Yemeni disintegration would not stop at national borders

The spokesman of Yemen’s Ansarullah Movement says that Yemen’s political parties have initially agreed to the formation of a national parliament and an interim presidential council as well as to establishment of a new transitional period.

Mohammad Abdul-Salam also says that any talks on the future of Yemen which are held outside the country will not be viewed as national dialogue.

Tasnim News Agency on March 9 published an interview with the spokesman on developments in Yemen, speculations about its disintegration and the movement’s stance. The following is a partial translation of his remarks:

 

Talks in transitional period

UN-brokered talks between the Yemeni political parties are still ongoing. An initial agreement has been reached, but an agreement on the details is yet to be negotiated. The responsibility rests with Yemen’s parliament to run the country during the transitional period. It should organize, schedule and hold elections, and introduce and push through new constitutional reforms. It is also responsible to hold a referendum to have those reforms ratified and pave the way for the formation of a new government.

The twists and turns created [in the country’s political atmosphere] are the result of pressures from certain foreign groups and countries which are trying to claim a bigger slice of the pie in the possible disintegration of Yemen.

[…]

We are not seeking to eliminate others. Mutual agreement is what Yemen needs most. Such an agreement – which will serve the interests of people – belongs to the Yemeni people. When interference by foreign countries, especially Saudi Arabia, which is trying to annex Yemen, derails or blocks talks on this agreement, we walk out of the talks. Under such circumstances, we will not bow to the outcome of the talks; neither will we count on the fruitfulness of talks for the Yemeni people.

[…]

 

Venue of the talks

Claims that several parties have asked for the talks to be held out of Sana’a because they cannot sit down for talks under the barrel of Ansarullah’s guns are unfounded. These parties could have said loud and clear in Movenpick [Hotel, the venue of the talks] that they would not confirm any agreement and would even oppose it. Right there we came under attack by some of them; more than this, they even tried to eliminate us from the political process. Despite this, talks did not slide into disarray.

Words that nothing was heard from them when they were in Movenpick but they voiced their complaints elsewhere have no foundation. The reverse is likely to be true, something that could have shown their protest. In Movenpick, the voice of opposition drowned out any outside force.

These claims are part of attempts to contribute to what Saudi Arabia and the US want to happen in Yemen. […] [Jamal] Benomar [the United Nations Special Adviser on Yemen] was present in the talks every day and talked with the media on a daily basis.

They [representatives of different political parties] all attended the talks, spoke with opposing media outlets and attributed bitter, hurtful words to us. They attacked us and characterized revolutionaries as armed militiamen. They said what they said openly with no restriction.

 

Solutions to problems standing in the way

If we fail to solve our problems inside Yemen, history will always remember us as the ones who could not settle their problems inside the country through national dialogue. […]

The talks cannot be pursued with those who have taken a stand against the revolution of the Yemeni nation.

 

Transfer of Persian Gulf embassies

A decision by the Arab nations in the Persian Gulf to transfer their embassies from Sana’a to Aden came after a hostile stance by Saudi Arabia which has come to the conclusion that its guardianship in Yemen has diminished. […] Well, I should say that certain Arab nations in the Persian Gulf region did not agree to transfer their diplomatic missions; they have even not closed down their embassies in Sana’a. […]

The Americans and Britons have realized that the transfer of their embassies will lead to dire consequences for them; they were not seeking to serve our interests. Let me put it this way: frankly, the calm and security which is in place in Sana’a is seen nowhere else in Yemen. […]

As far as the Yemeni nation is concerned, it makes no difference where these embassies are; those countries which want to relocate their missions are the ones that sustain loss.

 

Future of talks and the threat of disintegration

Disintegration of Yemen will not happen. We know which country is trying to make it happen. The political elite in Saudi Arabia have been assured that Riyadh regards itself as the guardian of Yemen. People in Saudi Arabia, I should say, have been told that Yemen’s stability and calm poses a threat to Saudi Arabia.

Take a look at what has happened to us. One of the wealthiest countries in the world is our neighbor. Wealth is abundant in this country, so is the surplus wealth. This wealthy country shares border with a poor and weak country. What has Saudi Arabia done for its neighbor, Yemen?

What would have happened if our neighbor had been another country? Let me give you an example. Thanks to Iran’s efforts, several countries have electricity. […] Riyadh has done nothing for Yemen; it has not helped in road building, education, healthcare and services. We want none of this. They don’t leave the Yemeni nation alone. Unfortunately, several Arab nations are not willing to leave the Yemeni people alone. […]

All across Yemen, hardly can you find a family in which one member has not left for Saudi Arabia to make more money. But they are placed behind bars there. Tens of thousands of Yemenis are in Saudi prisons and suffer torture without trial. They were held in poor, indecent, unhealthy and inhuman conditions, but today they are defending their dignity. Those days are gone now. I believe that the disintegration of Yemen is out of the question thanks to the vigilance of the Yemeni people. […]

 

Unity and solidarity

[…] Those who have signed Yemen’s constitution believe that Yemen, when splintered, can wield power. Are they right? Not at all! We approved of [the formation of] a central or federal government, but disapproved of Yemen’s disintegration. We called for the agreement of all sides. We wanted to see the question of South Yemen solved. If the problems of South Yemen are properly addressed, an integrated government with a just system is what all people, including the residents in the South, want. […]

Sheikh Abdul-Malik al-Houthi [the leader of Shiite Houthi fighters in Yemen] has sent multiple messages to people in the South calling on them to take part in talks to solve all problems fairly.

[…]

The supporters of the Yemeni disintegration in the Persian Gulf Arab states should know that a fragmented Yemen will establish a dangerous precedent for minority groups in other countries. They may seek to secede from the mainland to establish tiny states. This would be a tragic experience for the entire region. […]