[04/February/2010]
LONDON, Feb. 04 (Saba)- Yemen has suffered from al-Qaeda and terrorism before 9/11 and it tried to alert the world that there is a danger from the al-Qaeda Organization, said Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Mujawar, confirming there was a lot of media exaggeration over the issue of al-Qaeda in Yemen.

For the rebellion in the north, Mujawar explained that the Houthis rebelled and took up arms in order to seize part of the country by force, pointing to this is something that no country will accept or negotiate over.

In an interview with the pan-Arab daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat, few hours before the London Meeting on Yemen held on January 27 at the invitation of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Yemeni official said that poverty is the key reason of all problems in Yemen that needs foreign aid in order to bridge the gap between its weak resources and its needs.

Mujawar confirming that the situation in the south is a different issue, there are some problems there that must be resolved.

"However, the secession slogans now called for by some people are the same as those slogans called for in 1994, as some former southern leaders believe they should be in power even if it were at the expense of unity", said he.

Following is the text of the interview:

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] First of all, what is your vision vis-a-vis the London Meeting?

[Mujawar] The aim of the meeting called for by the British prime minister is to discuss with the group of international, Gulf, and Arab donor countries and Russia what is happening in Yemen, especially pertaining to the economic development process and supporting Yemen in various fields. We came here with the hope that this conference will come out with good results that contribute to a large extent to the support of development in Yemen. Supporting development will no doubt have a great impact on reducing poverty, and this in turn will have a great impact on reducing the unemployment phenomenon. This will also have an impact on other aspects that could reduce some of the bad phenomena that have recently appeared, such as extremism and other phenomena.

We are clearly interpreting what is happening now in Yemen is the result of poverty and the high unemployment rates among the youth. We wanted the London meeting to discuss objectively these phenomena and come out with results that contribute to a large extent towards mobilizing the required resources to support development in Yemen and its infrastructure, in addition to projects that aim to reduce poverty, and projects that can create job opportunities for the youth. Our aim is to come out with good results on ways to absorb the Yemeni workforce in the short and medium term by migrating to Arab Gulf countries. As you know, throughout history, the Yemeni people by nature are a migrating nation. We have many unemployed youths. I believe that the solution for this unemployment in the medium and short term is for the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] countries to absorb them.

It is true we can equip this workforce very well through technical training and professional development, but we are aware that the countries surrounding us are also absorbing an unqualified workforce. This will be a very important step towards reducing unemployment and therefore reducing the extremism phenomenon.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] According to the British and other parties there are a number of axes for the meeting. However, this is a not a donor conference meeting in order to make new financial commitments. It was also suggested that there was a donor conference in 2006 in which commitments were made to Yemen worth five billion dollars of which only a small part has been fulfilled and the responsibility was placed on the shoulders of the Yemeni Government. Therefore the money is available but there is no ability to absorb this money?

[Mujawar] The truth is that the commitments made by donor countries in the 2006 London conference were specific to a great degree...83 per cent of these commitments were entirely specific to certain projects. It is known where each amount went and where each amount came from. It was known that this amount will go to project A or project B.

The allocations have been made and all we have to do now is to sign the agreements. This is the second phase of the procedure. Fifty-three per cent [of the money committed] has been allocated to loan agreements that have been signed. So far, 53 per cent of the money committed has been absorbed. We believe that absorption is not to withdraw the money, although there are those who believe that absorption of the money means to withdraw (draw out the money). We did not reach the point of withdrawing money until we fulfilled a number of detailed procedures.

However, the donor countries and the Yemeni Government are now bound to the agreements that have been signed, and they are tantamount to 53 per cent [of the money committed] and we are trying to obtain the rest of the money. Of course, part of the problem is the donor countries, because they are laying conditions -or some of them are laying the condition -of managing the allocations and the implementing of these commitments. However, this requires institutional work, which is being carried out. There are also some donors that reject the proposed projects put forward by the Yemeni Government and lay the condition that the money they offer must be allocated to such and such a project, according to a certain viewpoint. For example, there are donors who want the money they committed to go to human development, for example to the field of health and education. We in the Yemeni Government see it from another angle, for instance we see that electricity or road projects are more important. We believe that part of the issue is the donor countries themselves. The other part of the problem falls on the Yemeni Government, especially since some sectors until now have yet to complete the necessary studies. We blame these parties because they have to have the studies and plans.

