Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 528a- Yemen War Mosaic 528a

Yemen Press Reader 528a: Fortsetzung von Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 528: Parlamentssitzung unter saudischer Kontrolle – Trump’s Veto gegen Resolution zum Jemenkrieg – und mehr

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Sequel to Yemen War Mosaic 528, part 1: Parliament session under Saudi control – Trump vetoes resolution against Yemen War – and more

Dieses Jemenkrieg-Mosaik ist in zwei Teile geteilt / This Yemen War Mosaic is divided in two parts.

Teil 1 / Part 1: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-528-yemen-war-mosaic-528

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

Kursiv: Teil 1 / In Italics: Part 1

Klassifizierung / Classification

Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

cp1b1 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Deutsch/ Most important: Hodeidah battle: German

cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English

cp2 Allgemein / General

cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government

cp6a Parlamentssitzung unter saudischer Kontrolle / Parliament session under Saudi control

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

cp8a Jamal Khashoggi

cp9 USA

cp9a Trumps Veto gegen Jemenresolution / Trump vetoing Yemen resolution

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade

cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner

cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

Klassifizierung / Classification

***

**

*

(Kein Stern / No star)

? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating

A = Aktuell / Current news

B = Hintergrund / Background

C = Chronik / Chronicle

D = Details

E = Wirtschaft / Economy

H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions

K = Krieg / War

P = Politik / Politics

pH = Pro-Houthi

pS = Pro-Saudi

T = Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp6a Parlamentssitzung unter saudischer Kontrolle / Parliament session under Saudi control

(A P)

President Hadi and his deputy return to Riyadh after attending the opening of the House of Representatives in Seiyun

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/166564

My comment: LOL. The „president” of “Yemen”!

(** A P)

Saudis Fly MPs Under House Arrest in Saudi Arabia Back to Yemen to Form New Parliament

Yemeni members of parliament who have been under house arrest in Saudi Arabia since 2015 were returned to Yemen on a private Saudi plane to take part in a new Saudi-brokered Yemeni parliament.

Three months ago, MintPress News unveiled Saudi plans to hijack Yemen’s parliament. On Saturday, Saudi Arabia successfully carried out the plan when it forced members of Yemen’s House of Representatives to hold a council session in the eastern city of Sayun in Yemen’s Hadramout governorate.

Yemeni members of parliament who have been under house arrest in Saudi Arabia since 2015 were returned to Yemen on a private Saudi plane and received by Saudi officials at the Al-Rayyan airport in eastern Yemen. Local Yemeni media was barred from covering their arrival and Saudi state-run Al-Arabiya was the sole media outlet allowed to cover the event. It was held under heavy security with Saudi troops on patrol and was attended by ousted former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and ambassadors from countries backing Saudi plans in Yemen.

More than 100 lawmakers attended the parliamentary session in Sayun city. Sultan al-Borkani, a tribal Sheikh from late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s General People’s Congress (GPC), was elected to be the new speaker of the Saudi-backed parliament, replacing the current, legitimately elected speaker, Yahya al-Ra’I, who is still presiding over the council’s sessions in Sana’a. The parliamentary session was aimed at giving the Saudi-led Coalition legal cover for its occupation of the country.

Despite sizable Saudi efforts, less than half of the parliament’s MPs were not present at the Sayun session, leaving the session short of the number of MPs needed to achieve quorum. The Assembly of Representatives has a total of 301 members.

The parliamentary session was originally slated to be held in Aden but was moved to Sayun after a group of separatists allied with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in southern Yemen prevented parliament from convening in the city. According to politicians in southern Yemen, the Saudi move to form a new parallel parliament is a threat to local efforts in southern Yemen to form an independent state.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have also obtained guarantees from allied Yemeni MPs to approve bilateral agreements between the ousted former president, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, and coalition countries. The guarantees include the leasing of Yemeni islands, including Socotra, to the UAE, as well as a promise that Yemen will agree to incur public debt in order to reimburse the Coalition for its war on the country.

Much of the controversy surrounding the Sayun parliamentary session revolves around the constitutionality of holding it outside of Sana’a, as Yemen’s constitution provides that the headquarters of the House of Representatives is Yemen’s capital Sana’a, and prescribes rules for the circumstances in which the Council may hold meetings outside the capital.

Under the pretext of providing security for the Sayun parliamentary session, Saudi Arabia inundated Yemen’s Hadramout province with hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, Apache aircraft, and air defense systems — including Patriot missile batteries — as well as thousands of ground troops. The massive military presence allows Saudi Arabia de facto control over the substantial oil reserves in Hadramout, which is one of the most oil-rich provinces in Yemen.

Yemen’s long-standing parliament based in Houthi-controlled Sana’a rejected the Saudi-run parliamentary session in Sayun, calling it an effort to legitimize Coalition crimes and a violation of Yemen’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity – by Ahmed Abdulkareem

https://www.mintpressnews.com/saudis-fly-mps-under-house-arrest-in-saudi-arabia-back-to-yemen-to-form-new-parliament/257408/

My comment: This is from a pro-Houthi viewpoint – anyway telling many facts which otherwise are neglected. There are different versions of the figures of MPs who took part ans whether the quorum had been actually achieved or not.

Comment by Judith Brown: This is interesting from Mint News. I reported yesterday that Hadi's government was meeting in Seyoon in hadramaut. Now it appears that this is a Saudi attempt to take control of this area and Yemeni oil and gas reserves. This nutter Hadi has a lot to answer for - he gave away Yemen's sovereignty and to be honest I can't see it getting it back - UAE and Saudi Arabia are carving up Yemen for themselves

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157510696528641

And also

(A P)

#Yemen leader-in-exile Hadi fails to clone Parliament from #Sanaa to #Sayun, quorum not in there reach.

https://twitter.com/hashem_wadee/status/1117093672422653953

and Southern separatists organized protests against this parliament, praise the protesters, and state that the parliament did not meet the quorum:

(* A P)

Lamlas: Reproducing Governance Regimen is Failure and Comforts Us in the South for the Approach of Relief.

Ahmed Lamlas, secretary general of the southern transitional council, commented on the miserable try of the legitimacy authority by reviving an expired legislative association without even its quorum.

https://en.smanews.org/lamlas-reproducing-governance-regimen-is-failure-and-comforts-us-in-the-south-for-the-approach-of-relief

(A P)

Public Demonstrations Against Yemeni Parliament Sessions in Aden

https://en.smanews.org/public-demonstrations-against-yemeni-parliament-sessions-in-aden

(A P)

Public Demonstrations Against Yemeni Parliament Sessions in Saioun

https://en.smanews.org/public-demonstrations-against-yemeni-parliament-sessions-in-saioun

(A P)

Al-Gaadi: A Warm Greeting for Young People of Saioun Who Terrified Traders of the Country

Fadl Al-Gaadi, deputy secretary general of the southern transitional council, greeted young people of Saioun, Hadhramaut and the whole south for their massive public anger against the try of the legitimacy government to revive the illegitimate parliament adding that this public revolt terrified those who trade with the future of this country.

https://en.smanews.org/al-gaadi-a-warm-greeting-for-young-people-of-saioun-who-terrified-traders-of-the-country

(A P)

The Deputy speaker of the Parliament: the talks about deals for Saudi Arabia to be passed through the council are just rumors.

"There are no deals that the Parliament wants to pass in favor of Saudi Arabia," said the deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Eng. Mohsen Basurrah, saying that talks mere rumours by the putschists and their loyalists to confuse the momentum of the Council's convening as a legitimate institution are the foundation of President Hadi's legitimacy.

In a statement to the "Al-Masdar online " The engineer denied any Saudi interference in the approval of the members of the Presidency or the decision of the members of the Council or influence them.

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166674

(A P)

Speaker of Parliament receives UN Envoy

Speaker of Parliament along with the heads of parliamentary blocs on Wednesday met the UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths.

According to the Yemeni News Agency, the meeting discussed the resumption of the Yemeni Parliament’s sessions in Sayoun city, and the decisions taken by the Parliament.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-29242

My comment: This visit demonstrates UN bias, as the UN did nothing like this when the parliament assembled at Sanaa under Houthi / Saleh control.

(A P)

Yemen reiterates support for Saudi Arabia

Yemen’s House of Representatives called on the Saudi-led Arab coalition to continue to stand in support of legitimacy in the country and back its ministries, the UAE-based Sky News Arabia reported.

This was in the House’s closing meeting

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190417-yemen-reiterates-support-for-saudi-arabia/

(* A P)

Yemen parliament drafts law to label Houthis 'terrorists'

The parliamentary session focused on the need to combat Houthi rebels

Yemen’s parliament on Tuesday referred a draft bill to designate Houthi rebels as a “terrorist group” to a higher committee for revision.

The session focused on the need to combat the Iran-backed rebels and ways to pursue a political resolution to the war, Yemeni officials.

The members said the rebels' actions in areas under their control, such as holding elections in the capital Sanaa, were baseless.

They also condemned repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, which have included firing missiles at civilian areas.

“We call on the international community to take responsibility in supporting the legitimate government of Yemen and to compel the Houthis to implement the UN peace deal without any further delay,” the Parliament said.

“The Houthis are not only obstructing the implementation of the Hodeidah deal but are also refusing to implement the agreement on the release of prisoners and detainees,” the Parliament said.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/yemen-parliament-drafts-law-to-label-houthis-terrorists-1.849756

My comment: It seems they simply parrot what the Saudis and the government tell them. Also read here:

(* A P)

Yemen Parliament Recommends Drafting Law to Blacklist Houthis

The Yemeni parliament recommended on Tuesday that the legitimate government draft a bill that blacklists the Iran-backed Houthi militias as a terrorist organization.
The parliament, which convened for the first time since 2014, concluded on Tuesday a four-day extraordinary session and is expected to meet again after the holy month of Ramadan.
Meeting in the eastern city of Seiyun in Hadramaut, lawmakers declared null and void all Houthi resolutions and measures taken at state institutions falling in areas under their control. The legislature criminalized all acts committed by the coupists, saying the Houthi militias were a terrorist armed gang that has usurped power.
They added that parliament will hold open-ended sessions to carry out its constitutional and legal duties, end the coup and restore the authority of the state.
They also underscored the three references as the basis for a political solution to the Yemen crisis. The references are the Gulf initiative, national dialogue outcomes and United Nations Security Council resolution 2216.
The MPs expressed their gratitude to the Saudi-led Arab coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen for saving the Yemeni people from the Houthi militias and for offering generous and relief and humanitarian aid.
They rejected all suspicious attempts aimed at tarnishing the image of the alliance, calling on its member states to continue to stand by Yemen and support its legitimate political, economic and military forces.
Moreover, they recommended that no new consultations be held between the government and Houthis before the complete implementation of the Sweden deal on Hodeidah, which was reached in December 2018.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1682791/yemen-parliament-recommends-drafting-law-blacklist-houthis

(A P)

The House of Representatives continues its sessions and Basurrah asks the Minister of Interior why the disbursement of passports and ID cards is stopped

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166610

(A P)

The House of Representatives concludes today with the adoption of the budget. And Griffiths did not attend

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166648

(A P)

The Parliament appealed the Saudi monarch for the exclusion of Yemeni expatriates from residency procedures and concludes with state budget approval

called on Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz to exempt Yemeni expatriates from the residency measures taken last year, which affected dozens Thousands of Yemenis who lost their jobs and had to leave.

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166669

(A P)

UN envoy attends tomorrow's session. Parliament approves permanent meetings

The UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, will arrive in Seiyun and attend the parliament session on Tuesday, said the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sheikh Sultan al-Barakani.

At the Parliament's plenary session on Sunday, at its temporary headquarters in the town of Seiyun in Hadramawt province, al- Barakani noted the importance of the session in conveying the Council's opinion to the UN envoy regarding the peace agreement and the Houthis ' procrastination in implementing the redeployment plan in Hodeidah.

The Council agreed to hold its meetings on a permanent basis and to establish a parliamentary commission of Inquiry on the report issued by the Central Bank of Yemen, which set out a number of financial imbalances, and instructed the Committee to report thereon to the Council.

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166615

My comment: Attending this parliament would demonstrate UN bias, as the UN did not care for the parliament when starting sessions under Houthi / Saleh control at Sanaa in 2016.

(A P)

House of Representatives Approves of General Budget for 2019

In its fourth session that was held in Sayoun, The House of Representatives, chaired by Sultan Al-Barkani, approved today the general budget for 2019 and recommended a number of steps to be followed by the Government as it entrusted its Standing Committees to follow up on their respective implementation.

The general budget resources for the year 2019 were estimated at 2 trillion, one hundred and fifty-nine billion riyals, while the general resources of loans amounted to 2 billion, 159 billion and 271 million riyals.

The recommendations emphasized on reducing the government spending, working on restoring state, expanding oil and gas exports through getting rid of the obstacles that prevent it, the operation of all ports and airports, and most importantly putting an end to the coup.

The parliament also announced it would resume sessions after Eid holiday, about two months from now.

https://republicanyemen.net/archives/16495

and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-29209

and

(A P)

For the first time since 2014.. Parliament discusses budget submitted by the Government for the current year

The second session of the Yemeni Parliament began on Sunday morning at the government compound in the city of Seiyun in Hadramawt province (eastern Yemen) to discuss the state budget.

The Government, represented by its president, Dr. Maeen Abulmalik, presented the state budget for the current year 2019

The lawmakers are due to receive the budget to be discussed and approved in the coming days

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/166566

(A P)

Yemen Parliament to form 18-member emergency government

Yemen Parliament is considering the formation of a 18-member emergency government instead of 36 ministers who most of them are existed outside the state, a deputy speaker of Parliament told the Saudi Okaz newspaper.

Head of the Islah party’s parliamentary bloc Abdul-Razaq al-Hajari had called to reduce the number of ministries and reconsider the diplomatic and administrative appointments which was made on the basis of nepotism.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-29207

(** A P)

Erstmals nach vier Jahren - Parlament im Jemen tagt wieder

Zum ersten Mal seit Ausbruch des Kriegs im Jemen vor vier Jahren ist das Parlament wieder zusammengekommen. Der international anerkannte Präsident Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi forderte die Huthi-Milizen auf, ihre Waffen niederzulegen. "Ist nicht die Zeit gekommen, die Waffen niederzulegen und mit dem Frieden zu beginnen?"

An der ersten Sitzung des Parlaments im Jemen nahmen rund 140 der ursprünglich gewählten 301 Abgeordneten teil. Das Parlament wurde 2003 gewählt, anschließend wurden aufgrund der Lage im Jemen keine Wahlen mehr abgehalten.

Die USA bezeichneten die Parlamentssitzung als wichtigen Schritt, um wieder legitime Regierungsprozesse in dem Bürgerkriegsland zu etablieren.

https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute/erstmals-nach-vier-jahren-parlament-im-jemen-tagt-wieder-100.html

und ähnlich https://www.dw.com/de/jemen-nach-vier-jahren-tagt-parlament-wieder/a-48316082

Mein Kommentar: DPA-Meldung, die samt Falschmeldung mit C und P von allen übernommen wird: das Parlament ist ab 2016 schon oft zusammengetreten, aber unter Kontrolle der Huthis in Sanaa. Das wird hier einfach verschwiegen. Damals hatte es bereits „legitime Regierungsprozesse“ etabliert (allerdings im Sinn der Huthis und er damals noch mit ihnen verbündeten Saleh-Anhänger). Mittlerweile hat das Parlament in Sanaa nicht mehr das von der Verfassung geforderte Quorum. Ob das jetzt von Hadi zusammengebrachte Parlament dieses Quorum erfüllt, ist zweifelhaft.

(* A P)

US Dep. Of State: Convening of Parliament in Yemen

The United States congratulates Yemeni parliamentarians who convened today for the first time since 2014. This is an important step taken by the Yemeni government to reinvigorate legitimate government institutions, resume progress on implementing the National Dialogue Conference outcomes, and complete the peaceful transition of power envisioned by the GCC Initiative. A reinvigorated Yemeni parliament will play an important role in advancing political and national reconciliation so the Republic of Yemen government, and all political parties, can better focus on meeting the needs of the Yemeni people. We fully support the parliamentarians and encourage them to honor the principles of honesty, integrity, transparency, accountability, and rule of law as they undertake their important responsibilities.

https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2019/04/291103.htm

My comment: This is a really odd statement by one of the main warmongering parties in Yemen, playing the fake news tune as if parliament would not have met since 2016 as it had done.

(** A P)

Yemen leader-in-exile Hadi returns for meeting of divided parliament

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who lives in Saudi Arabia while rival Houthi forces control the capital Sanaa, made a rare visit to his country on Saturday for a meeting of the divided parliament in a loyalist southern province.

Hadi-aligned parliamentarians gathered in Sayun, Hadramout province on Saturday elected Sultan al-Burkani of the General People’s Congress (GPC) of late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh as their new speaker. “This extraordinary session is held in a historic moment as we stand in a crossroad between choices of war and peace,” Hadi told the 145 parliamentarians meeting in Sayun.

In Sanaa, Houthi Prime Minister Abdelaziz Bin Habtour put forward plans for an election under Houthi auspices for the same parliament.

“Voters will elect who will represent them constitutionally and legally,” he said, quoted by SABA.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-election/yemen-leader-in-exile-hadi-returns-for-meeting-of-divided-parliament-idUSKCN1RP0CS

(** A P)

Yemen parliament meets for first time since war began

Legislature convenes with 138 MPs in southern city of Sayoun

Yemen’s parliament convened on Saturday for the first time since a civil war broke out in 2015, with President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi describing the session held in the south-eastern province of Hadramawt as “historic”.

President Hadi urged the Houthi rebels to work towards peace during his address to the legislature.

The parliamentary session was held in the city of Sayoun under heavy guard by troops from Saudi Arabia, which is leading an Arab military coalition supporting Mr Hadi's internationally recognised government against the Iran-backed rebels.

Parliament members elected Sultan Al Barakani, assistant secretary general of the General People’s Congress party founded by slain former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, as the speaker. Mr Al Barakani replaces Yahia Al Raee, who is among dozens of MP who remained in the capital Sanaa after it was seized by the Houthis in September 2014.

Yemen’s last parliamentary election was held in 2003 and its term expired in 2009, but fresh elections were postponed by Saleh.

Mr Hadi managed to convene the parliament after several lawmakers loyal to Saleh defected from the Houthis and left Sanaa.

Saturday's session was held with 138 MPs, who flew to Riyadh before being flown to Sayoun. At least 35 legislators died in recent years.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/yemen-parliament-meets-for-first-time-since-war-began-1.848530

and also http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/13/c_137974541.htm

My comment: Parliament had met under Houthi / Saleh control since 2016.

(** A P)

Yemen's Hadi attends rare parliamentary session

President-aligned parliamentarians gather in Sayoun, eastern Yemen, elect GPC's Sultan al-Burkani as new speaker.

The government said some 141 members of the 301-strong assembly attended the meeting, seen as aimed at consolidating the Hadi government's legitimacy disputed by rebels. The assembly was elected in 2003, but its mandate has been extended several times due to election delays over instability in the country. Local authorities in Aden, who are allied with the United Arab Emirates, refused to allow parliament to convene there.

