Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, a leader of the main opposition al-Hashid tribe, embraced the anti-government demonstrators and broke ranks with the president. Since then, more and more tribal members have turned their backs on the president as well.
The violence has attracted international attention.
"We expressed our joint concern on the deteriorating situation on the ground," U.S. President Barack Obama told reporters Wednesday in England with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed fears that the battles might further destabilize the situation and called for "an immediate end to the fighting" and the continuation of efforts to resolve the country's political crisis.
Saleh's office called media outlets, including Yemen TV, and issued statements from Saleh defending himself.
"I will not be forced by the tribes to enter a civil war," Saleh said. "We will not give in and will fight those who threaten security and stability in the country."
Similar clashes Tuesday killed as many as 41 people -- with both sides claiming casualties. Al-Ahmar said 17 men from the al-Hashid tribe were killed in those clashes. The government said 14 soldiers and 10 civilians were killed.
Yemen, a key U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda, has been roiled by protests for most of the year amid anti-government demonstrations that have swept across much of the Arab world. Many of the protesters in Yemen want Saleh to step aside after three decades of rule.

Heavy explosions have rocked the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, as fighting to topple president Ali Abdullah Saleh threatened to pitch the country into civil war.
Residents reported heavy shelling from outside the city in the early hours on Thursday, targeting residential areas. The crackle of heavy gunfire could be heard in different parts of the city.
"The explosions can be heard across town in the south of Sanaa. This seems to be heavier weapons than the machine guns and the mortars of the past few days," one resident said.
The fighting follows months of political unrest in Yemen that has already left scores of people dead, and comes after Saleh refused to sign a GCC-brokered exit deal on Sunday that would have brought and end to his decades-long rule.
Clashes between government forces and guards loyal to Sadiq al-Ahmar, head of the Hashed tribal federation, broke out in Sanaa earlier this week.
In the Arhab region, about 32km northwest of Sanaa, a brigade of Saleh's presidential guard clashed with local tribesmen, indicating that the fighting was spreading outside the capital.
Six government soldiers were killed and 21 injured in that fight, an army official said, speaking on condition of anonymity under military rules. It was unclear if any tribesmen were killed.
So far, 20 government troops and 46 of al-Ahmar's fighters have been killed - bringing the death toll since Monday to at least 69. Scores more were reported injured.
The fighting has sent dozens of families fleeing Sanaa and seeking refuge outside the capital.
Long lines of cars snaked out of the city, bags piled high on their roofs, even as gunmen blocked entrances to prevent tribesmen from bringing in reinforcements, witnesses said.
'I am afraid for my life'
Eyewitnesses said that all roads entering Sanaa were blocked by republican guards, who are under the command of Saleh's son, leaving hundreds of Yemenis trying to enter the capital stranded and forced to spend the night in their cars.
"It's no longer possible to stay in Sanaa. The confrontations will reach all parts of the city," said Murad Abdullah as he left by car.
"I am afraid for my life. I will go to my village in Ibb. The situation there is safe."
Witnesses and officials said al-Ahmar's supporters controlled several ministry buildings, including the trade and tourism ministries, as well as the offices of the state news agency Saba.

For more on Yemen, visit our Spotlight page

Al-Ahmar's fighters also attacked the main building of the interior ministry, whose courtyard came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades, witnesses said.
Yemen's interior ministry blamed the tribal fighters for the violence. In a statement, al-Ahmar accused the regime of trying to "ignite discord and civil war between Yemenis."
Thousands of protesters marched through the capital Wednesday, not far from the clashes, calling on Saleh to step down. Protest leader Mana al-Matari said the marchers remained committed to non-violence and accused Saleh of fuelling the unrest.
In a statement, read by spokesman Ahmed al-Soufi in a meeting with tribal allies, Saleh ruled out a voluntary departure and blasted US-backed efforts to negotiate his exit after 32 years of authoritarian rule.
"I will not leave power and I will not leave Yemen," the statement said. "I don't take orders from outside."
Saleh also threatened that his departure could turn Yemen into a haven for al-Qaeda, playing on US fears, a long-time ally of the Yemeni leader, that the group could extend its influence in the Arabian peninsula country.
"Yemen will not be a failed state. It will not turn into an al-Qaeda refuge," the statement continued. Saleh also said he would work to prevent the recent violence from “dragging the country into a civil war."
Pressure has been mounting from various quarters for Saleh to sign the GCC deal, which requires the 65-year-old to step down from office within 30 days, in return for immunity from prosecution.
Barack Obama, the US president, on Wednesday called on Saleh to "immediately" honour his promise to cede power. The United States also ordered all non-essential diplomats and embassy family members to leave Yemen.
Also on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate end to the fighting, expressing concern that clashes "might further destabilise the situation," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said at UN headquarters in New York.

