By Ahmed al-Jarallah
This commentary was published in The Arab Times on 09/04/2011
THE opposition continues to impede efforts to resolve the impasse in Yemen although it does not enjoy enough popular support to enforce conditions. In fact, pro-government protests every Friday affirm that President Ali Abdullah Saleh enjoys the support of a majority of citizens who gather in fields and squares to renew their allegiance. But it seems the opposition is determined to mess up everything in Yemen like in Egypt which has been destroyed by the minority’s dictatorship logic. The Yemeni opposition, which never agrees on a single position because all groups have different objectives, should join President Ali Saleh on the roundtable for a dialogue, if it really wants to avoid a civil war. The president, since the beginning of the demonstrations, has announced his readiness to step down and hand over power to safe hands in line with the Yemeni constitution and in a peaceful manner.
However, the so-called opposition has rejected the offer and instead demanded his immediate ouster without presenting any acceptable alternative. Nobody understands this position, unless it means toeing the path of Houthis who have plans to establish a petty country as Hezbollah has done in Lebanon. They want to do what Hassan Nasrallah is doing in his country right now and control entire Yemen. The Yemeni opposition should realize the level of volcanic eruption that a single action will lead to in the region, precisely the damage it will cause to the internal security of the Arabian Gulf, including Yemen.
The GCC countries initiated a solution to resolve the impasse, but they should realize that it is impossible for the president to abandon majority supporters to satisfy the wishes of the minority. If GCC countries had taken a similar position on Bahrain, it would have amounted to submission to the whims of the minority under Iranian tutelage. They would have consequently urged King Hamad Bin Essa Al-Khalifa to step down to satisfy the minority. Therefore, the GCC should now stand by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the same way they did with Bahrain. This is especially important since the entire world, except Iran which is planning to exploit the situation, understands the position of the man who abhors tension in his country. Even the US, which has announced many positions with a series of interpretations, did not ask President Saleh to step down immediately like it did to Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali, who boarded his private jet and left Tunisia embroiled in crises.
The Yemeni opposition, which has rejected all solutions despite not being in a position to enforce its conditions, should first agree on who will represent them and speak on their behalf. Will the representatives be Houthis, Joint Forum, Southern Movement or even the devil? Will arbiters come from those groups or will they allow Yemenis to freely choose in line with their constitution?
The situation in Yemen defies explanations other than pushing the country towards a crisis and the absence of a legitimate leadership rather than determination for change. The situation is extremely dangerous. If the GCC countries leave it in this situation, the region will be bounded by another Lebanon ruled by someone worse than Hassan Nasrallah and with a different agenda. Egypt is a good example to prove the point, because the country has not settled down after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak and Egyptians have still not agreed on any particular leader.
However, the so-called opposition has rejected the offer and instead demanded his immediate ouster without presenting any acceptable alternative. Nobody understands this position, unless it means toeing the path of Houthis who have plans to establish a petty country as Hezbollah has done in Lebanon. They want to do what Hassan Nasrallah is doing in his country right now and control entire Yemen. The Yemeni opposition should realize the level of volcanic eruption that a single action will lead to in the region, precisely the damage it will cause to the internal security of the Arabian Gulf, including Yemen.
The GCC countries initiated a solution to resolve the impasse, but they should realize that it is impossible for the president to abandon majority supporters to satisfy the wishes of the minority. If GCC countries had taken a similar position on Bahrain, it would have amounted to submission to the whims of the minority under Iranian tutelage. They would have consequently urged King Hamad Bin Essa Al-Khalifa to step down to satisfy the minority. Therefore, the GCC should now stand by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the same way they did with Bahrain. This is especially important since the entire world, except Iran which is planning to exploit the situation, understands the position of the man who abhors tension in his country. Even the US, which has announced many positions with a series of interpretations, did not ask President Saleh to step down immediately like it did to Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali, who boarded his private jet and left Tunisia embroiled in crises.
The Yemeni opposition, which has rejected all solutions despite not being in a position to enforce its conditions, should first agree on who will represent them and speak on their behalf. Will the representatives be Houthis, Joint Forum, Southern Movement or even the devil? Will arbiters come from those groups or will they allow Yemenis to freely choose in line with their constitution?
The situation in Yemen defies explanations other than pushing the country towards a crisis and the absence of a legitimate leadership rather than determination for change. The situation is extremely dangerous. If the GCC countries leave it in this situation, the region will be bounded by another Lebanon ruled by someone worse than Hassan Nasrallah and with a different agenda. Egypt is a good example to prove the point, because the country has not settled down after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak and Egyptians have still not agreed on any particular leader.
No comments:
Post a Comment