"This is the first time that the coalition allies have been able to gather so many parliament members in one place to have a session," said Hakim al-Masmari, the editor-in-chief and publisher of the Yemen Post, from Sanaa.

According to al-Masmari's sources, 134 MPs attended the meeting, while "138 are required to legalise the session", he said.

"The coalition is claiming that 141 were there and if this number was completed, this is a major blow politically for the Houthis and they lose a lot of ground when it comes to negotiations because, right now, the parliament has a lot of authority and can move on resolutions that are anti-Houthi," he added.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/yemen-hadi-attends-rare-parliamentary-session-190413152159380.html

Comment: Reuters never talked about how many Saudi-bought MPs came today to Sayoun? And who are they? 51 came,26 of those exiled, refused to come.Quorum is 151. 44 of attendees r muslim brotherhood Almost all members returned to exiles after this session

https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1117102168799154176

My comment to comment: These figures greatly differ from those told by the Hadi government. Where do they come from?

Comment: Note : the so called democratic parliament was elected in 2003. No elections for parliament have been held since that date. So what is this 'democracy' that Saudi Arabia (ha ha ha) UAE (ha ha ha) USA and U.K. have been upholding then????

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157503728418641

Comment: Despite fact parliament term has expired and other problematic issues, a blow to non-state actors by mere virtue of convening and holding formal session. There is a desperate need for state institutions where militias and splintering factions wreaked havoc

People forget that Saleh and Houthis made this very move in 2016, a parliamentary quorum, to legitimize state institutions in Sana'a. Oh how the tables have turned.

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1117014517005922310

(A P)

Film: Yemen: Hadi returns to Yemen for parliamentarian meeting in Sayoun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhR2Yhqq_UI

(* A P)

Film: Yemen's Hadi attends rare parliamentary session | Al Jazeera English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZPFY_Zjfl4

(A P)

Yemeni President: Holding of Parliament Unites Yemenis and Isolates Iranian-backed Houthi militias

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1912330

(A P)

Yemeni Parliamentary Blocs Condemn Houthi Hostilities

Yemeni parliamentary blocs condemned the ongoing violations and crimes committed by Houthi militias against the people and public institutions, especially those which recently targeted the war-torn country’s legislative body and lawmakers.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1677336/yemeni-parliamentary-blocs-condemn-houthi-hostilities

(A P)

Yemen president returns home for a rare parliament session

Yemeni government officials say President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has returned home from Saudi Arabia to attend a rare session of parliament and elect a speaker.

The officials say Hadi's presidential plane departed from Riyadh and landed in the eastern Yemeni city of Sayoun on Friday, where the House of Representatives is due to convene on Saturday for the first time since the war started.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/yemen-president-returns-home-for-a-rare-parliament-session = https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article229191544.html

(* A P)

Yemen to Hold Parliamentary Session, End Houthi Institutional Takeover

However, today’s developments show that Houthi ambitions have hit a serious snag as its rival, the internationally-recognized Yemeni government headed by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, having secured the majority of seats in the legislative body.
With a quorum-ensuring majority, Hadi’s government is slated to hold the first parliamentary session since 2014 in Seiyun, Hadramaut governorate’s second largest city. The last parliamentary session, with only 50 lawmakers attending, was held in the insurgency stronghold of Sanaa.
The decision to resume legislation sessions comes as a counteractive move against the Houthis’ latest attempt to carry out illegitimate by-elections in areas under its control with the goal of appointing 20 loyalists as deputies.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1676106/yemen-hold-parliamentary-session-end-houthi-institutional-takeover

(* A P)

Prime Minister arrives in Seiyun and deputies loyal to Saleh's son retreat from Parliament session

The largest number of parliamentarians coming from Riyadh to participate in the meeting of the House of Representatives, which is to be attended by President Hadi and the ambassadors of the countries sponsoring the political process in Yemen, the session will convene in the city of Seiyun Friday morning.

Meanwhile, a number of members of the Congress party, loyal to the former president's son Ahmed Saleh, have retreated from attending the parliament meeting in the city of Seiyun after they agreed earlier to attend, according to parliament sources for Al-Masdar.

According to the sources, some 10 deputies retreated attendance after meeting with the general close to Abu Dhabi Hamoud al-Sufi, convincing them of the need to boycott the Council as a form of loyalty to the leader and his family, but the parliamentary source said that this will not affect the quorum required for the holding of Parliament.

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166501

(* A P)

The House of Representatives nominate the Presidency by acclamation. The opening session, which took four years to prepare, is it also a wrap-up?

The House of Representatives on Saturday morning began its work by selecting Sheikh Sultan al-Barakani as President of the Council by acclamation and adopting a pre-approved presidency board.

The meeting was held in the presence of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, deputy Gen. Ali Mohsen Saleh, Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik and a number of advisors, ministers and members of diplomatic missions in Yemen.

The Parliament members were appointed as executive officials of the government apparatus, governors, ambassadors, ministers and advisors who attended the council session, which comes four years after it was interrupted following the invasion of the capital Sana'a by the Houthi militias and their seizure of power.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/166533

(* A P)

President Hadi calls on the House of Representatives to hold an extraordinary session in Hadramawt

The parliament is scheduled to hold its meeting in Sieyun the second largest city in Hadramawt in the presence of President Hadi on Saturday

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/166456

My remark: Earlier recording: Yemen War Mosaics 527, 526, cp6.

(A P)

Cabinet reveals first issue at the upcoming parliament session

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3954

(A P)

Pro-Yemeni Government Forces Abduct STC Official in Seiyun, Hadramout

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3962

STC official in Seiyun released hours after abduction

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3963

(A P)

a banner written on it, We are against the convening of the illegitimate Parliament in Seiyun , Hadramout . for sorrow Yemeni government provokes the local people there and arrests demonstrators brutally (photo)

https://twitter.com/goldensla/status/1116708849241808896

(A P)

STC-linked members of parliament will not participate in Seiyun

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3968

(A P)

Army chief of staff arrives at Seiyun and the governor of Hadramawt confirms full readiness to secure parliamentary sessions

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/166464

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A K P)

Riyadh Says Discussed Iran's Alleged Missile Deliveries to Houthis With UNSC

Riyadh has raised the issue of Iran’s alleged illicit shipments of ballistic missiles to the Houthi rebels in Yemen at consultations with members of the UN Security Council, the Saudi minister told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"We have discussed this issue with members of the Security Council. Iran supplies the Houthis with ballistic missiles that are used against civilians in Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It runs against regulations and international law, and the international community understands this and has condemned the Houthis," Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Jubeir said.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201904161074191357-unsc-iran-missile/

My comment: This really is a bad joke, when looking at the arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia, and Saudi air raids.

(A K P)

Al-Houthi Comments on Griffith’s Briefing to Security Council

"In his briefing, the UN envoy did not meet the commitment to open Sana’a airport and the promise of paying the salaries and lifting the blockade. He admitted in his briefing that commercial ships have difficulties in reaching the port of Hodeidah,” Al-Houthi said in a tweet on Tuesday.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6437

(* A P)

UN News Service: Plan for troop pullback ‘now accepted’ by rival forces around key Yemen port, but fighting intensifying elsewhere, Security Council warned

A plan to withdraw forces from front lines in and around the key Yemeni port of Hudaydah has been accepted by pro-Government forces and Houthi rebels, the UN Special Envoy to the country told the Security Council on Monday, warning however that war shows “no sign of abating” elsewhere.

Martin Griffiths said that after a “long and difficult process” agreeing the details of a UN-backed plan, which the warring parties signed up to in Sweden last December to de-escalate fighting around Hudaydah, as the start of a process to hopefully end the fighting nationwide, “both parties have now accepted the detailed redeployment plan for phase one”, and the UN was now “moving with all speed towards resolving the final outstanding issues”.

Without more support ‘the end is nigh’ for Yemenis: Lowcock

UN Affairs Chief, Mark Lowcock, was next to brief the chamber, also via video-link, picking up Martin Griffith’s passionate plea for the international community to act now, to save countless Yemeni lives.

He reiterated his earlier call for a nationwide ceasefire, adding that "all the men with guns and bombs need to stop the violence. We again remind the parties that international humanitarian law binds them in all locations and at all times.”

But bullets are not the only risk to life and limb he warned, citing that so far this year, 200,000 suspected cases of deadly cholera had been reported, almost three times the same period last year.

“We see the consequences of the destruction of the health system elsewhere too. More than 3,300 cases of diphtheria have been reported since 2018 - the first outbreak in Yemen since 1982. Earlier this year, new measles cases surged to nearly twice the levels reported at the same time in 2018”.

Looming over everything, the risk of famine continues, he warned, saying that the World Food Programme (WFP) was upping the reach of support for the world’s largest aid operation, from nine million a month, to 12 million “in the coming months”.

Access to the vulnerable remains a key challenge he said, making clear that grain that could feed 3.7 million hungry Yemenis in Hudaydah’s Red Sea Mills, remained trapped due to conflict. Secondly, money was running out to save lives, he said, with only $267 million received so far, out of $2.6 billion pledged.

The UN’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, focussed on how Yemen’s most vulnerable had borne the brunt of war with a “staggering” figure of more than 3,000 children “verified as recruited and used”, while more than 7,500 were killed and maimed, with over 800 cases of humanitarian access denied, during nearly five years of fighting.

Almost half of those killed and maimed, she said, were victims of airstrikes, for which the Saudi-led coalition supporting the Government, “bears the main responsibility”.

On the ground however, “the Houthis were responsible for the majority” of casualties, predominantly through shelling, mortar and small arms fire.

Ms. Gamba said she had secured agreements with both warring parties during her time in office, to strengthen the protection of child lives, and to cut down on the recruitment of children as part of the war effort.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/04/1036671 = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/plan-troop-pullback-now-accepted-rival-forces-around-key-yemen-port-fighting

and

(* A P)

Parties to Conflict in Yemen Have Accepted Plan for Redeployment of Forces from Hodeidah Port, Special Envoy Tells Security Council

Permanent Representative Accuses Houthis of Targeting Coordination Meeting Venues

The Government of Yemen and the Houthi militia forces fighting it have accepted a detailed plan for phase one of the redeployment of their respective forces from the vital port city of Hodeidah, as stipulated in the December 2018 Stockholm Agreement, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy told the Security Council today.

“It has been a long and difficult process,” said Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy for Yemen, explaining that General Michael Lollesgaard, Chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee and Head of the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), has been working non-stop towards an agreement on operational plans for the redeployment of forces in the port city, in accordance with the Stockholm Agreement (with paraphrasing of briefings and statements by ambassadors)

https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sc13780.doc.htm

and

(* A P)

BRIEFING OF MARTIN GRIFFITHS, UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR YEMEN TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL

General Michael Lollesgaard has been working without stop to secure agreements between the parties on the operational plans for redeployments in Hodeida in line with what was agreed in December in Sweden. And I hope we will hear more of that in a while.

It has been, as we all know, a long and difficult process. I am happy to announce to you Mr. President that both parties have now accepted the detailed redeployment plan, prepared by General Michael for phase one of the redeployments in Hodeida. I am grateful, as I’m sure we all are, to both parties, and to Michael, for the constructive engagement which has allowed us finally to reach this point. And we will now move with all speed towards resolving the final outstanding issues related to the operational plans for phase two, redeployments and also the issue of the status of local security forces we’re introducing in the coming days.

Let us be clear that when, and I hope it is when not if these redeployments happen, they will be the first voluntary withdrawals of forces in this long conflict. Making this happen is not an easy decision for the parties to take. And of course, it has taken longer than we had hoped but that it should happen at all is extremely welcome.

Hodeida is a test of many things

https://osesgy.unmissions.org/briefing-martin-griffiths-un-special-envoy-yemen-security-council

Comment by Yemen Peace Project: This is the 3rd or 4th time that Mr. Griffiths has told UNSC and the public that an agreement has been reached, and that leaders on both sides are committed, and yet redeployment has not happened, 4 months after Stockholm

Everyone (other than a few profiteers) wants @OSE_Yemen to succeed, but if the envoy is to retain any credibility, he needs to be much more transparent about what the holdups are, who is responsible, and how they can be pressured to comply. These briefings are becoming farcical.

https://twitter.com/YemenPeaceNews/status/1117865471603167232

and

(* A P)

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen - New York, 15 April 2019

While the ceasefire in Hudaydah has, as Martin has just said, largely held, we have seen, as he has also indicated, a pronounced escalation of violence in other parts of the country.

In Hajjah, just north of Hudaydah, conflict has intensified in several areas.

Fierce fighting in Kushar District displaced up to 50,000 people in February and March and was marked by continuous reports of shelling and air strikes causing scores of civilian casualties.

In the Bani Hassan area of Abs District over the last two weeks, fighting has forced nearly 100,000 more people from their homes. About half have fled to other areas in Abs, which is an extremely poor and water-scarce district now hosting upwards of 300,000 displaced people.

The active front-lines are now just a few kilometres from Abs District's main water source, which serves about 200,000 people. If fighting damages or cuts off this facility, we could very quickly see a major catastrophe. If fighting moves south to the Hudaydah border, up to 400,000 more people could be displaced.

In Taizz, fierce fighting in March among different factions in a Government-controlled area resulted in numerous casualties.

Conflict has also intensified on established front lines in Al Dhale'e and along the northern border in Sa'ada and Al Jawf, displacing thousands more families.

On 26 March, an air strike in Sa'ada landed close to a hospital supported by Save The Children, killing eight ci

UN agencies are rapidly running out of money for essential relief activities. The World Health Organization projects that 60 per cent of diarrhoea treatment centres - the central approach we have to tackling the cholera outbreak - could close in the coming weeks, and services at 50 per cent of secondary care facilities could be disrupted.

The World Food Programme reports that its pipeline for food vouchers and the in-kind food pipeline will break in June, unless they immediately receive new money.

Closing or scaling back such programmes - at a time when we are struggling to prevent widespread famine and roll back cholera and other killer diseases - would be catastrophic.

And so I implore all our donors to convert their pledges - the pledges they made in Geneva - into cash as quickly as possible.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/under-secretary-general-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator-mark-17

and

(* A P)

Briefing to the United Nations Security Council on the situation of children in Yemen: Statement by Ms. Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict - 15 April 2019

The impact of this conflict on children has been horrific. All parties to conflict have acted and reacted militarily to events, resulting in the use and abuse of children in multiple ways. There have been exponential increases in violations throughout the years, as was the case at the end of 2014, when recruitment and use spurred significantly, and in 2015, which was a devastating year for children, with over 900 children recruited and used, 2,400 killed and maimed and over 150 attacks against schools and hospitals.

As military surges occurred, children continued to take the brunt. In end of 2017, during intensified fighting in Sa’ada, Al Hudaydah and Hajjah, killing and maiming of children increased 25 percent compared to 2016. And last year, fighting and offensives in Hodeydah alone resulted in the killing and maiming of more than 500 children.

As the fundamental principles of international humanitarian and human rights law have been violated by all parties to the conflict, children have paid a high price.

Allow me to draw your attention to three persistent concerns in Yemen, notably denial of humanitarian access to children, recruitment and use and killing and maiming of children.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/briefing-united-nations-security-council-situation-children-yemen-statement-ms-virginia

(A P)

Remarks at a UN Security Council Open Debate on Yemen

Ambassador Jonathan Cohen, Acting Permanent Representative, U.S. Mission to the United Nations

Mr. President, for over a month, the Yemeni government has worked with the UN Special Envoy to identify redeployment terms that it can accept. We thank President Hadi and the Yemeni government for their support of the Redeployment Coordination Committee.

The Yemeni government has demonstrated a clear commitment to the UN-led process. It is time for the Houthis to also show the international community they too are serious about the UN process and the agreements that they themselves reached in Stockholm.

https://usun.state.gov/remarks/9028

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-coEgCFOWD4

My comment: The US is a biased warring party in this war.

And

(A P)

Britain urges 'stronger measures' at U.N. if no progress on Yemen's Hodeidah deal

The United Nations’ Security Council should consider “stronger measures” if there was no progress in the coming weeks on a deal between Yemen’s warring parties on a key port, Britain said on Monday, as the U.N. mediator admitted it was “taking longer than we had hoped.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-un/britain-urges-stronger-measures-at-u-n-if-no-progress-on-yemens-hodeidah-deal-idUSKCN1RR1VL

and

(A P)

Yemeni government blames Houthi rebels for not implementing Stockholm Agreement

Yemeni Government stated that no progress has been made so far in implementing Stockholm Agreement though more than four months have passed because of Houthi militia's intransigence and foot-dragging approach.
Yemen's permanent representative to the UN Ambassador Abdullah Assa'di has made this clear on Monday as he was speaking during a session held by the International Security Council about Yemen.

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166646

My comment: It’s bias if only one side is allowed to attend (and spread ist claims).

(A P)

UN ‘seriously’ addressing challenges hindering Yemen peace deal

The UN envoy to Yemen has said that his office is taking “serious” steps to address the challenges that are preventing the implementation of a peace deal reached in Sweden.

“The UN is seriously addressing any challenges that might hinder the progress of the Stockholm agreement,” Mr Griffiths said in a letter addressed to Yemen’s President Abdrabu Mansour Hadi on Sunday.

The envoy stressed that the UN will continue to uphold its commitment in working with the government

(* A P)

Security Council Report: Yemen Briefing and Consultations

On Monday (15 April), the Security Council will hear briefings on Yemen from Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock, both by videoconference. Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, and Muna Luqman, Chairperson of Food for Humanity and a member of the Women Solidarity Network, are also expected to brief. During consultations, General Michael Lollesgaard, the chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) and head of the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), will brief by videoconference.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-briefing-and-consultations

(A H P)

UNHCR commends UAE's multipurpose projects in Yemen

The Head of UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sub-office in Yemen has commended the multi-purpose projects and developments carried out by the UAE to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.

http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302755058

My comment: Give money, get absolved.

(A P)

Yemen – Meeting between Jean-Yves Le Drian and the special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Yemen (10 April 2019)

https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/yemen/events/article/yemen-meeting-between-jean-yves-le-drian-and-the-special-envoy-of-the-un

Comment: Why don't these countries just stop selling arms - that would end the international war effort in 14 days and make it easier for Yemeni people to forge peace - especially if women were part of the negotiating team.

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157502521493641

(A P)

Al-Yamani calls on UN to hold Houthis accountable for rejecting Sweden Agreement

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3956

My comment: The Hadi government rejects it at least all the same – tries to misuse it to get control of Hodeidah.

cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran

(A P)

Ayatollah Khamenei Blasts Saudi-Led War against Yemen

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei lashed out at Riyadh for waging a devastating and deadly war against Yemen, saying that the Saudis have just disguised themselves as Muslims.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980126001057

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A K P)

International Red Cross: Saudi Arabia: 1200 military personnel trained on international humanitarian law in Taif

From 14 to 18 April, a high-level workshop on international humanitarian law organized jointly by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Ministry of Defense and the Human Rights Commission reached more than 1200 military personnel from the military base of Taif, in the west of Saudi Arabia.

‘This workshop supports the efforts of the Saudi armed forces to enhance their knowledge of international humanitarian law (IHL) – the law applicable in times of armed conflict – and the principles of humanitarian action,’ said John Strick van Linschoten, the ICRC’s head of mission in Saudi Arabia

https://www.icrc.org/en/document/saudi-arabia-1200-military-personnel-trained-international-humanitarian-law-taif

My comment: ????? This is odd. Saudi Arabia systematically breaks international humanitarian law. And this is not the matter of ordinary soldiers, but of the leading circle.