By the CNN Wire Staff

May 26, 2011 -- Updated 0955 GMT (1755 HKT)

Thousands of Yemeni protesters demonstrate against President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the city of Ibb on Wednesday.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Al-Hashid tribal members occupy several government ministries

The family members of U.S. government workers are ordered out

The U.S. State Department warns against travel to Yemen

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh backed out of a deal to step down

(CNN) -- The United States has warned Americans against travel to Yemen and advised those in the Gulf nation to depart, citing "terrorist activities and civil unrest."

In addition, the State Department "has ordered all eligible family members of U.S. government employees as well as certain nonemergency personnel to depart Yemen."

The travel warning follows Wednesday's clashes between tribesmen and government forces near Sanaa International Airport.

All arriving flights were diverted to Aden, and no flights were taking off from Sanaa, said a transportation official who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

The flight restrictions were imposed as anti-regime tribesmen battling Yemeni forces occupied the government's news agency compound and the tourism ministry in the capital Wednesday, the latest regime entities to be taken over during this week's street battles, witnesses said.

Yemen deal disintegrates Peace eludes Yemen again

Dozens die in renewed Yemeni clashes

At least 38 people killed as fighting continues in the capital between government loyalists and tribal forces.

Last Modified: 24 May 2011 20:50

Send Feedback

Clashes have erupted between embattled Saleh's security forces and gunmen from Yemen's most powerful tribe [EPA]

At least 38 people have been killed in heavy fighting in the Yemeni capital between government loyalists and guards of a tribal leader who has sided with protesters demanding an end to president Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule, reports say.
Witnesses said the two sides exchanged sporadic gunfire in Sanaa on Tuesday.
The resumption of clashes after a nighttime lull dimmed prospects for a political solution to a three-month revolt inspired by protests that swept aside the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia.

"Gunmen and soldiers spread out everywhere and the sound of gunfire can be heard from time to time," one witness told the Reuters news agency.
A security official said 14 soldiers were killed in the fighting and 20 others were missing. A hospital official said 24 tribesmen were killed. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Fighting in the same area on Monday killed seven people, including a civilian bystander.
Tribal mediators
The clashes pitted government troops against guards of Sadiq al-Ahmar, head of the Hashed tribal federation.

The government accused Ahmar's men of igniting the clashes on Monday by firing on a school and the headquarters of state news agency Saba. Ahmar's office said government forces opened fire when his guards prevented them from entering a school where Ahmar said Saleh loyalists were stockpiling weapons.

Early on Tuesday, tribal mediators were holding talks to try to bring an end to the clashes, a source in Sadiq al-Ahmar's office said. Saleh is also from the Hashed federation.
Sheikh Hamid, the brother of Sadiq al-Ahmar said: "We consider this an attempt from Saleh to destabilise the revolution and change it from its peaceful course after he realised he has to leave but we assure you that the revolution will remain peaceful."
The clashes followed the collapse on Sunday of a transition deal mediated by Gulf neighbours that Saleh was to have signed that would have given him immunity from prosecution, ensuring a dignified exit.

The United States and Saudi Arabia, both targets of foiled attacks by a wing of al-Qaeda based in Yemen, are keen to end the Yemeni stalemate and avert a spread of anarchy that could give the global network more room to operate.

Saleh, playing on Western fears of chaos, blamed the opposition for the deal's collapse and warned that if a civil war erupted "they will be responsible for it and the bloodshed".

Rejecting interference
Yet Yemen rejected any interference in its internal affairs and expressed "regret" over France's criticism of Saleh's failure to ink a Gulf-brokered accord on giving up power after months of deadly anti-regime protests, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

For more on Yemen, visit our Spotlight page

"Resolving the political crisis in Yemen is a Yemeni affair and the Republic of Yemen does not accept orders from any party ... and rejects any interference in its internal affairs," the ministry said, according to the state news agency.

"This new U-turn is irresponsible and unacceptable," Bernard Valero, a French foreign ministry spokesperson, had told reporters.

"If president Saleh persists in refusing to respect his commitments, France is ready to take up all the consequences, with the European Union and its European partners," he said, without giving details of possible measures.

The Philippines government, meanwhile, offered to fly home all its 1,400 citizens in Yemen on Tuesday as the political violence intensified.

The government also ordered a halt to the deployment of Philippine workers to Yemen but stopped short of calling for a mandatory evacuation.

The wave of unrest in the Middle East and North Africa has displaced thousands of Filipinos working there, with about 26,000 having already fled Libya.

Yemen embassy

By the CNN Wire Staff

May 22, 2011 -- Updated 1535 GMT (2335 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: Gunmen around the embassy have machine guns, pistols and batons, eyewitnesses say
A State Department official believes the Yemeni government is behind the protest
Supporters of President Ali Abdullah Saleh are angry about a deal to ease him out of power
Yemen, a key al Qaeda battleground, is a U.S. ally

(CNN) -- The American, British and European Union ambassadors to Yemen are trapped in an embassy surrounded by gunmen angry about efforts by Arab mediators to ease President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power, the American envoy told CNN.