I would like to assure you, and I occasionally hear that the Yemeni Government was unable to absorb [the monies committed by the donor countries], and that from our point of view, the sums that have been absorbed are the amount that has been allocated to signed agreements which reach 53 per cent [of the money committed]. I believe this is a great achievement and I expect that all these agreements will be fulfilled by the end of the year, especially since the work pattern has begun regarding the studies and plans that are required for these projects.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] It has been suggested that the problems in Yemen are symptoms of the poverty problem, and it is not believed that the 5 billion dollars mentioned earlier will resolve this. Does the Yemeni Government have a vision or a plan for the degree of investment or amounts needed now or in the future?

[Mujawar] Of course. Yemen has found the root of the problem and that is the process of economic development. Yemen does not have enough resources to cover its needs.

What is poverty? Poverty is when you do not have a road, a school, or a hospital. It is when you do not have food security and therefore all these issues require an entire system of projects to be in place.

Incidentally, extremism always appears in areas that do not have adequate infrastructure and where there is great poverty. This issue is beyond Yemen's capabilities in terms of the development process. Yemen is in dire need for the international community to come together and diagnose the development problem and the absence of infrastructure in the country and then bridge the gap from which Yemen is suffering.

Yemen has limited resources, especially in light of the decrease of oil resources. We have been affected by the latest global crisis pertaining to oil prices. We are very dependent on oil, which represents 70 per cent of the country's budget. The fall, whether in terms of oil prices or oil production, has resulted Yemen' s inability to finance infrastructure projects.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] But there is no specific vision.

[Mujawar] Of course, we need a Marshall plan to support Yemen. I believe this requires 40 billion dollars.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] Yemen is an important element in regional and even global stability because of its geographical location. Its problems are old and often appear on the radar every now and then and interest increases and aid is offered, but then this enthusiasm disappears. Is there any hesitation in offering this support?

[Mujawar] Support is offered for Yemen and we thank all those who contribute to Yemen's support in all stages whether they are our brothers in the Gulf, their contributions are appreciated, and also the traditional donors such as the EU and international institutions. However, I say that the support in all previous times did not reach the required developmental level.

The contributions that were made contributed to a great degree, and we are grateful for this, to the development of some sectors including the human development sector and the infrastructure, such as the roads and so on. However, we are in dire need of true and comprehensive development in all sectors in order to overcome the prevailing poverty and resolve unemployment. We need to find real remedies for human development and to achieve important results in fighting poverty, which we see as the root of all problems in Yemen. We are in desperate need for the donor countries to support Yemen.

The stability, security, development and unity of Yemen are not only important for the Yemeni people, but for everyone. We and all our brothers and the donor countries hope to see a Yemen that is developed and united and is a source of stability.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] The way that Yemen views development, is it possible that this will happen so that citizens can benefit from it in view of the high population growth rates in Yemen?

[Mujawar] Part of the problem is the high population growth rate. Yemen is among the countries with the highest population growth rates in the world for a number of reasons, including the human development factors and female education. A large number of the student statistics of those who not in education, and are of education age, are girls. Of course the religious factor is an important factor regarding population growth. We have to admit that we have an imbalance in population growth that is beyond Yemen's capabilities whether in education or in the absorption of those who are educated. We are in need for a real balance regarding population growth.

This is not only the responsibility of the government but is the responsibility of the entire community. The whole community must be aware of the danger posed by this population growth so this issue can be limited.

The second point regarding the absorption of the workforce is that Yemen is very promising in the field of investments. I believe that the private sector whether the local private sector or that coming from abroad is able to absorb the workforce. In the future, it could be possible to adapt the types of education to suit the major investments that should come in. There has been a lot of real investments and we are satisfied, but they are not at the level required.

There are some investments in the mineral industry field, such as cement and so on, and there are investments in fish wealth and tourism. Even though these sectors require a high number of workers, they have been affected by extremism because this is a sensitive sector.

We have major investments in the oil and gas sectors. Yemen has for the first time entered the club of gas exporting countries. Therefore, we are hoping for investments that intensively require a workforce that can absorb the greatest number of youths. We are now focusing on technical and professional education. We are saturated with university graduates and they are suffering from qualitative unemployment. We are thinking of developing the technical and professional education so we have graduates that can quickly be absorbed into the labour market. Even if they are not quickly absorbed they can create their own jobs with small loans, for example a carpenter, mechanic, or an electrician.