(* B E P)

Business Quietly Returns to Saudi Arabia After Khashoggi’s Murder

Six months after agents from Saudi Arabia murdered and dismembered the writer Jamal Khashoggi, companies are no longer shying away from the Arab kingdom.

The movie theater giant AMC says it is moving ahead with ambitious expansion plans for dozens of cinemas there. Hundreds of investors thronged last week to place $100 billion in orders for the first international bond sale tied to Saudi Arabia’s state-backed oil company. Google has a major data center in the works.

Many companies contend that they are, in part, helping to open up the deeply conservative society.

But the math is simple: There is serious money to be made from working with the kingdom that lives off the world’s most profitable company, Aramco.

“It is nothing personal,” J. Robinson West, the managing director of the BCG Center for Energy Impact, a Washington-based consulting unit, said about why investors and banks flocked to the bond sale.

To corporations around the world, the October death of Mr. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who was strangled when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, was a controversy to avoid

But global businesses and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, recognize a need for each other.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/business/saudi-arabia-business.html

My comment: Did you ever expect anything else?

(* A P)

Saudi Arabia will host the 15th annual G20 Leaders’ Summit on November 21 and 22, 2020 in its capital Riyadh, Saudi press agency (SPA) said on Wednesday.

“Saudi Arabia is fully committed to the G20’s objectives and to the stability and prosperity of the international economic system,” the agency said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-saudi/saudi-arabia-to-host-g20-leaders-summit-in-november-2020-spa-news-agency-idUSKCN1RT27D

My comment: The G20 show their devotion to Saudi Arabia. LOL. And at this place will be no rally and no protest at all. LOL.

(A P)

I couldn’t be more happy to see Loujain’s name in the #Time100. She is the face of the #Saudi feminist movement. She deserves this magnitude of recognition and more!

https://twitter.com/amani_aal/status/1118523593065783296

(A P)

Saudi court postpones hearing for women activists after new arrests

A Saudi court on Wednesday postponed a fourth hearing in the trial of several women rights activists, a case that has intensified Western criticism of Saudi Arabia following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A court official informed some of the women’s relatives that the session would not take place, citing the judge’s “private reasons”. He could not provide a new date.

The public prosecutor said last May that some of the women had been arrested on suspicion of harming Saudi interests and offering support to hostile elements abroad.

Most of the 11 women on trial had campaigned for the right to drive and an end to the kingdom’s male guardianship system.

Accusations by some of the women that they were tortured in detention have fueled criticism of the Saudi authorities

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-arrests/saudi-court-postpones-hearing-for-women-activists-after-new-arrests-idUSKCN1RT0LQ

(A P)

The #Saudi Klan charges my friend @mshikhs with terrorism charges for his help to @BBCWorld with their film on #QatifUprising

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1118218994580893696

referring to https://www.spa.gov.sa/1911845

(A P)

Another heart breaking story of two Saudi sisters who fled from home only to be chased by family members in Georgia. The girls reported that the #Saudi government suspended their passports to stop them from traveling or acquiring asylum in another country.

https://twitter.com/amani_aal/status/1118322215269703680

#SaudSistersRescue we are two Saudi sisters who fled from Saudi Arabia seeking asylum. Yet, the family and the Saudi government have suspended our passports and now we are trapped in Georgia country. We need your help please (thread, with photos, films)

https://twitter.com/GeorgiaSisters/status/1118137772622135296

https://twitter.com/GeorgiaSisters/status/1118269289876713472

and

(A P)

Saudi runaway sisters plead for UNHCR protection on social media

Two Saudi sisters are pleading for asylum, saying they are trapped in the former Soviet republic of Georgia after fleeing their country. This is the latest case of runaways from the conservative kingdom, posting appeals on social media.

Using a newly-created Twitter account called "GeorgiaSisters", they identified themselves as Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25.

The sisters claim "they fled oppression from our family because the laws in Saudi Arabia is too week [sic] to protect us" and say they are in danger.

They say their father and brothers have arrived in Georgia looking for them.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/saudi-runaway-sisters-plead-unhcr-protection-social-media-190417062719848.html

(* B P)

Saudi Arabia’s reckless prince fuels yet another civil war

Khalifa Hifter, a 75-year-old warlord who aspires to become Libya’s next dictator, launched an offensive against the capital, Tripoli, that ruptured the peace process and may lead to another devastating Arab civil war.

Mr. Hifter has had backing from these outside powers, as well as from France, for years, even as he consolidated control over eastern Libya and established a rival regime to the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli. But days before launching his latest offensive, the self-styled general visited Saudi Arabia, where he was promised millions of dollars in aid to pay for the operation, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The money, meant to pay off tribal leaders and recruit new fighters, represents another reckless gamble by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has already launched a disastrous intervention in Yemen as well as failed attempts to subjugate the Lebanese and Qatari governments.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/there-was-going-to-be-a-peace-conference-in-libya-then-other-countries-sabotaged-it/2019/04/15/7f27545e-5fa7-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html

(A E P)

Saudi Wealth Fund Said to Seek Bridge Loan of Up to $8 Billion

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has started preliminary talks with banks to raise a loan expected to be between $5 billion and $8 billion as it seeks funding for new investments to diversify the kingdom’s economy, people familiar with the matter said.

The Public Investment Fund, or PIF, is looking for a bridge loan that will be fully underwritten by lenders and would be repaid with proceeds from the $69.1 billion sale of its stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corp. to Saudi Aramco.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-12/saudi-wealth-fund-said-to-seek-bridge-loan-of-up-to-8-billion

(A P)

Films: #Hunger strike is ongoing at #Jeddah Al Shumaisi detention centre in #Saudi Arabia for the third consecutive day, #Rohingya detainees seek justice from #International community.

https://twitter.com/Ro_Ibn_Saif/status/1117948565081341952

Unspeakable mental torture against #Rohingya detainees in #Saudi #Arabian detention centre, please speak out against human rights violations.

https://twitter.com/Ro_Ibn_Saif/status/1117382164406915074

(A P)

#Saudi backed hackers are now using #Moroccan phone numbers to target activist & dissidents. We have identfied 2 numbers, one name & several @facebook & @gmail accounts

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1117438479548538882

(A P)

#Saudi court re-asserts male control over women by refusing to give a woman her right to marry. Court assumed “guardianship” instead of her father

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1117769379612123137

(B P)

#Saudi intelligence puts my 5 children They have been detained in Saudi Arabia, prevented from traveling and their services have been suspended and prevented from renewing their passports

Children are under great psychological pressure because of the imposition of house arrest in Saudi Arabia and the dispersion of our family My daughter Zeinab draws and writes my father far away (photos, film)

https://twitter.com/alihashimS/status/1117427427284856833

(B P)

Saudi Arabia: 5 Years On, Activist Still Behind Bars

Waleed Abu al-Khair Serving 15 Years for Defending Rights

Saudi authorities should immediately release the prominent human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair, who was sentenced in 2014 to 15 years in prison solely for his peaceful human rights advocacy, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Specialized Criminal Court (SCC), Saudi Arabia’s terrorism tribunal, convicted Abu al-Khairin July 2014 primarily for his comments to media outlets and tweets criticizing Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, especially the country’s harsh sentences against peaceful critics.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/15/saudi-arabia-5-years-activist-still-behind-bars

(* A P)

Dakar Rally Organizers Confirm 2020 Move to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

While this should bring the Dakar Rally some financial stability after last year's race, as we previously noted, it also makes them part of Saudi Arabia's gross plan to gloss over their poor human rights record with high-profile international events.

Chairman of the Saudi Arabia General Sports Authority Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal Al Saud even name-checked this Vision 2030 plan in his comments in today's release.

https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/27451/dakar-rally-organizers-confirm-2020-move-to-kingdom-of-saudi-arabia

and also from Dec. 2018: https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/25659/how-formula-e-racing-is-helping-saudi-arabia-push-a-false-message-of-reform

(A P)

Muhammad Bin Salman awarded prize for Most Influential Personality Worldwide in 2018

The Pakistani capital, Islamabad, witnessed today Sunday a ceremony for awarding Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman the Prize for “The Most Influential Personality of the World - 2018”.
The prize is awarded by the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) to the most influential personalities that have served Islam and Muslims most.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/article/563409/SAUDI-ARABIA/Muhammad-Bin-Salman-awarded-prize-for-Most-Influential-Personality-Worldwide-in-2018

(* B H P)

Babies born out of wedlock abandoned on Saudi streets due to fears of punishment, campaigners warn

Babies born out of wedlock are abandoned on the streets in Saudi Arabia as women fear retribution and punishment for having a child outside of marriage, campaigners have warned.

Abortion is illegal in the Middle Eastern country unless a woman’s health is at risk and sexual relations outside of marriage are criminalised – with unmarried women faced with prosecution and even jail if they are found to be pregnant.

Dana Almayouf, a Saudi woman living in New York, said: “Babies are abandoned on the streets. It is not safe on the streets. Mostly our newspapers in Saudi Arabia do not shed light on the subject because it is a taboo.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-born-babies-streets-abortion-marriage-wedlock-a8867571.html

(A P)

Saudi Arabia backs Sudanese military council moves, announces aid package

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it backed steps announced by Sudan’s transitional military council and announced an aid package to Sudan that includes wheat, petroleum products, and medicine.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sudan-politics-saudi-arabia/saudi-arabia-backs-sudanese-military-council-moves-announces-aid-package-idUSKCN1RP0PA

and also https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/04/14/593399/Saudi-Arabia-Sudan-transitional-military-council-Omar-alBashir

(* B P)

Trump Clings to MBS as Saudi Arabia Targets Americans

Despite President Trump’s claims that Saudi Arabia has “been a great ally to me,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the 33-year-old de facto ruler, launched crackdowns that resulted in the arrest and jailing of several American citizens. For example, Walid Fitaihi, a U.S. citizen and Harvard-trained doctor, has been held without charges for a year and a half and repeatedly tortured, according to his relatives. Overshadowed by MBS’s other brutal acts, from orchestrating a disastrous war in Yemen to like

This month, Saudi authorities have arrested at least 13 more activists, according to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, including Aziza Al- Youssef’s son, Salah al-Haider. Al-Haider is a U.S. citizen, as is Bader el-Ibrahim, who was also arrested. El-Ibrahim is a physician and writer who has written about democracy and sectarianism in Saudi Arabia, where the minority Shia population experience discrimination.

Like Khashoggi, Saudi human rights defender Mohamed Al-Qahtani was educated in Indiana.

https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/trump-clings-mbs-saudi-arabia-targets-americans

(A P)

UAE participates in Riyadh meeting for building the Middle East alliance

The UAE has participated in a meeting in Saudi Arabia to create a strategic alliance in the Middle East, in implementation of the Arab Islamic American Summit which was held in Riyadh in May 2017.

http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302754815

(B P)

Film by Press TV Iran: 10 facts that show the true nature of the Saudi regime

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=275314626690762

My comment: It’s true, but Iran is not a very convincing messager for this.

(* B P)

Saudis gave Libya's Haftar millions of dollars: report

Just days prior to Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar's offensive to seize Tripoli, Saudi Arabia pledged to give tens of millions of dollars for the operation, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The offer came during a visit by Haftar to Saudi Arabia, one of many that the general had with foreign dignitaries in the run up to his military campaign on April 4, according to the newspaper.

During his visit, Haftar met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi's intelligence chief and interior minister.

https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/12/04/2019/Saudis-gave-Libya-s-Haftar-millions-of-dollars-report

(B P)

In the ‘kingdom of men,’ these Saudi women fight for the most basic right: self-determination

Two Saudi women described pushing back against their country’s oppressive regime. Then they asked the audience to get out their keys — and with a noise that filled the room, the crowd joined their struggle.

Al-Sharif, who was once jailed herself for her activism on behalf of women drivers, before she managed to flee Saudi Arabia, said that the “biggest two exports of the country are oil and terrorists.”

https://womenintheworld.com/2019/04/11/in-the-kingdom-of-men-these-saudi-women-fight-for-the-most-basic-right-self-determination/

cp8a Jamal Khashoggi

(A P)

U.S. Senate leader McConnell still weighing response to Saudi journalist's death

“Obviously what clearly happened is outrageous and unacceptable. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia’s an important ally against the Iranians. So it is a difficult problem to figure out exactly the most appropriate response.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-yemen/u-s-senate-leader-mcconnell-still-weighing-response-to-saudi-journalists-death-idUSKCN1RN31C

and also https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-11/saudi-arabia-king-abdullah-financial-district-entertainment

My comment: LOL, LOL; LOL.

(* A P)

With Assange Dominating Headlines, Saudis Move to Secure Libya and Sudan

With Julian Assange’s arrest dominating the news cycle, you’d be forgiven for missing the chaos unfolding in Africa. However, major events in Libya and Sudan are taking place and, as no surprise, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are fanning the flames.

The Saudis Paid Khalifa Haftar to Launch the Tripoli Operation

Gulf Kingdoms and Israel Prep for Power Transition in Sudan

https://geopoliticsalert.com/libya-sudan-saudis

cp9 USA

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* B P)

The Saudi lobbying machine continues to exert influence on Congress — and Trump

So why would Congress take so long to pass something so clearly in America’s interests — and why would Trump veto it? There’s a simple answer: the extraordinary influence of the Saudi lobby.

According to a new report from the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative, which I direct, firms registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act have reported receiving more than $40 million from Saudi Arabia in 2017 and 2018. Saudi lobbyists and public relations professionals have contacted Congress, the executive branch, media outlets and think tanks more than 4,000 times. Much of this work has been focused on ensuring that sales of U.S. arms to Saudi Arabia continue unabated and blocking congressional actions that would end U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Lobbyists, lawyers and public relations firms working for the Saudis have also reported doling out more than $4.5 million in campaign contributions in the past two years, including at least $6,000 to Trump. In many cases, these contributions have gone to members of Congress they’ve contacted regarding the Yemen war. In fact, some contributions have gone to members of Congress on the exact same day they were contacted by Saudi lobbyists, and some were made to key members just before, and even on the day of, important Yemen votes.

Yet while the Saudis’ investments in Congress have met with roadblocks, their storied courtship of Trump has continued. The Saudi lobby has been instrumental in keeping Trump on the Saudis’ side from the beginning of his presidency

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/04/18/saudi-lobbying-machine-continues-exert-influence-congress-trump/

(A P)

Thread: Saudi Arabia noticed that Manal is rallying for imprisoned activists and invited her to meet the new female (royal of course) ambassador to the US. Here is why:

Saudi Arabia is now too worried about the negative publicity Manal's US tour is creating. The spectacle of Manal meeting the first female ambassador will distract international media from Saudi's countless human rights abuses. Or at least that's what they're hoping 2 achieve.

Saudi Arabia wants to undermine Manal's efforts and to also undermine her credibility by getting her to shake hands with the new ambassador.

#Saudi Arabia also wants to be seen to be working with the same activists who are working tirelessly to get the imprisoned activists released. It's nothing more than a photo op and a cheap attempt to co-opt our voices and the cause.

Saudi cares more about its image & reputation than creating a civil society 4 its people. Don't be fooled by this publicity stunt they are trying to pull off. International media should be focusing on the plight of the people of SA instead of focusing on its political elites.

https://twitter.com/MsSaffaa/status/1118669055806722048

(A P)

"Yemen American radio ". The first Yemeni overseas radio station in California

This week, the Yemeni community in the United States of America launched an Arab radio station in Auckland, California, on the west American coast.

The radio "Yemen American radio " is the first radio station for Yemenis in the land of the diaspora and aims to preserve national identity, values and community participation.

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166668

Saudi king receives commander of US Central Command

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1482971/saudi-arabia

(A P)

Kushner ‘surprised’ by Saudi support for Palestinian rights: Report

Trump’s son-in-law was ‘defensive’ during meeting in Riyadh with top Saudi figures, report says

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/kushner-surprised-saudi-support-palestinian-rights-report

(* B K P)

From Somalia to Yemen, US Wars Are Off the Charts

I know perfectly well that the next word I plan to write will send many readers tumbling elsewhere in a universe in which “news” is the latest grotesque mass shooting; the worst tweet from you-know-who; celebritiesmarching into court over college-admissions scandals; or even a boy, missing for years, who suddenly turns up only to morph into a 23-year-old impostor. How can America’s wars in distant lands compete with that? Which is why I can barely bring myself to write the next word. Okay, here goes: Somalia.

And now, on a planet of outrageous tweets and murderously angry white men, many people probably didn’t even notice, but more than two years into the era of Donald Trump, a quarter-century after that incident, American air strikes in… yep, Somalia, are precipitously on the rise.

Meanwhile, don’t forget the war that, unlike Afghanistan and Syria, Donald Trump may not be able to imagine ending, the only one on which, since 2001, Congress has taken a stand. I’m thinking, of course, about the grim U.S.-backed Saudi and Emirati war in Yemen.

So, for the last few of us still here thinking about American wars, I would say that when it comes to off the charts, it’s possible that you ain’t seen nothin’ yet – by Tom Engelhardt

https://truthout.org/articles/from-somalia-to-yemen-us-wars-are-off-the-charts/

(A P)

AP journalists win Pulitzer for coverage of Yemen civil war

A team of three Associated Press journalists won a Pulitzer Prize in international reporting Monday for their work documenting torture, graft and starvation in Yemen's brutal civil war.

Reporter Maggie Michael, photographer Nariman El-Mofty and video journalist Maad al-Zikry spent a year uncovering atrocities and suffering in Yemen, shining a light on a conflict largely ignored by the American public.

https://apnews.com/44f2f36b0c7b46b19b2fa32e6904b06c = https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-6925371/AP-journalists-win-Pulitzer-coverage-Yemen-civil-war.html

(A P)

US President Donald Trump has “no moral authority” to comment about the September 11 terrorist attacks, says House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler.

Nadler referenced how Trump accepted post-9/11 funding for a building that had not been damaged during the 2001 attack.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/04/15/593453/US-House-judiciary-chairman-Trump-has-no-moral-authority-to-talk-about-911

(* B P)

OPINION: IT’S TIME FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP TO GET AMERICA OUT OF YEMEN

The United States has pursued a failed policy of nation-building for the better part of four decades. Many of our trade partners in the Middle East need to solve their own problems. Saudi Arabia in particular, which has no problem pursuing a policy of reckless interventionism against rebel groups in the Arabian peninsula, is certainly wealthy enough to go it alone in Yemen. Similar to how President Trump has urged our European allies to contribute more to their own defense, Trump should have no qualms with leaving Saudi Arabia to fight its own war.

https://dailycaller.com/2019/04/14/wall-america-yemen/

(* B E P)

Travel ban takes its toll on small businesses

Although the ban has receded somewhat from the public eye since then, the refusal of immigrant and non-immigrant visas – roughly 37,000 last year, officially – continues to negatively affect the lives of many U.S. residents, including small business owners and operators.

https://www.marketplace.org/2019/04/12/economy/travel-ban-takes-its-toll-small-businesses

(* B E P)

The Uber IPO exposes how Saudi cash drives Silicon Valley innovation, and even the biggest tech companies can’t stop it

Silicon Valley is under attack like never before these days, and that's caused a cynical search for stability that seems to have made taking Saudi money a non-issue.