U.S. Ambassador Gerald Feierstein said the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates are also being prevented from leaving the UAE embassy.

Feierstein has contacted his superiors to say he is fine, a State Department official told CNN. The United Kingdom, European Union and Arab nations did not immediately confirm that their envoys were trapped.

The U.S. official believes the Yemeni government is behind the demonstration in Sanaa, the source said, declining to be named speaking about a sensitive ongoing situation.

Security forces were seen near the embassy but did not try to disperse the protesters, several dozen of who had machine guns,eyewitnesses said. Many more had pistols or batons, they said.

"We are not here to cause damage or hurt anyone, (but) we do not want the Gulf Cooperation Council to get involved in the Yemeni crisis," said Ali Aref, an armed tribesman at the UAE embassy.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh delayed signing a deal that would pave the way for his departure from power.

The armed protesters accused the regional body of trying to force Saleh from power and chanted anti-GCC slogans, sources in Sanaa said.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Khalifa said he was in touch with GCC Secretary-General Abdul Latif Zayani about the situation, calling it "volatile."

Saleh was originally expected to sign a deal Sunday brokered by Zayani, who is also at the UAE embassy.

But the Yemeni president raised a new obstacle earlier Sunday, refusing to recognize the opposition signature on it from the day before.

"President Saleh invited the JMP (opposition alliance) to sign the ... proposal at the presidential palace at 3 p.m. today. We hope the JMP accepts President Saleh's invitation," said Tareq Shami, a spokesman for Yemen's ruling party, the General People's Congress (GPC).

He insisted that the demand is not a complication, but rather common sense.

Envoys trapped in Yemen siege

RELATED TOPICS

"Any agreement should never take place in closed-door meetings. This is commonly known and Saleh does not want to start the transition period in such a way," Shami said.

Thousands of Saleh supporters blocked roads leading to a building where Saleh was meeting with senior offcials from the ruling party Sunday, saying they would not let the president leave the compound and sign the proposal.

"We will not allow him to sign and step down in thirty days. The GCC proposal is against the will of the Yemeni people," said Sabri Ali, a Saleh supporter. "We will stand with Saleh against the criminals in the JMP and will not accept anyone to rule us expect Saleh."

Tribal leaders, meanwhile, put armed gunmen on main roads in anticipation of violence.

"Yemen is lawless today and our tribes are here to ensure that safety prevails in all circumstances," said Shaef Ali Arhabi, a tribal leader from Arhab region.

He supports the opposition, but pro-Saleh tribesman are on the streets as well.

Opposition officials rejected Saleh's proposal that they sign the agreement again on Sunday after putting their names on it Saturday.

"This is Saleh. His words are never trusted. No agreement is respected by him," said Mohammed Qahtan, a spokesman for the JMP.

An opposition youth leader accused Saleh of trying to weaken the JMP by making it "chase him from place to place" and predicted he would not sign in the end.

"The youth will not care if any signing takes place. Our demands are clear and Saleh will stand trial for all his crimes," activist Tawakkol Karman said.

Yemen, a key al Qaeda battleground and U.S. ally, has been roiled by protests for most of the year amid the background of anti-government demonstrations across much of the Arab world.

Saleh has ruled the country for 33 years.

Yemen's opposition signed the regionally brokered deal to result in his departure and end the country's grinding political crisis, opposition officials told CNN Saturday.

Previous attempts to reach a similar pact -- guided by GCC -- have come close to being finished, only to fall through.

Saleh is unpopular in many quarters of the country, but he has been a stalwart U.S. ally against terrorism.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Saturday Yemen is in "trying times," with suppression and deaths of civilians.

"President Saleh needs to follow through on his commitment to transfer power. The government of Yemen must address the legitimate will of the people," she said in a statement.

Shami, the ruling party spokesman, said earlier that Saleh asked to delay the signing until Sunday because it's a national holiday.

"President Saleh will sign the GCC proposal and he asked.... days ago to delay the signing of the proposal until Sunday May 22, as this day is Yemen's unity holiday," Shami said.

CNN's Jenifer Fenton, Elise Labott and Mohammed Jamjoom and Journalist Hakim Almasmari contributed to this report.

Prayers against Abdullah Saleh

Al Ahmar fighters in Sanaa.

Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Syrian 3105, Is he back to his Senses or playing time,

Monday, 30 May 2011

Yemen 30 05, Today

Army officers joined the people

اليمن: مظاهرات "سلمية" والطيران الحربي يقصف مناطق قبلية

روابط ذات صلة

موضوعات ذات صلة

"نحو حرب أهلية"

موقف دولي

اليمن: صراع النخب

موضوعات ذات صلة

"حرب بالوكالة"

The time for sweet-talking Yemen leader is over

Yemen embassy

Search This Blog