This is not only limited to the local market. There is an idea to go and survey the Gulf markets around us in order to identify their needs regarding the trained workforce they require and the quality of those required. We hope that the Gulf countries help us in this regard. i.e. what is the trained cadre they need and that they are bringing in from Asian countries, we should have priority.

I believe that absorbing the workforce in the medium and short term is through encouraging migration to Gulf countries, and in the long term through a clear strategy through investments that require a large workforce.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] But the current economic circumstances do not help absorb the workforce in the Gulf in light of the cut backs that accompanied the global crisis.

[Mujawar] Despite this, it was known that a large number of Yemenis lived in Gulf countries for a long time and now they have been replaced by workers from various Asian countries. In all honesty, the Yemeni workers are dedicated and excellent and therefore the natural place for these workers is the Gulf. We hope that there will be some help in this regard.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] Regarding the Al-Qaeda problem and extremism, is Yemen slack on the issue? It has been a phenomenon for years, and it has been said that sometimes extremist currents are used in domestic political maneuvers. It is like looking after a tiger and then the tiger devours its owner.

[Mujawar] Regarding Al-Qaeda and extremism, what happened lately and what is reported is greatly exaggerated, it is media exaggeration. Yes, Al-Qaeda does exist in Yemen as it does in advanced industrial countries and all backward countries. Al-Qaeda probably exists in other developed and backward countries even more than it exists in Yemen.

Yemen has suffered, despite its weak economy and weak capabilities, from Al-Qaeda. Yemen suffered from terrorism before 9/11 and it tried to alert the world that there is a danger from the Al-Qaeda Organization. Tourists were assassinated in Abyan in Yemen before 9/11. Yemen screamed that there is [an organization called] Al-Qaeda that is threatening our economy and the world. Our economy was greatly affected by this blow, particularly tourism.

Prior to the 9/11 attacks, we had the Cole incident (the attack on the US destroyer in the port of Aden) and the Yemeni economy was affected and was harmed to the core. Yemen greatly confronted this incident. Then there was the Limburg (the attack on the French oil tanker) and we are still suffering the consequences until today. Yemen is screaming and calling on the international community to regard the Al-Qaeda Organization not as a local organization but an international organization that is affecting global interests.

Yemen was shouting and nobody was listening until after 9/11, and then the world woke up and became aware that there is a danger from Al-Qaeda. In Yemen, we are confronting this organization, and if we look at the incidents carried out by it, it is true that these incidents greatly affected our economy, but they are incidents which must not be exaggerated. This is media exaggeration and there are other countries where Al-Qaeda could have carried out greater incidents than those in Yemen.

Despite this, we are confronting them and attacking them. The latest attacks are merely proof of the desire to confront this organization. For example, the world media spoke, and Yemen was at the centre of media exaggeration after the Nigerian citizen tried to destroy the plane. T his person came to Yemen as he came to Britain. He studied in Yemen for one year and studied in Britain for four years. He stayed in Yemen for one week and he spent a year studying in Dubai.

According to reports, and only God knows whether this is true, he joined Al-Qaeda in Britain, and despite this it is said that he came to Yemen, then he went from Yemen to Ethiopia, then onto Ghana and then to Nigeria, and then on to Amsterdam, where he boarded the plane.. Does this mean that he carried the bomb from Yemen and went through all these airports? So why all this talk about Yemen? If Umar Abd-al-Muttalib lived in Yemen for one year, he lived in Britain for four years, and therefore we have to be objective. The Yemeni Government and its political leaders are trying their best to destroy the Al-Qaeda Organization. It is true that resources in this regard are limited and we hope that the London conference will look into this issue. We in Yemen and the international community have become real partners in combating Al-Qaeda after we see it as an international terrorist organization that affects everyone.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] A view could be formed abroad about the atmosphere in Yemen since there are some personalities such as Al-Zindani and even Al-Awlaqi on American lists, in addition to the Al-Iman University, and there are also accusations that it hatches extremism, and no action has been taken?

[Mujawar] We have to distinguish between Al-Qaeda and other terrorist lists. On what basis are these terrorist lists compiled? How do we know if this person belongs to the Al-Qaeda Organization or not? We stress that in order to be partners there must be a real exchange of intelligence information in order to determine the elements that belong to Al-Qaeda.