Silicon Valley's relationship with an undemocratic regime that has a troubling human rights record is in the spotlight.

Saudi Arabia's presence in Silicon Valley is greater than it's ever been.

That became especially clear on Thursday when Uber filed its IPO paperwork. We learned from the S-1 filing that the kingdom's Public Investment Fund owns 5.2% of the ride-sharing company.

From space to augmented reality, Saudi cash is everywhere

So why is Silicon Valley okay with Saudi money?

It's true that we live in a world that runs on oil - so drawing a moral line isn't easy when you're pumping gas into your car every day.

https://www.businessinsider.es/uber-ipo-saudi-tied-2019-4

(* B P)

Riads Atomprogramm: Saudi-Arabiens strahlende Zukunft

Bald soll in Saudi-Arabien der erste Atomreaktor in Betrieb gehen - mit heimlicher Hilfe der USA und möglicherweise ohne Aufsicht durch internationale Inspektoren. Im US-Kongress regt sich Protest.

Am Mittwoch haben Senatoren unter Führung des Republikaners Marco Rubio und des Demokraten Tim Kaine einen Gesetzentwurf eingebracht, der die US-Regierung zwingen soll, das Ausmaß der Kooperation auf dem Gebiet der Nukleartechnologie zwischen den USA und Saudi-Arabien offenzulegen.

Aktueller Auslöser war ein Bericht von "Bloomberg": Mithilfe von Atomexperten und anhand von Satellitenaufnahmen wies das Portal nach, dass die Bauarbeiten an Saudi-Arabiens erstem Kernreaktor weit fortgeschritten sind. Die Anlage könnte binnen einem Jahr einsatzbereit sein, schätzte Robert Kelley, ehemaliger Inspekteur der Internationalen Atomenergieorganisation IAEO. Aktueller Auslöser war ein Bericht von "Bloomberg": Mithilfe von Atomexperten und anhand von Satellitenaufnahmen wies das Portal nach, dass die Bauarbeiten an Saudi-Arabiens erstem Kernreaktor weit fortgeschritten sind. Die Anlage könnte binnen einem Jahr einsatzbereit sein, schätzte Robert Kelley, ehemaliger Inspekteur der Internationalen Atomenergieorganisation IAEO.

Bei der Anlage im Nordwesten von Riad handelt es sich um einen Forschungsreaktor, der in erster Linie das Ziel hat, Atomtechniker auszubilden. Gleichwohl wird Saudi-Arabien damit ein nuklearer Schwellenstaat. Das Königreich bekommt die Möglichkeit, Uran und/oder Plutonium anzureichern - ein wichtiger Schritt auf dem Weg zur Entwicklung von Atomwaffen. Das Problem:

Derzeit ist nicht gewährleistet, dass die IAEO-Inspektoren den Reaktor nach Inbetriebnahme effektiv kontrollieren dürfen – von Christoph Sydow

https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/saudi-arabien-riads-atomprogramm-strahlende-zukunft-fuer-mohammed-bin-salman-a-1262661.html

(* B P)

USA: Politische Unterstützung für Saudi-Arabien schmilzt dahin

Beide Kammern des US-Kongresses arbeiten in den letzten Monaten an Gesetzesvorlagen, die das wahhabitische Königreich am Persischen Golf schwer treffen könnten. Saudische Vertreter brachten sich vorsorglich mit einer harten Drohung gegen die USA in Position.

Noch bevor es die ersten Veröffentlichungen gab, die eine vom saudischen Kronprinzen Mohammed bin Salman in Auftrag gegebene Operation gegen Khashoggi nahelegten, forderten bereits einige Kongressabgeordnete, dass es einer Neubewertung der bilateralen Beziehungen zwischen Washington und Riad bedürfe. Diese Sichtweise hat seitdem immer mehr Unterstützer in beiden Kammern des Kongresses gefunden.

https://deutsch.rt.com/international/87058-unterstuetzung-fuer-saudi-arabien-in-usa-schmilzt-dahin/

(* B P)

TRUMP IS HELPING SAUDI ARABIA GO NUCLEAR. DOES THE MIDDLE EAST NEED AN ARMS RACE? | OPINION

Now he is helping Iran’s arch foe in the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia, get its feet on the nuclear ladder.

What particularly angers those on Capitol Hill is that it shows the president’s business-as-usual attitude toward the man they believe ordered the Washington Post journalist’s murder.

I’m talking about the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, MBS or "Mr. Bone Saw."

We know the Trump administration has been covertly supplying nuclear technology to the Saudis in contravention of U.S. law.

And what senators and congressmen find particularly irksome is that this could have been happening since Khashoggi’s murder.

We’ve known about Riyadh’s nuclear ambitions for nine years, but the plans have accelerated under MBS’ Vision 2030 program, which aims for solar, wind and nuclear power to provide a third of the kingdom’s energy needs by then.

What is worrying is how the Trump administration has been happy to bypass Congress and hand over America’s nuclear know-how with no safeguards to ensure that Saudi Arabia cannot enrich uranium or reprocess spent fuel. – by Anthony Harwood

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-helping-saudi-win-nukes-1393423

(* B K P)

Film: Is the US responsible for how its weapons are used in Yemen? | Bigger Than Five

The US continues to support the Saudi and UAE-led war in Yemen, where weapons supplied by the US have killed civilians. Leon Panetta served as CIA director and secretary of defense under President Obama, who expanded arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1jJ21VlA2k

(* B P)

White House ignores Yemen war foes' meeting request as bill nears Trump's desk

White House staff has stonewalled for more than a week a group of lawmakers asking for a meeting with President Trump in a bid to convince him to sign legislation ending the U.S. role in Yemen's civil war.

Despite an official veto recommendation from White House staff, Trump has continued to appear open-minded, saying Wednesday that the matter was "very serious" and that he would have more to say later.

Sponsors of the legislation believe Trump is willing to sign the bill, but is being told by his staff, led by national security adviser John Bolton, that he should not.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/white-house-ignores-yemen-war-foes-meeting-request-as-bill-nears-trumps-desk

(* B P)

“IT LOOKS BAD. IT SMELLS BAD. IT IS BAD”: DEMOCRATS ARE DIGGING INTO KUSHNER’S COZY RELATIONSHIP WITH M.B.S.

Why did Mohammed bin Salman know more about Kushner’s Saudi itinerary than the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh? And what was on those WhatsApp messages? House Democrats are in position to find out.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/04/democrats-probe-jared-kushner-relationship-with-mbs

(* B P)

News Analysis: U.S. blacklisting Iran's IRGC has limited impact on Yemen's conflict

Yemeni political observers say that the U.S. decision on designating Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organization" will have limited impact on the ongoing conflict in Yemen.

Yemen's internationally-recognized government lauded the U.S. decision, considering it an important step in the right direction.

However, local Yemeni analysts and political observers interviewed by Xinhua said that the U.S. decision will have limited impact on the ongoing conflict in the war-torn Arab country.

Mohsen Naji, a strategic military expert based in Aden province, said that blacklisting Iran's IRGC will not largely affect the ongoing fighting in Yemen, but may lead to serious impacts in the turbulent Middle Eastern region.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/11/c_137969486.htm

(A P)

Film: Ilhan Omar urges ending US support to Saudi military campaign in Yemen

“The ongoing military campaign has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.” US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar criticises US support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.

https://www.trtworld.com/video/bigger-than-five/ilhan-omar-urges-ending-us-support-to-saudi-military-campaign-in-yemen/5c5c46be273f86695b6ad5cf

(A P)

Film, Tulsi Gabbard: Tulsi: Stand with Me Against Saudi Arabia’s Genocidal War in Yemen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqg6YtjH3-8

(B K P)

Film: Will the US end support for the war in Yemen? | Bigger Than Five

Bigger Than Five travelled to meet American activists who protest the use of US weapons in war crimes abroad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqVFrXa_Ci4&t=42s

(B P)

THE SUPREME COURT FAILED AMERICA ON THE MUSLIM BAN. CONGRESS, IT'S YOUR TURN | OPINION

Today, Members of Congress are introducing the No Ban Act. This is Congress’ opportunity to ensure that we mean it when we promise to be a nation of ideas and not one built for any single race, ethnicity or religion.

https://www.newsweek.com/muslim-ban-congress-no-ban-act-trump-1392253

(B P)

America Just Declared War on Iran and Nobody Blinked

After a destabilizing move by Trump, it's no longer a question of if U.S. forces will die but when

The United States has long been engaged in a secret shadow war with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), dating back to the American invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003.

But now, the Trump administration has made the decision to designate the IRGC a terrorist organization. This little reported move will have large consequences, shredding the prior truce and putting the lives of thousands of U.S. service members at risk.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/america-just-declared-war-on-iran-and-nobody-blinked-irgc-terrorists/

(B P)

Defining the U.S. Role in Yemen’s War

In the face of such deep divisions over the U.S. role in Yemen, what can the Trump administration do to help bring the destructive conflict to an end?

https://agsiw.org/programs/defining-the-u-s-role-in-yemens-war/

(B P)

The Rematch: Bernie Sanders vs. a Clinton Loyalist

Center for American Progress: From 2016 through last year, the center accepted nearly $2.5 million from the United Arab Emirates to fund its National Security and International Policy initiative, according to previously unreported internal budget documents. From the start, the decision to solicit money from the United Arab Emirates, an ally of Saudi Arabia with a problematic human rights record, fanned internal dissent. A Center for American Progress spokeswoman said on Monday night that it had decided in December to stop taking money from the country.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/us/politics/tanden-sanders-.html

(A P)

Beto O’Rourke: U.S. ‘Has Completely Forgotten Its Constitutional Responsibility to Lawfully Declare and End These Wars’

O'Rourke has long been a critic of U.S. intervention abroad.

Beto O’Rourke’s criticisms of U.S. foreign policy don’t get as much attention as those of his fellow Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard. But in a recent interview with The Nation, the former Texas congressman makes a point of listing several U.S. interventions that didn’t go well.

https://reason.com/2019/04/15/beto-orourke-u-s-has-completely-forgotten-its-constitutional-responsibility-to-lawfully-declare-and-end-these-wars/

(A P)

Yemeni bodegas boycott New York Post over attacks on Ilhan Omar

Murdoch-owned paper published front page that Yemeni American Merchants Association says ‘provoked hatred’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/13/yemeni-bodegas-new-york-post-boycott-ilhan-omar

cp9a Trumps Veto gegen Jemenresolution / Trump vetoing Yemen resolution

There have been pubvlished many more comments on Trump’s veto. They will be presented later.

(** A B P)

Trump's Yemen war veto is a moral horror

There are many questions in American foreign policy where reasonable, ethical, well-intentioned people can disagree. Whether it is right to continue U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition intervention in Yemen's civil war is not one of them.

Yet that is exactly what President Trump has decided to do, issuing the second veto of his presidency to reject S.J.Res.7

In a lengthy roster of Mideast misadventures of debatable morality, necessity, and execution, the conflict in Yemen stands out for its obscene effects on ordinary people.

It is not histrionic to call them war crimes.

And those are just — "just"! — the direct casualties of war. But the horror in Yemen is hardly monopolized by bullets and bombs.

Do you wonder how many died while the president's veto statement was composed?

This document is a masterpiece of B.S. It begins by claiming the "resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken [Trump's] constitutional authorities ... as Commander in Chief." That is exactly backwards, as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have recognized.

If any constitutional power has been dangerously weakened here, it is congressional authority over the initiation of war. Executive war-making in Yemen, as illegitimate in its conception by the Obama administration as it is in its perpetuation by Trump, remains perfectly intact.

Equally absurd is Trump's insistence that the United States is "not engaged in hostilities in or affecting Yemen" beyond its counterterrorism operations. This is an Orwellian lie, rendered particularly transparent by the statement's attention to Iran's more limited support of the Houthi rebels the Saudi-led coalition opposes. Suffice it to say if any foreign country offered intelligence sharing, logistics support, blockade assistance, and refueling for airstrikes on American soil, we would consider that nation "engaged in hostilities in or affecting" the United States, and rightly so.

Likewise troubling is the assertion that this intervention is justified "[f]irst and foremost" to protect "Americans who reside in certain coalition countries that have been subject to Houthi attacks." If taken seriously, this is an expansive excuse for U.S. war-making in literally any situation anywhere if an American happens to live or even travel nearby. So much for "not wanting to be the policemen of the world"? – by Bonnie Kristian

https://theweek.com/articles/835754/trumps-yemen-war-veto-moral-horror?fbclid=IwAR0uL39HEMxIyCitWHL0jNT5QRFJ_tQYcg4AG7XLcDZwen9UYh9NS2K-a4g

(* B P)

Trump has a history of getting the Saudis out of trouble

The move is the latest in a long line of measures taken by the Republican leader to back Saudi Arabia, despite objections by his own officials and members of his party.

While Saudi Arabia has received widespread condemnation for abuses, such as the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the war in Yemen, and the blockade of Qatar, it has always relied on Trump to have its back.

Here are some of those occasions:

https://www.trtworld.com/americas/trump-has-a-history-of-getting-the-saudis-out-of-trouble-25946

(* B P)

Congress Must Stop the Killing and Override Trump’s Yemen Veto

This must be a turning point in the long struggle to restore checks and balances on matters of war and peace.

Trump’s response to this reassertion of the basic premises of the US Constitution came on Tuesday evening in the form of a veto and a claim that this congressional intervention represents “an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities.”

Trump’s veto is wrong, on humanitarian and constitutional grounds.

Mark Pocan. “Congress has sole authority over war. Despite this setback, we will bring this conflict to an end.”

To do that, says Congressman Ro Khanna, the California Democrat who has worked with Senator Bernie Sanders to secure congressional action on Yemen, “We must override his veto.”

Pocan and Khanna are right, as Khanna says, to feel a sense of #YemenCantWait urgency about the need push back against a president who is “risking the lives of millions of Yemeni civilians to famine, deadly airstrikes, and the war crimes of the Saudi regime.” Senator Sanders put things in perspective when he referred to the congressional votes on Yemen as “the beginning of a national debate over when and where we go to war and Congress’ authority over those interventions.”

For that debate to have meaning, the override vote must take on new meaning. It is about Yemen, of course, but it is also about the role of the Congress.

Unfortunately, too many members of both parties put partisanship ahead of a Constitution that grants the Congress—not the president—the power to declare wars and authorize military interventions and partnerships – by John Nichols

https://www.thenation.com/article/congress-override-trump-yemen-war-veto/

(B P)

Despite Trump's veto, the fight to end the US' war in #Yemen must go on. Congress can override his veto, but we'll need 13 more Senators & 43 more Representatives to pass it through with a two-thirds majority. If your lawmaker's name is below, WE NEED YOU! (image)

https://twitter.com/shireen818/status/1118662709707517952

(** A P)

Präsident gegen Kongress: Trump hält US-Militärhilfe im Jemen per Veto aufrecht

Zum zweiten Mal in seiner Amtszeit hat US-Präsident Trump ein Veto eingelegt: Er stellte sich gegen einen Beschluss des Kongresses, wonach das militärische Engagement der USA im Jemenkrieg beendet werden sollte.

US-Präsident Donald Trump hat sein Veto gegen eine Resolution des Kongresses eingelegt, die der US-Hilfe für die Militäroperation im Jemen unter Führung Saudi-Arabiens ein Ende setzen sollte. In dem von beiden Parlamentskammern verabschiedeten Beschluss war Trump angewiesen worden, alle Kräfte zur Unterstützung der umstrittenen Operation binnen 30 Tagen abzuziehen.

Nun ließ Trump mitteilen, dass er sein Veto dagegen eingelegt habe. Er bezeichnete die Resolution als "unnötigen, gefährlichen Versuch, meine verfassungsmäßigen Befugnisse zu schwächen". Sie gefährde zudem das Leben von US-Bürgern und Soldaten.

Der unabhängige Senator Bernie Sanders, eine treibende Kraft hinter der Resolution, nannte Trumps Entscheidung enttäuschend, aber nicht überraschend. Er kündigte an, in seinen Bemühungen nicht nachlassen zu wollen. "

https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/donald-trump-legt-veto-gegen-resolution-zu-us-militaerhilfe-im-jemen-ein-a-1263231.html

(** A P)

Trump legt Veto gegen Resolution zu Militärhilfe im Jemen ein

Am Dienstagabend (Ortszeit) ließ Trump aber mitteilen, dass er sein Veto dagegen eingelegt hat - das erst zweite seiner Amtszeit. Die Resolution sei ein unnötiger und gefährlicher Versuch, seine verfassungsmäßigen Befugnisse zu schwächen, erklärte der Republikaner. Der Beschluss würde das Leben amerikanischer Bürger und Soldaten gefährden, fügte er hinzu.

Der unabhängige Senator Bernie Sanders, eine treibende Kraft hinter der Resolution, nannte Trumps Entscheidung enttäuschend, aber nicht überraschend. Er kündigte an, in seinen Bemühungen nicht nachlassen zu wollen. "Die Menschen im Jemen brauchen dringend humanitäre Hilfe, nicht noch mehr Bomben", erklärte der Senator, der sich um die Präsidentschaftskandidatur der Demokraten bewirbt.

Um Trumps Veto zu überstimmen, wäre in beiden Kongress-Kammern jeweils eine Zweidrittelmehrheit notwendig, die kaum zu erzielen sein dürfte - auch wenn im Senat vorher einige Republikaner mit den Demokraten gestimmt und so für die nötige Mehrheit gesorgt hatten.

Die Resolution des US-Parlaments war ein klares politisches Zeichen gegen Trumps Unterstützung für Saudi-Arabien - und ein seltenes Signal der Einigkeit zwischen den Demokraten und Teilen der Republikaner.

https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/ausland/usa/id_85597736/donald-trump-veto-gegen-resolution-zu-militaerhilfe-im-jemen-eingelegt.html

(** A P)

Trump stellt sich mit seinem zweiten Veto vor Saudiarabien

Der amerikanische Kongress will die Regierung Trump zur Einstellung ihrer militärischen Aktivitäten in Jemen zwingen. Doch mit seinem Veto legt sich Trump quer. Er signalisiert damit, welche Bedeutung er dem Verbündeten Saudiarabien beimisst

Wie angekündigt hat der amerikanische Präsident Trump zum zweiten Mal sein Veto gegen eine Vorlage eingelegt. Es ging dabei um den Versuch des Kongresses, die Regierung Trump zur Einstellung ihrer militärischen Aktivitäten in Jemen zu zwingen. Das Instrument war die War Powers Act, mit welcher der Kongress 1973, im Gefolge des Vietnamkriegs, sein exklusives Recht unterstrich, einen Krieg zu erklären. Das Gesetz hat jedoch noch nie eine konkrete Wirkung entfaltet. Vielmehr nutzte es der Kongress dazu, die Regierung und ihr Engagement in gewissen Konflikten öffentlich zu kritisieren.

Symbolische Kritik

Genau das steht auch in diesem Fall im Vordergrund. Das Problem ist nämlich, dass Washington zwar Saudiarabien und dessen Verbündete bei ihrem Feldzug in Jemen unterstützt. Aber dies beschränkt sich laut amerikanischen Angaben auf den Austausch von Erkenntnissen aus der Aufklärung.

