Sunday, May 1, 2011

Saleh's rebuff raises fears of a blood bath in Yemen

The citizens of Yemen on Sunday were still trying to save the plan Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave power. The snub of the president by refusing to sign the day before there were concerns about sparking a new bloodbath. The streets of Sana'a woke taken by the security forces, especially in the vicinity of the presidential palace.

The young drivers of the rudeness lived revolt as a victory of Saleh and planned to intensify their protests. "The Council expresses its hope of eliminating the obstacles that still block the final agreement, and its secretary general will return to Sana'a for that purpose," said a statement from the foreign ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) after talks in Riyadh .

On Saturday, Secretary of the GCC, which groups Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE and Oman, Yemen's capital was empty-handed. "The big danger now is to go get the protesters," played a Western observer, fearing "a move to Bahrain." Bahrain King ruthlessly crushed the revolt of his country in March.

But unlike this country, Yemen, the protesters have the support of the army and the population is armed. Although from the beginning, activists have stressed the peaceful nature of their protest, they recognize that things could change in case of aggression. "We will maintain our peaceful response, but when the time comes that the revolution is an aggressive response will have to make new decisions," admitted to this newspaper Tawakul Kerman.

This youth leader did not hide his satisfaction at the way he had acted Saleh. "We are pleased that we will continue our revolution. The international community did not believe us when we said the president would not leave power," he explains. Western diplomatic sources concede that the president is looking for pretexts to avoid the agreement.

However, they cling to the hope that pressure from neighboring Yemen, Saudi Arabia in particular, achieve a minimum covenant that prevents opposition parties aligned with the youth movement and political confrontation from degenerating into a civil war. That risk is exacerbated by the existence of an insurrection in the north, a secessionist movement in the south and the infiltration of Al Qaeda in the eastern regions.

Hence, the U.S., which last year doubled its military aid to Yemen 150 million dollars to keep the pressure on the terrorist group, has worked behind the scenes on a strategy for the orderly transfer of power. The initiative known as Gulf Saleh stated that ceded power within a month in exchange for immunity for himself and his associates.

Two months later would be called elections. The president and his political opponents, including Islamists and leftists so much, they approved the plan ten days ago. However, on Saturday, Saleh refused to sign. What the international mediators presented as the first peaceful solution to the Arab revolt, for it is a blow that will become the third Arab leader ousted by a popular movement.

Hence, first refused to initial the document as chairman or the same Sunday, when members of the GCC agreed to do so as secretary general of the ruling party, adding the condition to stop the protests. That is a goal that nobody can guarantee the opposition. Although the demonstrations grew significantly when their supporters joined the heart of the revolt is a youth movement, despite its lack of cohesion, it is becoming more structured.

In addition, the support of insurgents in northern and southern separatists gives greater projection. "It's a battle of wills," admitted Tawakul, activist. "Nothing will stop the will of the people in their peaceful struggle against the old system. Nobody wants half a revolution, so we have not endorsed the initiative in the Gulf.

The president is already a political corpse and that plan is equivalent to a maneuver to resuscitate him. "

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