I believe that the way to determine whether a person belongs to Al-Qaeda is to know whether the person began going down the terrorism path. However, we cannot label every religious scholar as a terrorist. We need to distinguish and ascertain what this person did in order for him to be a terrorist. The concrete proof is that if one person becomes a member of the Al-Qaeda Organization and various intelligence information proves it, then this person is now dangerous and has certain activities. However, we must not call a certain institution or certain religious scholars [terrorists] they exist in Britain and the West, and we must be careful in this regard in order for us not to reach a dangerous point.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] Regarding the Southern Mobility Movement and the Houthis, the procedures taken against them are all military and security procedures. Are there any other solutions?

[Mujawar] Regarding the Houthis, we must distinguish between a person who has demands and between a rebel movement. In the north of the country and in Saada specifically, we are facing a form of rebellion against the regime, and this is not acceptable in any country.

As a country, Yemen has sought the path of democracy and it is regarded as a new democracy. There have been many elections and many parties have been formed that are competing in local, parliamentary, or presidential elections. In this atmosphere, we cannot accept a rebel movement that wants to rebel against the regime and the Constitution.

Regarding what is happening in Saada, despite the demands and despite the reasons, we see it as a state of rebellion against the state. They want to control part of the country and they want to secede part of the nation by force. Therefore, the state has no choice in this case but to confront the rebels against the regime and the law, otherwise the beads in the necklace will fall apart.

There are those who say why do we not negotiate? You want me to negotiate with a rebel! No way. The state was founded as a social contract for any community in order to protect the group. Therefore he who rebels against the regime must be confronted with force. There must be no negotiations or discussions with anyone who takes up arms against the country in order to seize part of the land.

Despite this, in order to protect Yemeni blood, the country did hold dialogue with these forces more than five times during previous wars. But the outcome was rejection. In this current war, which is the sixth war, the government and state are determined to end this rebellion and they [the rebels] are suffering great losses.

As for the south, the south is different. It will be 20 years next May since the unity. I was hoping that all national Yemeni movements and all Yemeni citizens would constantly carry the Yemeni unity slogan. Colonialism on the one hand and the dividing rule that existed at the time on the other were the reasons that hindered achieving unity in Yemen over the past decades.

The right moment came on 22 May 1990 and unity took place. The truth is that the former leaders who contributed to the unity are now backtracking. The secession slogans carried are not those of today, the secession slogans and rhetoric were those of 1994, three and a half years after the unity. The secession rhetoric was the same. They said they wanted to return to the [People's] Democratic Republic of Yemen and they declared it. Al-Bid (former Vice President Ali Salim al-Bid) declared it himself in 1994. Today, they say that what is happening in the southern regions is linked to oppression, lack of equality among citizens, and the seizure of land. In 1994, only three years after the unity when they were still in power, there was no oppression, people were not aggrieved, and there was no unequal citizenship, despite that they declared the secession and the rhetoric is now repeated in 2010. There are some former southern leaders who believe that they should remain in power even at the expense of the Yemeni unity and even at the expense of the Yemeni people. They believe that the south and the southern governorates belong to them and therefore they have to rule them once again. The end justifies the means at the expense of principles. Therefore, the Yemeni people in the southern governorates will fight them now as the entire Yemeni people did in 1994. It is true that demands must be met, for example many problems must be resolved.

I believe that the development in the southern governorates over the past 20 years is far more than the development that took place in the northern regions. This was in order to make up for the depravation in previous times. Despite this, there is a need to come together and resolve many problems. However, I stress that the unity is here to stay and the voices we hear every now and then represent recklessness and chaos.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] What about responding to the demands of former retired military men and employees?

[Mujawar] This has been resolved and over 45,000 retirees have been reinstated. Their problems have been completely resolved.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] Where do the Houthis obtain their weapons? By sea or air?

[Mujawar] The Houthis are supported from abroad and I believe that much of the support comes from Iran and from many Iranian seminaries that exist in some Gulf countries. They support the Huthist leaders financially. Huthist leaders can buy weapons from anywhere.

[Al-Sharq al-Awsat] How are weapons smuggled?

[Mujawar] They buy weapons...they have money from Iran and the seminaries in various Gulf countries, and he who has money can buy weapons. 



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