Der Vorstoss des Kongresses, schrieb der Präsident, sei nicht nur ein unnötiger, gefährlicher Versuch, die verfassungsmässigen Befugnisse des Präsidenten einzuschränken. Er würde auch das Leben von amerikanischen Zivilisten und Militärangehörigen gefährden. Dies kann sich eigentlich nur auf eine terroristische Bedrohung beziehen.

Die Begründung wirkt allerdings fadenscheinig. In Tat und Wahrheit will das Weisse Haus ganz einfach nicht mit Saudiarabien und dem Kronprinzen bin Salman brechen, komme, was wolle. Zu viel steht für die Regierung Trump auf dem Spiel.

https://www.nzz.ch/international/jemen-trump-stellt-sich-mit-zweiten-veto-vor-saudiarabien-ld.1476166

und auch https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/trump-kongress-jemen-resolution-usa-1.4413188

https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Trump-legt-Veto-gegen-Jemen-Resolution-ein-article20973325.html

https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2019-04/usa-jemen-donald-trump-veto-kongress-saudi-arabien

http://www.taz.de/!5588998/

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Film: ‘US making a fortune from Saudi-led war on Yemen’

The United States is making a fortune out of the war on Yemen by selling arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia, says an activist, adding that the military aggression against the impoverished Arab nation serves Washington’s imperial interests in the Middle East.

“This serves of course primarily the US military industrial complex who make a fortune out of these wars. It also serves the US imperial interests which we have to acknowledge is [trying] to dominate the entire Middle East by force of arms and through its allies – Israel and Saudi Arabia,” Ken Stone, a member of the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War told Press TV in an interview on Wednesday.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/04/17/593625/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-US-Congress-military-equipment-Trump-veto

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Trump vetoes congressional resolution to end U.S. involvement in Yemen war

President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution that sought to end U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the White House said on Tuesday.

“This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future,” Trump said in the veto message.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-yemen/trump-vetoes-congressional-resolution-to-end-u-s-involvement-in-yemen-war-idUSKCN1RS2GH

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Presidential Veto Message to the Senate to Accompany S.J. Res. 7

TO THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES:

I am returning herewith without my approval S.J. Res. 7, a joint resolution that purports to direct the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in or affecting the Republic of Yemen, with certain exceptions. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future.

This joint resolution is unnecessary because, apart from counterterrorism operations against al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS, the United States is not engaged in hostilities in or affecting Yemen. For example, there are no United States military personnel in Yemen commanding, participating in, or accompanying military forces of the Saudi‑led coalition against the Houthis in hostilities in or affecting Yemen.

Since 2015, the United States has provided limited support to member countries of the Saudi-led coalition, including intelligence sharing, logistics support, and, until recently, in-flight refueling of non-United States aircraft. All of this support is consistent with applicable Arms Export Control Act authorities, statutory authorities that permit the Department of Defense to provide logistics support to foreign countries, and the President’s constitutional power as Commander in Chief. None of this support has introduced United States military personnel into hostilities.

We are providing this support for many reasons. First and foremost, it is our duty to protect the safety of the more than 80,000 Americans who reside in certain coalition countries that have been subject to Houthi attacks from Yemen. Houthis, supported by Iran, have used missiles, armed drones, and explosive boats to attack civilian and military targets in those coalition countries, including areas frequented by American citizens, such as the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In addition, the conflict in Yemen represents a “cheap” and inexpensive way for Iran to cause trouble for the United States and for our ally, Saudi Arabia.

S.J. Res. 7 is also dangerous. The Congress should not seek to prohibit certain tactical operations, such as in-flight refueling, or require military engagements to adhere to arbitrary timelines. Doing so would interfere with the President’s constitutional authority as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, and could endanger our service members by impairing their ability to efficiently and effectively conduct military engagements and to withdraw in an orderly manner at the appropriate time.

The joint resolution would also harm the foreign policy of the United States. Its efforts to curtail certain forms of military support would harm our bilateral relationships, negatively affect our ongoing efforts to prevent civilian casualties and prevent the spread of terrorist organizations such as al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS, and embolden Iran’s malign activities in Yemen.

We cannot end the conflict in Yemen through political documents like S.J. Res. 7

[…]

For these reasons, it is my duty to return S.J. Res. 7 to the Senate without my approval.

Donald J. Trump

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-veto-message-senate-accompany-s-j-res-7/

and

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A Weak Defense for an Indefensible Veto

The full White House statement on Trump’s shameful Yemen veto is full of the usual obfuscations and lies that the administration has used to defend involvement in the war for the last two years

As long as the U.S. is providing logistical and intelligence support to the Saudi coalition, deploying troops to the Saudi border with Yemen, and assisting in the enforcement of the naval blockade, it is a party to the conflict and engaged in hostilities.When the president and other officials claim otherwise, they are not telling the truth. The administration very much wants to have things both ways. On the one hand, they will say that the U.S. isn’t a party to the conflict and therefore the resolution isn’t needed, but then they’ll insist that U.S. involvement in the conflict must continue for the sake of the Saudi relationship, weapons sales, and so on. Supporters of the war are desperate to claim at the same time that U.S. involvement is so meager that it doesn’t amount to hostilities but also so vitally important that it must not be ended. Of course, if the U.S. role were really as small as they sometimes claim, there would be no danger in ending it, and if it is as significant as they say at other times it is absolutely appropriate for Congress to shut it down because Congress never authorized it.

Much of the rest of the statement is the same tedious propaganda they have been reciting for years

The “ongoing efforts to prevent civilian casualties” have been famously unsuccessful because Saudi coalition pilots so frequently attack civilian targets on purpose. If the U.S. is giving them the right advice on how to avoid causing civilian casualties, the coalition forces are either incapable or unwilling to follow it. That means that the U.S. is enabling more civilian casualties by continuing to provide support for the bombing campaign. Trump absurdly claims that aiding and abetting Saudi coalition war crimes has something to do with protecting Americans in Gulf countries, but there would be no threat to those countries if the bombing campaign were halted. The continued bombing of Yemen’s cities and villages is what puts coalition countries at risk of retaliation. Trump’s determination to keep assisting this bombing campaign is what’s truly dangerous.

The war on Yemen is indefensible, so it is no surprise that the arguments offered in support of it are always so weak and riddled with falsehoods – by Daniel Larison

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/a-weak-defense-for-an-indefensible-veto/

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Yemenis Will Pay the Price for Trump’s Veto

The International Rescue Committee issued a statement in response to Trump’s shameful Yemen veto.

All of the aid organizations involved in providing humanitarian relief in Yemen have been clear and consistent in urging an end to U.S. support for the Saudi coalition.

One of the most disingenuous parts of Trump’s veto statement was the lip service he paid to reaching a negotiated settlement in Yemen.

Without “political documents” like S.J.Res. 7, there is no chance of a negotiated settlement. The Saudis and Emiratis won’t agree to such a settlement unless they believe they are risking their relationship with the U.S. by refusing it, and as long as Trump keeps covering for them and bailing them out they will keep fighting. Just as Congressional pressure has aided the cause of diplomacy in Yemen, the president’s veto of the antiwar resolution will only encourage the Saudis and Emiratis in their belief that they can act with impunity and don’t have to worry about losing U.S. backing for their war – by Daniel Larison

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/yemenis-will-pay-the-price-for-trumps-veto/

(** A P)

Trump vetoes measure ending US support for Saudi-led war in Yemen

President Trump on Tuesday vetoed a measure that would have cut off U.S. military support for the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen's civil war, rebuking Congress for a second time this year.

In a statement to the Senate released by the White House, Trump called the joint resolution "unnecessary" and argued it would negatively affect U.S. foreign policy.

The resolution, which would have required Trump to withdraw any U.S. troops in or "affecting" Yemen within 30 days unless they are fighting al Qaeda, reached the president's desk after it passed the House in a vote of 247-175 earlier this month. The Senate had passed it in a vote of 54-46 last month.

Neither the House nor Senate vote was enough to override a veto.

Despite the veto and unlikelihood of an override, supporters of the resolution are still hailing its passage as a success.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who was the chief Senate sponsor, said he was "disappointed, but not surprised" at Trump's veto

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/439226-trump-vetoes-resolution-ending-us-support-for-yemen-war

(** A P)

Trump Issues His Second Veto, Blocking Congressional Resolution To End US Support For Saudi-Led War In Yemen

In a statement to the Senate released by the White House, Trump called the joint resolution "unnecessary", warned it represents a "dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities" and argued it would negatively affect U.S. foreign policy. What he really meant is that the US military-industrial complex stood to lose billions in potential revenue from the biggest US weapons client. As a result countless innocent civilians will continue to die for an unknown period of time but at least the stock price of Boeing, Lockheed-Martin and Raytheon will not be put in jeopardy.

Predictably there were opinions on both side of the topic, with some - not many - praising Trump's decision to perpetuate a "proxy war". (with White House statement, and reactions

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-16/trump-issues-his-second-veto-blocking-congressional-resolution-end-us-support-saudi

(* A P)

Trump vetoes resolution on ending U.S. role in Yemen civil war

Rep. Ro Khanna, the California Democrat who spearheaded the Yemen effort on Capitol Hill, called Trump’s veto a “painful missed opportunity” for “a president elected on the promise of putting a stop to our endless wars.”

Trump referenced his vow to wind down U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts abroad but said the Yemen measure would “harm” America’s foreign policy.

“My administration is currently accelerating negotiations to end our military engagement in Afghanistan and drawing down troops in Syria, where we recently succeeded in eliminating 100 percent of the ISIS caliphate,” Trump said. “Congressional engagement in those endeavors would be far more productive than expending time and effort trying to enact this unnecessary and dangerous resolution that interferes with our foreign policy with respect to Yemen.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who sponsored the bill in the Senate, vowed to continue pushing to end U.S. involvement in what he called “unauthorized and unconstitutional” foreign conflicts.

“The people of Yemen desperately need humanitarian help, not more bombs,” Sanders said.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/16/trump-vetoes-resolution-yemen-civil-war-1278627

(** A P)

Trump vetoes resolution to end U.S. participation in Yemen’s civil war

This month’s House vote marked the first time both chambers had acted to invoke the same war-powers resolution to end U.S. military engagement in a foreign conflict. It also represented the latest instance of Congress’s challenging Trump’s decisions as commander in chief.

The veto means the United States will continue its involvement in Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, waged in the name of holding back Iran’s expansion in the region.

A senior administration official said that Trump was involved in drafting and editing the language of Tuesday’s veto statement and that he had told senators for some time he was going to issue a veto.

“It should come as a surprise to nobody,” the official said.

Trump viewed the Yemen vote as a rebuke of his administration after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and urged some senators not to go along with it, according to White House and congressional aides.

The decision to keep support for the war in Yemen is perplexing to some members of the administration, considering the president is usually inclined to remove U.S. troops from all conflict zones.

In his State of the Union address in February, Trump declared, “Great nations do not fight endless wars.”

At the same time, Trump continues to want to keep strong ties with Saudi Arabia and does not share the view of Congress that the kingdom needs to be punished for the killing of Khashoggi, aides said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-vetoes-resolution-to-end-us-participation-in-yemens-civil-war/2019/04/16/0fabc312-60a1-11e9-bfad-36a7eb36cb60_story.html

and also https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-veto-yemen-saudi-bill_n_5cb667ace4b082aab08de6a4

https://apnews.com/1b17cee217b344d8a3a03642139fb606 = http://time.com/5572068/trump-vetoes-withdraw-support-saudi-yemen/

https://us.cnn.com/2019/04/16/politics/trump-vetoes-yemen-war-powers-resolution/index.html

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/16/donald-trump-veto-resolution-yemen-war/3491383002/

and Al Jazera film: https://mediaview.aljazeera.com/video/292Q9miEcE

and updates: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-news-live-fox-news-bernie-sanders-yemen-war-veto-tweet-today-a8873781.html

(* A P)

Dismay as Trump vetoes bill to end US support for war in Yemen

Politicians decry Trump’s decision to continue US involvement in it as a cynical move and missed opportunity for humanitarian help

Trump’s veto, the second of his presidency, led to outpourings of dismay from politicians and NGOs. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, called on him to “put peace before politics”.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said: “I am disappointed, but not surprised, that Trump has rejected the bipartisan resolution to end US involvement in the horrific war in Yemen. The people of Yemen desperately need humanitarian help, not more bombs.”

The California congressman Ro Khanna, a Democrat, added: “From a president elected on the promise of putting a stop to our endless wars, this veto is a painful missed opportunity.” Khanna argued the bill marked a step forward, despite the veto.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/16/trump-yemen-war-veto-military-aid

and statements by politicians and others: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/69032

https://twitter.com/SenWarren/status/1118348623195058176

https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1118317772621123585

https://twitter.com/RoKhanna/status/1118321175338164225

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1118307614218248192

It's not a letdown... it's a Constitutional crisis. Congress has said this war is not authorized which is their right by Constitutional powers. If the President flagrantly ignores the Constitution, it's time to impeach him. If we do not, we allow authoritarianism.

https://twitter.com/changermindset/status/1118351809884585989

(A P)

Trump is ‘Saudi Arabia’s servant’ as he refused to end US support of Yemen war – Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, has called President Donald Trump’s decision to veto a bill seeking to end US support for the Yemen war nothing less than proof he serves Saudi Arabia.

By vetoing the bill dubbed the War Powers Act, Trump again “proves he’s the servant of Saudi Arabia – the theocratic dictatorship spending billions spreading the most extreme and intolerant form of Islam around the world, supporting al-Qaeda & other jihadists, and waging genocidal war in Yemen with US help,” Gabbard said in an emotional tweet.

In the video that accompanies the tweet, Gabbard is heard saying that the US is complicit in this genocide that’s causing millions of people to starve and suffer.” She accused Trump of being “more interested in pleasing the Saudis that doing what is right.”

https://www.rt.com/usa/456827-trump-servant-saudi-gabbard/

Film: https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/111850315558140723

(A P)

Yemen: More bombs and weapons will only mean more suffering and death

Statement by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Policy Director, Ole Solvang, on the US President’s veto to a bill to end military support for the war in Yemen

“President Trump said that withdrawing from the war in Yemen would 'negatively affect ongoing efforts to prevent civilian casualties.' Yet if he was truly concerned about civilian life, he would first and foremost ensure that the US-supported Saudi-led coalition stop breaking the laws of war and depriving millions of Yemenis of life-saving assistance.

“More bombs and weapons in Yemen will only mean more suffering and death. By providing such extensive military and diplomatic support for one side of the conflict, the United States is deepening and prolonging a crisis that has immediate and severe consequences for Yemen, and civilians are paying the price.

https://www.nrc.no/news/2019/april/yemen-us-presidents-veto-puts-millions-of-civilians-lives-at-risk/

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Int. Rescue Committee: Trump’s Yemen veto is a green light for world’s worst humanitarian crisis to continue

This veto by President Trump is morally wrong and strategically wrongheaded. It sets back the hopes for respite for the Yemeni people, and leaves the US upholding a failed strategy. Yemen is at a breaking point with 10 million people on the brink of famine. There are as many as 100 civilian casualties per week, and Yemenis are more likely to be killed at home than in any other structure. Shelling is increasing inside Hodeidah despite the ceasefire, while conflict rages on in the rest of the country, impeding efforts by humanitarians to reach thousands in desperate need. International backers like the US should be shepherding warring parties to peace – not fueling the conflict.

https://www.rescue.org/press-release/trumps-yemen-veto-green-light-worlds-worst-humanitarian-crisis-continue

(A P)

Trump Likely Driven by Financial Interest in Vetoing Yemen Bill – NGO

Financial interest is likely to have influenced the decision of US President Donald Trump to veto a bill to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Layla Picard, the founder and executive director of the Yemen Peace Project, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

"Given what we know about Trump and his administration, it is very likely that personal financial interests also shape the decisions of the president, his advisors, and some members of his cabinet," Picard said.

Picard stated that the continued support of the United States for the Saudi-led coalition could provoke a broader regional conflict in the Middle East.

https://sputniknews.com/world/201904171074229001-trump-finance-interest/

and also https://theglobepost.com/2019/04/17/yemen-resolution-veto/

(* A P)

Trump’s Shameful Yemen Veto Defines His Presidency

Trump has been a supporter of the war on Yemen for years, and since taking office he has increased U.S. involvement in the conflict and vehemently resisted every attempt by Congress to curtail or end U.S. support for the Saudi coalition. He inherited this indefensible policy from Obama

Trump has spent the last two years covering up for the Saudi coalition and their war crimes, and today he has used his veto to shield them from the consequences of their action one more time.

Withdrawing U.S. support from the Saudi coalition endangers no Americans, and it is another one of his scurrilous lies for Trump to say so. Reining in a lawless executive has been long overdue, but it is no surprise that the lawless occupant of the White House refuses to accept limitations on what he can do.

Following the House passage of S.J.Res. 7, Oxfam’s Scott Paul said this:

A veto from President Trump would send its own sobering message to Yemeni families caught in the daily hell of war: our administration simply does not care.

Today Trump has proven once more to the people of Yemen just how cynical he and the other supporters of the war are. Support for the war on Yemen is the most disgraceful U.S. policy today – by Daniel Larison

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/trumps-shameful-yemen-veto-defines-his-presidency/

(A P)

"President Trump’s assertion of support to the Arab Coalition in #Yemen is a positive signal of #USresolve towards America’s allies. Common strategic interests are best served with this clear commitment". Twitter comment by Anwar Gargash, #UAE Foreign Minister

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515/2229588540427497/

https://sputniknews.com/world/201904171074219638-uae-minister-trump-yemen-war/

(* A P)

Trump veto proves US behind Yemen war: Huthi rebels

Yemen's Huthi rebels on Wednesday slammed President Donald Trump's veto of a Congress resolution directing him to end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen as proof Washington was behind the conflict.

The veto "proves that the United States is not only involved in the war on Yemen but also was behind the decision to go to war," Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam tweeted.

"Others followed that decision and execute the wishes and ambitions of the United States," Abdelsalam added, referring to Saudi Arabia and its allies.

Abdelsalam, who heads a rebel delegation involved in ongoing UN-led peace talks, held the US responsible for "massacres, crimes and the unjust siege of Yemen".

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6932459/Trump-veto-proves-US-Yemen-war-Huthi-rebels.html

and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6456

https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/yemens-huthi-rebels-say-trump-veto-proves-us-behind-war-doc-1fq1qe1

and

(A P)

Mohamed Al-Houthi: Trump’s Veto over Yemen Confirms That War on Yemen is External Aggression

A member of the Supreme Political Council Mohamed Ali al-Houthi said that Trump's veto over Yemen confirms that the war on Yemen is classified as an external aggression.
"Trump's Veto proves US full adoption for criminals as well as manufacturing and protecting terrorism," al-Houthi said in a tweet.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6453

(A P)

Zarif highlights contrast between US Congress, govt. on Yemen war

“Even the US Congress wants to put an end to CENTCOM's destabilizing activities in Yemen,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Tweeter account on Wednesday.

“But petrofinanced #NetanyahuFirsters and their enabler in the White House will continue—with American lives and against US interests—to push for forever wars,” he added.

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/144256/Zairf-highlights-contrast-between-US-Congress-govt-on-Yemen

and also https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/irans-foreign-minister-slams-trump-over-yemen-veto/1455103

Bernie Sanders Appeals To Donald Trump To End U.S. Support For Yemen War

The 2020 presidential contender hoped to take advantage of a town hall hosted by Fox News, the president’s favorite channel.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) appealed directly to President Donald Trump on Monday night to approve a resolution Sanders co-sponsored to withdraw U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen.

An attendee of a Fox News town hall in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Monday asked Sanders about how he would keep the United States out of foreign military entanglements.

Sanders responded by reiterating his commitment to staying out of what he considers unnecessary wars.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-fox-news-town-hall-yemen-war-donald-trump-2020-race_n_5cb52523e4b082aab08ada25

Film: https://twitter.com/Cirincione/status/1117945597938499587

https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/1117942016191680518

(A P)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-military-usa/saudi-crown-prince-meets-commander-of-u-s-central-command-report-idUSKCN1RR2F6

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

(* B P)

Yemen: Armed Conflict

House of Commons: Foreign and Commonwealth Office written question – answered on 16th April 2019.

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the response by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on Yemen on 1 April (HL Deb, cols 59–65), in which years the UKparticipated in coalition naval enforcement measures in Yemen’s territorial waters that put in effect UN Resolution 2216, adopted by the UN Security Council in April 2015, that prohibited the delivery of arms to Houthi rebels; what steps they have taken in response to the final report of the UN Security Council Panel of Experts on Yemen, published on 26 January 2018, which stated that the closure of the port of Hodeidah in November 2017 “had the effect of using the threat of starvation as an instrument of war”; and what assessment they have made of the success of Royal Navy officers in the coalition’s operational command rooms in ensuring the delivery of lawful shipments of food, water and equipment for the maintenance of water treatment plants to Yemen’s ports.

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2019-04-02.HL14991.h&p=13103

My comment: And rather disappointing answer.

(A P)

Government of the United Kingdom: Focusing on children's safety and a need for enhanced political process in Yemen

Statement by Ambassador Karen Pierce, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the Security Council Briefing on Yemen

Turning to the very powerful testimonies we heard from the SRSG and from Ms Muna Luqman, thank you for putting the focus on children. Today is a very good moment to reflect quite how desperate the plight of children is in Yemen. And I just want to pay tribute also to the Belgium PR and his mission for all the work they have done on children in the Yemen conflict.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/focusing-on-childrens-safety-and-a-need-for-enhanced-political-process-in-yemen = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/focusing-childrens-safety-and-need-enhanced-political-process-yemen

My comment: A horrible document of a killer’s main accomplice’s crocodile tears.

(A P)

RAF TO RESPOND ON TRAINING SAUDI ‘MERCHANTS OF DEATH’...NEXT MONTH!

Having had no luck with communicating by email with RAF Valley over its training of pilots and personnel of the Royal Saudi Air Force and the possible use of Ronaldsway Airport for same,

‘Eureka’ (as Archimedes would have said) confirmation comes from Air Command Secretariat at High wycombe today that they have the mail and promise a response by 10th May 2019.

https://www.facebook.com/805941286121301/photos/a.806379472744149/2119726774742739/

(B E P)

Learned that the #Yemen CBY has about 87 million pounds that is frozen in a Bank of England account. Resisted urge to scream, 'I'm a Yemeni, Im here to collect, Give me mah money!'

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1117200159153192961

(* B K P)

Britain's role in the suffering of Yemen – squalid beyond belief

Britain’s unending boast that it stands as a beacon of human rights and justice is belied by the cruel plight inflicted on the people of Yemen.

If a special place in hell is reserved for a Saudi kleptocracy that wears its barbarism as a badge of honor rather than shame, Britain’s ignoble role in actively facilitating Riyadh’s murderous war in Yemen is surely deserving of the same.

Thinking about it the scope of the inhuman brutality that has been inflicted on the Yemeni people over the course of a conflict that began in 2015, it is near impossible to fathom the pristine hypocrisy of a British political establishment that is never done lecturing the world on matters great and small.

London’s opportunism and Riyadh’s sectarian brutality are currently entwined in a marriage of murder in Yemen, a conflict whose dismal human toll most recently accounted for 11 more people killed, children included, and 30 wounded in yet another Saudi airstrike unleashed on Sanaa, the country’s capital.

Patrick Cockburn makes a cogent point when it comes to the assertion that Britain and its Western allies have “no interest in highlighting” the devastation that has and continues to be wrought in Yemen by the Saudis.

Riyadh is the single biggest customer of the UK arms industry, within which the country’s principal arms manufacturer, BAE Systems, has been the trade’s principal beneficiary

Among the most damning of the evidence revealed in the documentary is that the Saudi air force would be unable to fly the British Typhoon fighter jets used to conduct airstrikes in Yemen without the technical assistance of UK personnel, working at airbases within the kingdom – by John Wight

https://www.rt.com/op-ed/456523-yemen-uk-arms-saudi-sales/

(* A K P)

British Bombs Are Being Dropped from Saudi Jets onto Yemeni Schools, Mosques and Hospitals, Court Hears

Campaign Against Arms Trade challenges Sajid Javid's decision not to suspend bomb sales to Saudi Arabia in the Court of Appeal

A panel of judges is reviewing a decision made by Sajid Javid not to suspend British bomb sales for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen.

The Tory high-flier was business secretary when he allowed the arms exports to keep flowing, despite his head of export control warning that “my gut tells me we should suspend.”

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) challenged Mr Javid’s decision unsuccessfully at the High Court in 2017 but later lodged an appeal.

The group said an “enormous” quantity of British bombs is being dropped from Saudi jets onto Yemeni schools, mosques and hospitals as a result of Mr Javid giving a green light to the arms industry.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/british-bombs-dropped-saudi-jets-yemeni-schools-mosques-hospitals/5674158

and

(* A B P)

Legal appeal against UK weapons sales to Saudi Arabia

Since bombing began in Yemen in 2015, the UK government has licensed the sale of at least £4.7 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia. A three-day appeal by Campaign Against Arms Trade concluded yesterday, calling on the High Court to reverse its decision to allow the export of arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen. As we await the verdict, Alan Story questions whether the UK Government will listen to reason.

The appeal was launched by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), seeking to overturn a 2017 High Court judgement that decided the UK government could continue to export arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen. A decision from the Court of Appeal on CAAT’s case is not expected for some weeks.

“We are taking this action because we believe the sales aren't just immoral, they are also illegal, and they are playing a central role in the bombardment and devastation which has followed," CAAT spokesperson Andrew Smith told Al Jazeera this week.

Most international law experts have concluded that the British and US arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in the war in Yemen are illegal.

The UK is a party to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that came into force in 2014.

https://greenworld.org.uk/article/legal-appeal-against-uk-weapons-sales-saudi-arabia

(* A P)

UK government accused of 'putting profit before lives' in case aimed at stopping arms exports to Saudi Arabia

Ministers accused of 'signing a death warrant for the people of Yemen' by selling billions of pounds worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, 'the UK's biggest arms customer'

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-arms-sales-saudi-arabia-yemen-legal-case-high-court-bombing-weapons-trade-human-rights-violations-a8861471.html

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* A K P)

Wieder Waffen in die Wüste?

Waffen in Krisenregionen liefern oder in Länder, die Menschenrechte missachten? Die Grünen wollten in einer aktuellen Stunde wissen, wie die Bundesregierung dazu steht. Derzeit gilt ein Exportverbot für Staaten, die am Jemenkrieg beteiligt sind.

Das Rüstungsdilemma

Soll Deutschland Rüstungsgüter an Staaten liefern, die im Jemen Krieg führen und dort (auch) die Zivilbevölkerung bombardieren? Die Bundesregierung ist sich da unschlüssig. Mal will sie nicht liefern, dann wieder doch oder wenigstens ein bisschen. Die Grünen sind damit nicht einverstanden, andere Fraktionen auch nicht. Die Gründe dafür könnten aber unterschiedlicher nicht sein, wie sich in einer aktuellen Stunde am 5. April zeigte.

Grüne: Extrem verlogen

Genau darüber beklagte sich nun Agnieszka Brugger (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen). Es sei "extrem verlogen", diesen Zickzackkurs als Exportstopp zu bezeichnen. Die Politik sorge für maximalen Schaden an allen Fronten – so gebe es beispielsweise auch keine Planungssicherheit für Unternehmen oder Arbeitnehmer. Es sei auch nicht in Ordnung, die gemeinsamen europäischen Rüstungsprojekte als Alibi zu benutzen, denn das Europäische Parlament habe sich längst gegen Waffenexporte in Kriegsgebiete ausgesprochen.

Union: Saudis sind strategisch bedeutend

Dr. Joachim Pfeiffer (CDU/CSU) meinte, Saudi-Arabien sei von strategischer Bedeutung auf der arabischen Halbinsel. Außerdem müsse Deutschland für die europäischen Rüstungspartner zuverlässig sein. Deshalb sei es nicht in Ordnung, dass Deutschland als einziges Land den Export von bereits genehmigten Gütern gestoppt hat, ohne sich mit Partnern in anderen europäischen Ländern und in den USA abzustimmen. Das sei uneuropäisch und gefährlich.

SPD, AfD, FDP, Linke

https://www.mitmischen.de/diskutieren/nachrichten/April_2019/Ruestung/index.jsp

(* A K P)

Film: Was bringen UN-Beobachter im Jemen?

https://www.dw.com/de/deutsche-waffen-im-jemen-krieg-gespräch-mit-nina-werkhäuser/av-47699840

(* A K P)

Das geht die Opposition gar nichts an ...

Bundesregierung liefert weiter Kriegswerkzeug für den Jemen-Krieg und rüstet das fragile Algerien auf

Nach dem Mord an dem regierungskritischen Journalisten Jamal Khashoggi im saudischen Generalkonsulat in Istanbul fiel der Bundesregierung keine Ausrede mehr ein, weshalb das in Jemen Krieg führende Saudi-Arabien weiter Waffen aus Deutschland erhalten sollte. Doch alsbald traten Verbündete - allen voran Frankreich - auf den Plan. Das Land will weiter am Krieg der Saudis verdienen, braucht dazu aber Zulieferungen aus Deutschland. Anderenfalls, so hieß es in Paris, würde man künftig Rüstung »German free« betreiben. Und nicht nur bei aktuellen Projekten. Man drohte, auch gemeinsame strategische Rüstungen mit Milliardenaussichten wie die Entwicklung von Drohnen und neuen Kampfjets auszusetzen.

Die Bundesregierung ließ sich nur allzu gern einschüchtern und lockerte die Exportrestriktionen.

»Hauptsache es klingelt in den Kassen deutscher Rüstungsschmieden.« https://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/1116758.waffenexporte-das-geht-die-opposition-gar-nichts-an.html

(* A K P)

Kommentar: Deutschlands doppeltes Spiel im Jemen

Berlin schickt Polizisten und Soldaten zu einer Beobachtungsmission in den Jemen – und verkauft gleichzeitig Waffen an Kriegsteilnehmer. Schmutziges Geld verdienen und dennoch dabei gut dastehen: Das ist eine Kunst.

Deutschland schickt zehn Polizisten und Soldaten. Was sie dann inspizieren können: Kampfkunst made in Germany, nämlich Tieflader zum Transport saudischer Panzer und Radarortungssysteme für die Artillerie der VAE. Wenn die Waffenruhe bricht, werden sie Tote zählen, die durch deutsche Waffenteile starben.

Es ist Zynismus reinster Güte. Die Waffenexporte nach Saudi-Arabien waren für eine Zeitlang ausgesetzt, weil sich das Herrscherhaus allzu dumm anstellte beim Abmurksen eines kritischen Journalisten; der blutige Krieg im Jemen, den Riad führt, regte die deutschen Exportkontrolleure in der Bundesregierung hingegen kaum auf. Und weil Rüstungskooperationspartner Frankreich Druck macht, werden die Verkäufe wieder aufgenommen; als wäre an der kolonialistisch geprägten Außenmachtpolitik Frankreichs ein Jota nachahmenswert.

Sicherlich, die Entsendung von deutschen Polizisten und Soldaten für die Beobachtermission ist sinnvoll. Jede Vermittlung kann nur helfen, nicht schaden. Nur bleibt dieser fade Beigeschmack, dass sich die deutsche Außenpolitik mal wieder mit einem Feigenblatt rühmt, während es den fetten Obstkorb heimlich rüberschiebt.

Wir können es uns leisten. Unser Blick auf diese Region ist von Desinteresse geprägt – von Jan Rübel

https://de.nachrichten.yahoo.com/kommentar-deutschlands-doppeltes-spiel-im-jemen-094656428.html

(A K P)

Kritik an Ja von SPD-Ministern zu Rüstungslieferungen an Golfstaaten

Die Zustimmung der zuständigen SPD-Minister zu neuen Rüstungsexporten nach Saudi-Arabien stößt in den eigenen Reihen auf Kritik.

https://www.welt.de/newsticker/news1/article191898553/Ruestung-Kritik-an-Ja-von-SPD-Ministern-zu-Ruestungslieferungen-an-Golfstaaten.html

und auch https://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/1116859.frieden-auf-dem-papier.html

(* A K P)

Rüstungsexporte nach Saudi-Arabien stoppen

Der Bundesregierung kann es offensichtlich nicht schnell genug gehen.

Die Entscheidung, neue Rüstungslieferungen an Saudi-Arabien zu genehmigen, fällt zu einem Zeitpunkt, an dem die saudische geführte Kriegskoalition erneut Angriffe auf die jementische Zivilbevölkerung fliegt. Das ist einfach zynisch und verbrecherisch.

Notwendig ist ein umfassender Waffenexportstopp nach Saudi-Arabien und die Ausweitung auf alle Länder der Jemen-Kriegsallianz – von Sevim Dagdelen, Die Linke

https://www.linksfraktion.de/themen/nachrichten/detail/ruestungsexporte-nach-saudi-arabien-stoppen-1/

(* A K P)

INTERVIEW MIT MINISTER ALTMAIER: „Vertragstreu sein und liefern“

Altmaier:Die Bundesregierung hat sich darüber verständigt, das Moratorium für rein deutsche Rüstungsprojekte zunächst weiter zu verlängern. Andererseits haben wir gegenüber Frankreich und Großbritannien Verpflichtungen, wenn es um sogenannte Gemeinschaftsprojekte geht, an denen wir beteiligt sind. Hier müssen wir vertragstreu sein, und versprochene Komponenten liefern. Wenn solche Güter dann nach Saudi-Arabien geliefert werden sollen, müssen wir vertretbare Lösungen finden.

https://www.nwzonline.de/interview/interview-mit-minister-altmaier-vertragstreu-sein-und-liefern_a_50,4,1953410425.html

Mein Kommentar: peinlich bis schlimmer. Was heißt „vertragstreu“? Rüstungsgüter dürfen nicht in Krisengebiete geliefert werden, wenn Verträge hiervon abweichen, sind sie illegal.

(* A K P)

Berlin genehmigt Waffenlieferungen an Jemen-Kriegsparteien

Kaum hat die Koalition mühsam einen Kompromiss über Rüstungsexporte erzielt, sind neue Genehmigungen erteilt worden. Nach SPIEGEL-Informationen sollen auch Waffen nach Saudi-Arabien und die Emirate geliefert werden.

Die Bundesregierung liefert wieder Waffen an Länder, die direkt am Jemenkriegbeteiligt sind. Das Kabinett hat im geheim tagenden Bundessicherheitsrat dem Export an Kriegsmaterial unter anderem an Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate zugestimmt. Das geht aus einer Liste des Bundeswirtschaftsministeriums vom Donnerstag hervor, die dem SPIEGEL vorliegt.

Saudi-Arabien, für das es einen Stopp von Waffenlieferungen nach der Ermordung des Journalisten Jamal Khashoggi gegeben hat, bekommt zwar nicht direkt Rüstungsgüter aus deutscher Produktion. Allerdings werden Teile an ein französisches Unternehmen geliefert, das das Endprodukt an das Königreich ausführt. Über solche sogenannten Gemeinschaftsprodukte hatte die Koalition monatelang gestritten.

Die umstrittene Exportgenehmigung betrifft den Ulmer Transportgerätehersteller Kamag, der "Technologie für Satteltiefladerfertigung" nach Frankreich exportiert, deren "Endverbleib" in Saudi-Arabien sei.

https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/ruestungsexporte-berlin-genehmigt-waffenlieferungen-an-jemen-kriegsparteien-a-1262477.html

und auch: https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute/zdf-ruestungsexport-nach-saudi-arabien-genehmigt-100.html

https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2019-04/jemen-saudi-arabien-ruestungsgueter-waffenlieferung-bundessicherheitsrat

https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Berlin-nickt-Kriegsgeraet-fuer-Saudis-ab-article20964153.html

https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/ausland/id_85571614/jemen-kriegspartei-bund-genehmigt-ruestungsexport-fuer-saudi-arabien.html

und

(* A K P)

Heikle Lieferung für Saudi-Arabien

Die Lockerung des Rüstungsexportstopps für Saudi-Arabien zeigt nach wenigen Tagen erste Wirkung. Der Bundessicherheitsrat hat wieder eine Lieferung an das am Jemen-Krieg beteiligte Königreich genehmigt.

Heikel sind auch drei Exportgenehmigungen für die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate. Der ebenfalls sehr reiche Golfstaat ist wie Saudi-Arabien aktiv am Jemen-Krieg beteiligt. Für solche Länder hatten Union und SPD bereits in ihrem Koalitionsvertrag im März 2018 einen teilweisen Exportstopp verhängt, aber eine Hintertür für bereits genehmigte Geschäfte offen gelassen. Anders als bei Saudi-Arabien wurden deswegen in die VAE auch nach dem Abschluss des Koalitionsvertrags immer wieder Lieferungen genehmigt.

Jetzt erhalten die Emirate drei Artillerie-Ortungsradarsysteme vom Typ "Cobra" aus deutsch-französischer Produktion mit Trägerfahrzeugen und Zubehör. Außerdem dürfen 55 Ersatzteile und Software für das System geliefert werden.

https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/ruestungsexporte-bundessicherheitsrat-101.html

und

(A K P)

Peter Altmaier verteidigt Rüstungsexport

Deutsche Rüstungsgüter dürfen nicht nach Saudi-Arabien geliefert werden. Bei Kooperationen sei aber die Vertragstreue entscheidend, so der Bundeswirtschaftsminister.

Andererseits haben wir gegenüber Frankreich und Großbritannien Verpflichtungen, wenn es um sogenannte Gemeinschaftsprojekte geht, an denen wir beteiligt sind. Hier müssen wir vertragstreu sein, und versprochene Komponenten liefern."

https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2019-04/saudi-arabien-jemen-peter-altmaier-ruestung-exporte-waffen

Mein Kommentar: Die Lieferung von Rüstungsgütern in Krisengebiete ist nach deutschem Recht verboten. – Das steht über solchen Verträgen.

Und

(A K P)

Neue Rüstungslieferungen an Saudi-Arabien stoßen auf Kritik

Neue deutsche Rüstungslieferungen an Saudi-Arabien stoßen bei Linkspartei und Grünen auf massive Kritik. "Der Bundesregierung kann es offensichtlich nicht schnell genug gehen mit der Rüstungsproduktion für die Jemen-Kriegsallianz", sagte Linken-Fraktionsvize Sevim Dagdelen.

"Deutsche und europäische Rüstungsgüter haben in Kriegen und in den Händen von Diktatoren nichts verloren", erklärte der auch der Grünen-Spitzenkandidat für die Europawahlen, Sven Giegold.

https://www.arte.tv/de/afp/neuigkeiten/neue-ruestungslieferungen-saudi-arabien-stossen-auf-kritik

und

(A K P)

Bayernpartei: Keine Waffenlieferungen an Saudi-Arabien

Nun ist es aus Sicht der Bayernpartei immer wieder bemerkenswert, dass man - zumindest nach außen - davon ausgehen kann, dass gelieferte Waffen nicht oder selektiv ("nur zur Verteidigung!") eingesetzt werden. Und dass in einem Konflikt wie dem Bürgerkrieg im Jemen, an dem sich die Saudis beteiligen, Zivilisten in erheblichem Maße mit-betroffen sind, ist ein klassischer "No-Brainer". Die Bayernpartei lehnt derartige Waffenlieferungen strikt ab. Beliefert man einen solchen Staat mit Waffen, dann entpuppen sich die pseudo-moralischen Anwürfe der Bundesregierung und der etablierten Politik - etwa in Richtung Ungarn oder Polen - als reine Heuchelei.

https://www.presseportal.de/pm/127746/4244233

(* A K P)

Germany exporting weapons to Saudi Arabia and UAE — reports

Germany's National Security Council, a secret security council consisting of Chancellor Angela Merkel and her chief ministers, has approved shipments of weapons parts to countries directly involved in the war in Yemen, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to several German media sources.

The approvals come two weeks after the German government extended a ban on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which was originally put in place after the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.That extension, however, made a conditional exception for systems developed jointly with other countries amid anger at the German ban among some European partners, notably France and Britain.

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-exporting-weapons-to-saudi-arabia-and-uae-reports/a-48296155

and also https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/04/12/593261/Germany-weapons-Saudi-Arabia-United-Arab-Emirates-Yemen-war-France

(A K P)

Jemen-Einsatz deutscher Soldaten ist zynisch

„Die Entsendung deutscher Soldaten als Teil einer UN-Mission zur Überwachung des Waffenstillstands in der jemenitischen Hafenstadt Hodeida ist vor dem Hintergrund anhaltender deutscher Waffenlieferungen an die Jemen-Kriegsallianz zynisch. Wenn die Bundesregierung der Zivilbevölkerung im Jemen wirklich helfen will, dann muss sie einen sofortigen und umfassenden Rüstungsexportstopp für alle Länder der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Kriegsallianz anordnen“, erklärt Heike Hänsel, stellvertretende Vorsitzende der Fraktion DIE LINKE.

https://www.heike-haensel.de/2019/04/10/jemen-einsatz-deutscher-soldaten-ist-zynisch/

(* B P)

Film: Ist Deutschland mit verantwortlich für Drohnenangriffe der USA?

Ist die Bundesrepublik Deutschland mit verantwortlich für tödliche Drohnenangriffe der USA? Darüber wurde im Oberverwaltungsgericht Münster verhandelt. Drei Jemeniten hatten geklagt, weil sie im Jahr 2012 zwei Angehörige verloren haben. Isabel Schayani und Falah Elias erklären das Urteil.

https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/wdrforyou/deutsch/wdrforyou-klagen-gegen-us-drohenangriffe-jemen-de-100.html

(A K P)

Film: Jemens Huthi-Rebellen posieren mit deutscher Aufklärungsdrohne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQahh8LE_Fw

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

Sudan: Siehe / Look at cp1

Frankreich / France: Siehe / Look at cp1

(A P)

Turkey freezes assets of Houthi leaders, Yemen's slain President Saleh

Turkey has frozen assets of three senior Yemeni Houthi militia leaders in line with U.N. Security Council sanctions against the rebels, the state's official gazette said on Thursday.

https://www.dailysabah.com/finance/2019/04/18/turkey-freezes-assets-of-houthi-leaders-yemens-slain-president-saleh

(A P)

La gauche réclame la "transparence" sur l'emploi au Yémen d'armes vendues par la France

Après les révélations sur l'utilisation d'armes vendues par la France à l'Arabie saoudite contre des civils yéménites, des personnalités de gauche ont demandé ce lundi des comptes à l'exécutif.

https://www.bfmtv.com/politique/la-gauche-reclame-la-transparence-sur-l-emploi-au-yemen-d-armes-vendues-par-la-france-1673767.html

(B P)

Bahrain detains state journalist over criticizing media ‘misinformation' on Yemen war

Ibrahim al-Shaikh, a writer with Akhbar al-Khaleej, was arrested on Monday after he authored an article which said journalists and analysts had been peddling lies about advances by Saudi-led coalition forces in war-torn Yemen, Arabic-language Lua Lua TV reported.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/04/16/593555/Bahrain-journalist-Ibrahim-Al-Shaikh--Akhbar-alKhaleej-Yemen-Saudi-Arabia

(* B P)

The Dis-United Arab Emirates

From the outset, the ruling families of the seven UAE states bickered over everything from territory to sharing financial resources. The Nahayan family used its influence to have Abu Dhabi declared the UAE capital and the Emir of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan and his successors named as presidents of the UAE.

Although Dubai soon became the commercial and architectural gem of the Arabian Peninsula, Abu Dhabi and the Nahayan family continued to exercise strong political control over the UAE.

A split began to emerge among the seven emirs. The smaller and poorer emirates of the north Sharjah, Ajman, Ras-al Khaimah, and Umm al Qaiwain were envious of the power wielded by the rulers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

As can be seen with the palace rivalries among the emirates of the UAE and the monarchies in the GCC, the region is prone to outside provocateurs and influence-peddlers. The fact that Broidy, Kushner, and Blackwater founder Erik Prince whose sister is Donald Trump's Education Secretary have all shown up in the area marketing their "wares," comes as no surprise – by Wyne Madsen

https://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Dis-United-Arab-Emirat-by-Wayne-Madsen-Arab_Arab-League_Cooperation_Economic-190412-375.html

(B P)

@uaegov sponsors extremist #Kuwaiti preacher Othman AlKhamis for a #UAE tour https://twitter.com/Wesal_TV/status/1116679722874953728 … @Pontifex AlKhamis is a known icon of takfeer & extremism

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1118244459987263488

https://twitter.com/Wesal_TV/status/1116679722874953728 (photos)

(B P)

UAE: Free Rights Defender Ahmed Mansoor

UAE authorities should immediately free Ahmed Mansoor, an award-winning human rights activist whose health has been deteriorating rapidly as he carries out a hunger strike he began nearly a month ago, Human Rights Watch said today.

Following an unfair trial, Mansoor was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May 2018 based on his peaceful calls for reform. A source close to Mansoor, who is on hunger strike to protest his unjust imprisonment, said that his health is worsening, and he appears to have suffered massive weight loss.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/12/uae-free-rights-defender-ahmed-mansoor

(A P)

Egypt withdraws from U.S.-led anti-Iran security initiative - sources

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mesa-egypt-exclusive/exclusive-egypt-withdraws-from-us-led-anti-iran-security-initiative-sources-idUSKCN1RM2WU

and

(* A B P)

IS TRUMP'S ANTI-IRAN ARAB COALITION FALLING APART? EGYPT REPORTEDLY WITHDRAWS FROM 'ARAB NATO'

An Arab source explained to the news agency that Egypt had expressed several reasons for withdrawing, including that it doubted the seriousness of the initiative and concerns that the organization would increase tensions with Iran.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-iran-arab-coalition-egypt-1393808

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

Siehe / Look at cp1

(B K P)

Bahraini military operating M-ATV vehicles

The Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) has revealed it has been operating Oshkosh M-ATV light armoured vehicles in Yemen.

The footage used to illustrate the BDF's involvement in Yemenshowed a convoy of more than 20 M-ATVs – some of them flying Bahraini flags – moving along a road in a desert area.

https://www.janes.com/article/87909/bahraini-military-operating-m-atv-vehicles

(* B P)

The full extent of US arms deals with Saudi Arabia and UAE

The #UnitedStates has struck at least $68.2bn worth of deals for firearms, bombs, weapons systems, and military training with #SaudiArabia and the #UnitedArabEmirates since the start of their war in #Yemen – billions more than previously reported

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=281081616156244

(* B K P)

UK, France should join German Saudi arms embargo

But in the end, Germany chose to uphold EU regulations and help spare embattled Yemeni civilians.

But despite the German government's decision to halt arms sales, loopholes remain.

Stopping arms exports to the parties committing serious violations of the laws of war in Yemen is the only position in line with EU obligations.

Rather than blame Germany, France and the UK should follow its lead and join other European states that have stood up for human rights.

https://euobserver.com/opinion/144634

(? B K P)

Russia and China Target Middle East Arms Deals

The shift in a major defense market long dominated by U.S. and European companies sparks concern in Washington over sales and security

Russia and China are stepping up their efforts to woo Persian Gulf arms buyers, encroaching on a market long dominated by the U.S. and Europe and raising security concerns in Washington (subscribers only)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-and-china-target-middle-east-arms-deals-11554555600

(* A K P)

Moscow Delivers Deadly Rocket Artillery to Wrong Side of the Saudi War in Yemen

Saudi Arabia takes delivery of Russian thermobaric missiles launcher. Inevitably they will end up used in Yemen where Saudis are the aggressor

It’s one thing to sell the Saudis air defense systems which are only of use against adversaries with an air force, especially ones with a more powerful airforce, and another thing to sell them weapons that will be extremely useful in further victimizing the Yemenis.

Saudi Arabia has taken delivery of its first TOS-1 multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) from Russia.

A pair of images emerged on social media on April 9, 2019, appearing to show the TOS-1A MLRS in Saudi Arabia, after a delivery to the kingdom.

A source in the Russian defense industry, speaking to Sputnik International, confirmed the delivery

https://www.checkpointasia.net/saudi-arabia-takes-delivery-of-russian-rocket-artillery-expect-to-see-them-in-yemen-soon/

and

(* A K P)

Russia Delivers Flamethrower Systems to Saudi Arabia — Reports

Saudi Arabia has received its first batch of heavy flamethrower systems from Russia, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday.

Russia signed a deal to supply its “Sunburn” military equipment to Saudi Arabia in 2017. (photo)

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/04/10/russia-delivers-flamethrower-systems-to-saudi-arabia-reports-a65185

(* A K P)

Saudi Arabia Buys THAAD Missile System from Lockheed Martin for $2.5 Billion

Lockheed Martin Corp. is being awarded a $2,457,390,566 modification (P00015) to a previously-awarded contract HQ0147-17-C-0032 for the production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors and associated one-shot devices to support the U.S. government (USG) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case requirements, learned BulgarianMilitary.com, quoting Army Recognition.

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2019/04/11/saudi-arabia-buys-thaad-missile-system-from-lockheed-martin-for-2-5-billion

(* B K P)

No Italian-produced aerial bombs sold to Riyadh in 2018

Exports to Saudi Arabia fall, no licenses to export for RWM

The value of Italian arms exports to Riyadh fell from 427 million euros in 2016 to just 13 million euros in 2018, which placed Saudi Arabia outside of Italy's top 25 export destination countries, the report said.

http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2019/04/11/no-italian-produced-aerial-bombs-sold-to-riyadh-in-2018_4394ab76-e4e1-4568-87ca-3afd4e182168.html

cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* B K P)

Bad news out of #Sudan after its military juntas found to be #Saudi pawns to send even more #Sudanese as Saudi mercenaries to #Yemen & other upcoming wars. The uprising to end dictatorship has not succeeded yet.

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1118488714227912704

(* B K P)

Sudanese troops to remain in Yemen: military council

The deputy head of the Transitional Military Council (TCC), Lt Gen Mohamad Hamdan Daglo (Hemetti) Monday said the Sudanese troops will remain in the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

The Sudanese army has been participating in the Saudi-led military coalition since 2015

"We are sticking to our commitments to the coalition and will keep our forces until the alliance achieves its objectives," Hemetti told the official SUNA.

Several opposition groups including the National Umma Party of Sadiq al-Mahdi voiced in the past their opposition to the Sudanese participation in the operation.

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article67376

and also https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/4/15/sudan-troops-to-remain-in-arab-alliance-in-yemen

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-pledges-continue-supporting-saudi-led-coalition-yemen

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190416-military-council-sudan-troops-to-stay-in-yemen/

cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy

Siehe / Look at cp1

(B E)

Film: Left Sanaa on April 8th when fuel crisis began. Arrived 2 Aden w/ fuel crisis as well. Ppl have 2 either wait at stations for hours or buy fuel from black market, tripled price! Yet land is identified as "houthi controlled areas" & "liberated areas".Very different indeed!

https://twitter.com/HanaalShowafi/status/1118211918047653889

(* B E P)

An Economic Roadmap to Humanitarian Relief in Yemen

Washington should accelerate common-sense economic efforts that can help right away, even as the fraught, slow-moving UN peace process continues.

As the troubled peace process moves forward, the United States should take urgent parallel steps to help millions of Yemenis, from improving household purchasing power to stabilizing the currency and making food more affordable.

WHAT IS ACCELERATING THE CRISIS?

Yemen suffered from poverty, malnutrition, unsafe water, and poor sanitation before the war, but the fighting since 2015 has sharply exacerbated these problems.

Currency collapse

Nonpayment of salaries

Rising cost of humanitarian goods

AN ECONOMIC ROADMAP

The most efficient solution is to improve household purchasing power, but doing so requires a greater market supply of basic commodities, lower commodity prices, a stable currency, and improved incomes. Toward that end, policymakers should consider the following actionable steps:

Dollarize Yemen’s economy.

Ramp up energy exports.

Restore salary payments.

Facilitate trade.

Maximize access points.

IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. POLICY

The United States has strong incentives for mitigating Yemen’s humanitarian disaster, which is not only an affront to U.S. values and global leadership, but also a threat to U.S. interests. The crisis is gravely damaging Saudi and Emirati relations with the U.S. Congress, while Iran is strengthening its foothold in the area and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is developing new safe havens in deprived communities – by David Harden and Michael Knights

https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/an-economic-roadmap-to-humanitarian-relief-in-yemen

and also as a thread in Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mikeknightsiraq/status/1118170356618022913

My comment: Serious ideas mixed with propaganda, by an US Israel lobby think tank (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Institute_for_Near_East_Policy). The article is whitewashing the Saudi blockade. It’s base is US “global leadership”, i. e. US worldwide imperialism. “U.S. values” is a phantom of propaganda.

(A E P)

Yemeni Central Bank lowers riyal value and raises exchange rate to 495 riyals per dollars

The central bank of Yemen on Wednesday announced a new official devaluation of the local currency against US dollar, saying that it had adopted a new exchange rate for imports at 495 riyals per dollar, instead of the previous exchange rate of 440 riyals.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/166455

My remark: Central Bank at Aden-

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A T)

A likely U.S. drone strike killed two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fighters in Mahliyah district in Ma’rib governorate in central Yemen on April 15.[1]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-april-16-2019

cp15 Propaganda

(A P)

Film: A Conversation with the Foreign Minister of Yemen

On April 11th, IPI hosted a Global Leaders Series presentation featuring H.E. Mr. Khaled H. Alyemany, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Yemen. IPI Vice President Adam Lupel moderated the conversation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_9XQ--eXLI

(A P)

Humanitarian Organizations Impede the Liberation of Yemen

The biggest mistake was to capitulate to the demands of the Houthis instead of fighting them. By accepting one truce after another, the international community enabled the Houthi militias to retain their weapons and establish firm control over large swaths of land. The human rights abuses committed by the Houthis have long exceeded those committed by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Yet the international community has been forgiving of these crimes. The only way to end the war in Yemen is to unequivocally block Iran’s expansion into the Gulf and to fight its proxy, the Houthis, with an iron fist.

https://themedialine.org/mideast-mindset/humanitarian-organizations-impede-the-liberation-of-yemen/

(A P)

Orientations to designate Houthi movement as terrorist

Yemen Ambassador to Washington Ahmed bin Mubaraks has revealed that there are international orientations to designate the Houthi Movement as terrorist, “but the designation is delayed to give the Houthis a chance to engage in peace”.

In an interview with the Saudi Okaze newspaper, bin Mubarak asserted that the Houthis represent the Iranian interest in Yemen, and that US officials knows that well.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-29208

My comment: „international orientations“: it’s the US.

(A P)

Yemen's Houthi militia storing aircraft near neighborhoods in Sanaa: Arab coalition

The Iran-backed Houthi militia are storing aircraft near populated neighborhoods in the militant-held capital, Sanaa, according to the Arab coalition fighting to support the government in Yemen.

www.arabnews.com/node/1482831/saudi-arabia

My comment: Claiming for more pretenses for further bombing campaigns against civilian targets.

(A P)

Arab, Int’l Powers Welcome Extraordinary Yemen Parliament Session

Arab and international powers welcomed on Saturday the resumption of parliament sessions in Yemen.

Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jaber congratulated Yemeni officials for holding the session, saying it reflected the people’s determination to restore their state and put an end to the agenda of the Iran-backed Houthi militias.
The United States State Department congratulated Yemeni lawmakers, saying

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1678311/arab-int%E2%80%99l-powers-welcome-extraordinary-yemen-parliament-session

(A P)

Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi: A wolf in sheep’s clothes

The Houthi leader likes to portray himself as an underdog — but his violent ideology tells a different story

When it comes to preaching hate and unleashing terror, the Yemeni rebel leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi stands right beside Osama bin Laden, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Iranian militia strongman Qassim Soleimani and Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

The Iranian-aligned Houthis have always been renegades. Hiding in the mountains of Sadah in northern Yemen, they ran a parallel autonomous entity and never sought involvement in any peace process or power sharing. And in late 2014, while the Yemeni political class and military were embroiled in a power struggle, the Houthis seized the opportunity to take over the country.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1482546/middle-east

(A P)

Why the Western perspective of Gulf must change

The Arab world in general and the Middle East in particular have moved on

Western perception of the Middle East is often flawed and not factual. The region has its own unique dynamics and it is fast evolving. Why the Western pundits get it so wrong could simply be a manifestation of their outdated, self-inflated mindsets — one that still looks at its erstwhile colonies as if they fall under the shadow of the empire. People grow up and change in the course of maturity, so do nations and states. The Western world needs to understand this: the Arab world in general and the Gulf region in particular have moved on. It is a place of entrepreneurship and vision.

https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/why-the-western-perspective-of-gulf-must-change-1.63268066

My comment: This seems to start quite true, but it is UAEpropaganda.

(A P)

UAE works to safeguard UN peace efforts in Yemen

The UAE drive supporting peace efforts comes when the Iran-allied Houthi rebels have not fulfilled their end of the deal reached in Sweden in December.

https://thearabweekly.com/uae-works-safeguard-un-peace-efforts-yemen

(A P)

Al-Yamani: The Security Council has not holding its responsibilities to date despite the reports of the Panel of Experts

Yemeni Foreign Minister Khalid al-Yamani said the international community has enough evidence of what the Houthi militias and those behind it “Iran” are doing and their subversive role in Yemen.

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166500

(A P)

Yemen PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Exploit Peace Talks to Prepare for War

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed stressed that Operation Decisive Storm was the strongest signal against Iran’s hostile agenda against the Arab nation and its proxy, the Houthi militias, in Yemen.
On the fourth anniversary of the launch of the operation, Asharq Al-Awsat sat down with Saeed to assess peace prospects in his war-torn country.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1675891/yemen-pm-asharq-al-awsat-houthis-exploit-peace-talks-prepare-war

(A P)

Houthis deprive 2 million children of education

Minister of Education Dr. Abdullah Lamlas said that over two million Yemeni children being deprived of education in schools and 3,000 schools have been destroyed due to the Houthi militia war in Yemen.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3957

My comment: LOL. It’s mostly by Saudi air raids.

(A P)

Mujali: national army is able to restore the legal state

Spokesman of the national army forces Brig. Gen. Abdu Mujali said Houthi militia is full responsible for the death of 13 persons, injury of 100 others including children two days ago in the capital Sana’a.
“The terrorists Houthi militia’s use of Sa’wan residential neighborhood in Sana’a as an arm depots and workshops from making explosives is war crime against humanity and stark violation to the International laws and norms,

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3951

(A P)

More Saudi coalition “We are benefactors” propaganda

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3967

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3960

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3958

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3952

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

(* A K pH)

Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day

April 16: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1555502534./1286543071496055/

April 15: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1555502534./1286541044829591/

April 14: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1555385944./1285092841641078/

April 13: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1284412505042445/

April 12: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1555217402./1283722768444752/

April 11: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1283721471778215/

April 10: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1283710005112695/

(A K pH)

In Hajjah, a child was killed and 7 civilians were injured with a US-Saudi airstrike targeted a car and a motorcycle in Mustaba district.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6433&cat_id=1

Hajjah: Pictures of the crime of aggression on a car and a water tanker of a citizen in Al-Khamis area in the Directorate of Mastaba that led to the death of a citizen and wounding 7 others, including children 16-4-2019

https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/2011520572477260

(A K pS)

Coalition announces targeting of a manufacturing workshop and warehouse for al-Houthi drones in Sana'a

A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen, Turki al-Maliki, announced that the coalition fighters have launched, "a qualitative military operation to destroy two military targets," belonging to Houthis in the capital Sana'a, at dawn on Wednesday.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/166460

My remark: Actually, a plastic factory and residential houses had been hit.

(* A H K)

'Crying all the time': Survivors of deadly Sanaa school bombing left reeling

Classes were about to break up for lunch when two bombs struck nearby Al-Ra'ai School, leaving death and destruction in its wake

Samia* has been crying since noon on Sunday when alleged Saudi-led coalition air strikes killed five of her classmates at the Al-Ra’ai School in Sanaa’s Sawan neighbourhood.

Samia, 12, was studying when two bombs targeted the residential area where she lives. She told MEE that she was terrified as she watched friends die and others sustain serious injuries, with sections of the building falling around her.

But life has not been the same from Samia and her family. Samia’s father Saeed* told MEE: “I was in my house when the first bombing happened and I saw the smoke of the bombing near to the school.”

Saeed set off for the school in an instant.

“Immediately, I thought about my daughter and I ran towards the school. The next bombing happened while I was on my way. I couldn’t get to the school easily because there were many people going to look for their children,” he said.

“While I was trying to reach the school, I saw people bring dead and injured students, and I was trying to recognise if my daughter was one of them,” he added.

The scene was hectic. Children were crying, ambulance sirens wailed. Finally, Saeed saw Samia. “Someone was trying to calm her and her classmates, but she was shouting,” he said.

She was not injured critically and was far luckier than her classmates, he said.

Psychologist Sayun Fadhel, who works as a consultant in Sanaa, told MEE that the sound of bombing alone could be enough to cause long-term post-traumatic stress for the children who lived through the attack.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/crying-all-time-survivors-deadly-sanaa-school-bombing-left-reeling

and

(A K)

Yemen in Focus: Who killed Sanaa's schoolchildren?

Though the death of the schoolchildren in Yemen's capital remains undisputed, the cause of the deaths has proven to be a topic of debate.

Ali Ahmed, a wounded student, said, "We suddenly heard a fighter jet while we were at school. We then heard the first strike. We remained calm. Then came the second strike and then the third, which was the strongest of them all.

"The building was damaged and we were injured by broken glass. As the fourth airstrike came in, we panicked and ran home."

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2019/4/12/yemen-in-focus-who-killed-sanaas-schoolchildren

My comment: A “debate” on this is rather odd. The schoolchildren will have known. It’s the West taking serious Saudi denials.

Comment: According to the #UN it was an 'unknown blast'. Children heard the fighter-jets and then the explosion. But we know: these rascal #Yemen-i children are biased. They think the war is all about killing them. (prove them wrong)

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/2222526267800391

(A K)

Social media interaction about a hashtag says “my daughter died while she is hungry.” This woman lost her daughter in Saudi-led collation airstrikes in a school in Saawan neighborhood.She went to give her daughter the breakfast, however, she found her burning.

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1118300552096571392

(A K pH)

Information Minister reassures health conditions number of wounded in Sunday's saudi-led crime in Sawan

They listened to a number of doctors of the hospital who gave explanation about the health status of the students and the care they receive

The Minister of Information praised the accumulated experience of doctors in the military hospital

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news532594.htm

and

(* A K)

Film: Yemen air raid: Thousands attend children's funerals in Sanaa

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/yemen-air-raid-thousands-attend-childrens-funerals-sanaa-190411063847368.html = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2cRf9hFpkU

(A K pH)

More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:

April 17: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6452 Ibb p., Hajjah p.

April 16: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6433&cat_id=1 Asir, KSA

April 14: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6396 and http://www.sabanews.net/en/news532981.htm Hajjah p.

April 13: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news532748.htm Saada p.

April 12: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6366 Sanaa p.

(* A B K P)

Investigators find technical fault led to civilian deaths in Yemen airstrike

The report was one of several published by the Joint Incident Assessment Team on Wednesday

JIAT was set up by the coalition to investigate allegations of human rights violations in Yemen

Arab coalition airstrikes in 2015 that killed 20 civilians in Yemen were targeting a compound used by Houthi commanders, investigators have found.

The airstrikes destroyed four houses in the Al-Hasba neighborhood in the north of the capital Sanaa, which is held by Houthi militants.

The Arab Coalition’s Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) said on Wednesday that the site was a legitimate military target but a technical fault meant two of the four bombs hit buildings 80 and 150 meters away.

A Human Rights Watch report alleged that of the 20 people killed in the airstrikes on Sept. 21, 2015, 18 were from the same family, including 11 children and six women.

“Furthermore, ground intelligence confirmed that there were Houthi commanders meeting late at that night in the seized building,” the JIAT report said.

It added that the coalition should “review and rectify” the technical fault and provide assistance for the human losses and material damage that took place at the two buildings incorrectly hit.

The report was one of several published by the JIAT on Wednesday. They were announced by JIAT spokesman Mansour Ahmed Al-Mansour in Riyadh.

In another alleged incident in May of the same year, the National Committee to Investigate Human Rights Violations in Yemen, reported that 14 people were killed when the coalition aircraft fired four missiles in a neigborhood in Al-Mudhaffar, Taiz governorate. The committee alleged that one missile fell on a house and the second missile fell beside a mosque.

The JIAT report, however, said the allegations were inaccurate and that the guided bombs had hit their targets and not the houses claimed by the committee, the nearest of which was 240 meters away.

The report found “highly reliable” intelligence had shown a gathering of Houthi militants and military equipment, including air-defense missiles.

Reports into five other incidents were also published by the JIAT.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1484086/saudi-arabia

My comment: The purpose of this JIAT body isn’t “investigation”, it’s whitewashing and deceiving the international public – and giving a pretense to western allied governments for justifying selling more arms. Fot the Sept. 21, 2015 raid look at http://poorworld.net/Yemen/YemenImages299.htm and following (part 1–10); air raid at Taiz province: http://poorworld.net/Yemen/YemenImages51.htm

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

Siehe / Look at cp1b

(A K pH)

April 17: In Saada, populated areas of Munabih border district were hit by Saudi missiles and artillery shells, causing severe damage to homes and property.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6452

(A K)

The Saudi-led coalition and Hadi government forces launched a new offensive against the al Houthi movement in Hiran district in Hajjah governorate in northern Yemen on April 16. The coalition conducted multiple airstrikes against al Houthi forces. Al Houthi forces repelled the offensive, according to al Houthi media.[3]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-april-17-2019

(A K pH)

Saudi Mercenaries Inflicted Heavy Losses in Najran and Jizan

Dozens of Saudi fighters and their mercenaries killed and injured on Wednesday when the Yemeni army and their allies from popular committees repulsed Saudi mercenaries’ infiltration and carried out an offensive operation against them in Jizan and Najran .

http://www.newnewss.net/saudi-mercenaries-inflicted-heavy-losses-in-najran-and-jizan/

and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6450

My remark: In Saudi territory.

(A K pS)

Al-Baydha .. Fierce battles in Thi Na’em ended by the Houthis control of the strategic Halmoos mountain

Fierce battles have taken place over the past two days in the district of al-Baydha in the central Yemeni province, where Houthi fighters have made significant progress.

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166677

(A K pS)

Two children killed by a war-leftover explosion west of Ibb province

two children were killed by a projectile explosion left over by the Houthi militia's war on a town in Ibb Central province of the country.

According to the source, two children in the Sha'awer area of the Al-Odain district, west of Ibb Province, found and tampered with a projectile of remnants of war launched by the Houthis in mid-2016, which exploded and killed them instantly.

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166671

(A K pH)

IN VIDEOS: HOUTHIS POUND POSITIONS OF SAUDI-LED FORCES IN YEMEN

https://southfront.org/in-videos-houthis-pound-positions-of-saudi-led-forces-in-yemen/

(A K pH)

Film: Targeting a camp of Sudanese mercenaries following the forces of aggression with the missile Badr F 16-04-2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGgIxfWQo_M

(A K pH)

Film: Targeting groups of hypocrites in one of the sites of aggression with the missile Badr F 16-04-2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFG3M-2137Y

(A K pS)

Coalition Foils Houthi Attempt to Target Yemen Parliament with 11 Drones

The Arab Coalition revealed Monday that it has foiled a plot by Houthi militias to target Yemen’s Parliament, which has been holding sessions in the eastern city of Seiyun since last Saturday.
“Since the start of legislative sessions, the Coalition has shot down 11 drones that the Iranian-backed Houthis launched to obstruct the political and parliamentary process in Yemen,” Coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1681141/coalition-foils-houthi-attempt-target-yemen-parliament-11-drones

and also https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166643

My remark: As claimed by the Saudis. For this parliament session, look at cp6a.

(A K pS)

A woman and a child were injured as a result of an armed confrontation in Taiz governorate

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1117564452663111681

(* A K pS)

5 children and youth from one family killed and injured in a landmine blast in al-Jawf

A boy and a young man were killed and three others from the family of "Hamad Mutlaq" were injured, two of them seriously injured, when a mine exploded in a car on their way to sell their firewood in the city of al-Hazm, the capital of the province, a source in al- Jawf told the Al-Masdar online.

The mine was planted by elements working for the al-Houthi group

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166611

and also https://republicanyemen.net/archives/16475

Photo: https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1117862116692758528

(A K pH)

Film: Preliminary scenes of the wounded bombing mercenaries aggression in the province of Taiz 15-04-2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d-6AvmXSj0

(* B K pH)

The Media Ignores the Yemen Missile Program. This Infographic Details Everything

The revolutionary government led by Ansarullah began domestic Yemen missile production almost immediately after Saudi Arabia initiated its airstrike campaign in March of 2015. A History of the Yemen Missile Program for Defense

On June 6, 2015, just a few months after the Saudis proudly announced destroying weapons stockpiles, Yemen’s Rocketry Force revealed its first domestically produced ballistic missile: a modified Scud with a range of over 800 km which Yemeni forces used to attack the King Khalid Bin Abdulaziz Airport in southern Saudi Arabia.

To the surprise of Saudi Arabia and its allies, Yemen’s missile production continued expanding at a rapid rate.

What or Who is Behind the Yemen Missile Program?

Saudi Arabia and its coalition allies routinely blame Iran for supporting Ansarullah’s ballistic missile program but the evidence simply doesn’t exist to prove this.

In fact, documents from the Yemeni Ministry of Defense show that both the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) purchased ballistic missiles from the Soviet Union and Korea during the Cold War in the 1980s and onward.

In fact, the late Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh was a close ally of former U.S. President George W. Bush during the early years of the “War on Terror.” During that time, Saleh received substantial military assistance — at least $400 million worth of weapons and equipment — from the United States. The Ansarullah movement and its allies took control of the weapon storage facilities during the 2014 revolution -by Randi Nord

https://www.veteranstoday.com/2019/04/13/the-media-ignores-the-yemen-missile-program-this-infographic-details-everything/

(A K pH)

April 14: In Sa'ada, Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted populated villages in Munabbih district.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6396

(A K pH)

April 13: enemy rocketry, artillery hit Saada

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news532748.htm

(A K pH)

April 12: In Sa'ada, Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted populated villages in Munabbih border district, damaging civilians' houses and properties.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6366

(* A K)

The Saudi Navy fired several missiles at al Houthi fighters in Abs district in Hajjah governorate in northwestern Yemen on April 12. Forces aligned with President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government have been attempting to seize the coastal Abs district since March 28.[1]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-april-12-2019

My comment: The real threat for international shipping in the Red Sea: The Saudi navy.

(A K pS)

KSrelief MASAM Project Clears 993 Mines in Yemen Planted by Houthi Militias

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1911944

(A K pS)

Coalition defenses destroy a Houthi drone near Seiyun airport

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/166459

http://en.adenpress.news/news/3953

photos: https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/1116286854863753221

film: https://www.facebook.com/groups/178437079767851/permalink/276942096584015/

and

Saudi-led coalition reportedly shoots down its own drone

However, when was released the first images from the crash site, it turned out that the coalition air defense shot down one of the Saudi Arabian CH-4B armed reconnaissance medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle.

https://defence-blog.com/news/saudi-led-coalition-reportedly-shoots-down-its-own-drone.html

and

Downing of the second Drone in Seiyun in less than 24 hours

"The specialists identified the quality, specifications and trajectory of the two drones, which were destroyed in the sky of the Seiyun city of Hadramawt," the governor told a press conference.

https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166498

and

(A K pH)

Armed Forces Spokesman Denies Military Operations, Hadhramaut during Past Hours

"The last pretext was hours ago, claiming that our forces' drones were shot down over Hadhramaut."

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6345

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

(A D)

Film: Yemen - A ceremony honoring the participants in the festival for tourism and cultural heritage

The Cultural festival for tourism and cultural heritage, organized by the Civil Democratic Movement in Aden Governorate held a ceremony honoring the participants of the festival for tourism and cultural heritage held in Aden, 2017 and 2018

https://arab24.com/portal/index.php/arab24-stories/yemen/item/14686-2019-04-17-12-02-16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1jD0pytpVk

(* B)

Yemeni Artist's Murals Depict Costs of War

As the war in Yemen continues to inflict suffering on its millions of civilians, a Yemeni graffiti artist is taking her art to the streets of Sanaa to draw images of war and hunger in the conflict-torn country.
Haifa Subay, 28, is weaponizing her art to disseminate messages of peace at home and to try to bring the world's attention to the toll that war has taken on Yemenis, particularly women and children.
"I wanted to send a message of peace, a plea to stop the fighting and alleviate the suffering caused by the ongoing war," Subay told VOA from her home in Sanaa.
Subay said her art campaign focuses on various humanitarian and social consequences of the conflict, including famine, land mines, displacement, child soldiers, child marriage and domestic violence against women. She chose Sanaa's most populated areas to make sure her striking art is seen by as many people as possible (photos9

https://www.voanews.com/a/yemeni-artist-s-murals-depict-costs-of-war/4880996.html

(A K)

Migrating vulture is seized as a SPY by militants in Yemen after they spot a wildlife group's GPS tracker on its leg

The young griffon, known as Nelson, was taken captive in the Yemeni city of Taiz

The bird had a GPS transmitter on its leg as part of an environmental project

Pro-government militants battling Iran-backed rebels feared it was a spy plot

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6931217/Migrating-vulture-seized-SPY-militants-Yemen.html

(B D)

Drug Control: US-Saudi Aggression Seeks to Fill up Yemen with Drugs

The General Director of Drug Control, Brigadier Majid Al-Qayifi, said on Tuesday that the aggression seeks to fill up the country with drugs. He also said that the US-Saudi aggression allows the entry of large quantities of drugs across the Yemeni coasts and facilities the entry of drug dealers.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6435

My remark: By the Sanaa government.

(* B P)

All the King’s Consultants

The Perils of Advising Authoritarians

Experts play valuable and highly visible roles advising leaders in wealthy liberal democracies and international institutions. But far less is known about what they do—and to what effect—for authoritarian regimes and developing countries. That’s a problem, because autocratic leaders from China to Saudi Arabia increasingly rely on experts, especially from top consulting firms, universities, and think tanks in the West. In 2017, the consulting market in the Gulf monarchies topped $2.8 billion, with Saudi Arabia accounting for almost half of that amount, according to Source Global Research. Experts and the institutions they work for have sometimes appeared unprepared to handle the potential pitfalls of operating in authoritarian contexts. In recent months, experts who assist regimes associated with human rights violations, corruption, and other wrongdoing—and often charge hefty fees—have provoked growing public criticism, both in the United States, where many are based, and in the countries where they operate.

In principle, experts seek to rationalize governmental decision-making and enhance legitimacy, and the evidence suggests that they often achieve those goals in open political environments. But do they succeed on either count under authoritarian conditions? Should they even try?

To shed light on such questions, I spent 19 months between 2009 and 2017 conducting field research in the Middle East, focusing on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other Gulf monarchies where foreign experts work closely with rulers on almost all aspects of governance. I interviewed scores of advisers from major consulting firms and universities and dozens of ruling elites (including one ruling monarch).

I found that expert consultants sometimes help regimes govern better, but their efficacy and influence wane over time, especially as they become less willing to speak candidly about the obstacles to progress. What is more, working with expert advisers generally does not enhance the legitimacy of an autocratic regime—in fact, quite the reverse.

Leaders enlisting outside experts is hardly a new phenomenon. But the depth of expert involvement with authoritarian regimes is growing, along with the range of areas in which such experts consult – by Calwert W. Jones

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/persian-gulf/2019-04-16/all-kings-consultants

(C D)

Children from #Hadhramaut, South #Yemen. date unknown. Danmission Picture Archive

https://www.facebook.com/UsedtoLiveinYemen/photos/a.228849524211445/651560215273705/?type=3&theater

Vorige / Previous

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-527-yemen-war-mosaic-527

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-527/ Yemen War Mosaic 1-527:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:

(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)

http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/

http://www.yemenwar.info/

und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

Dieser Beitrag gibt die Meinung des Autors wieder, nicht notwendigerweise die der Redaktion des Freitag.
Geschrieben von

Dietrich Klose

Vielfältig interessiert am aktuellen Geschehen, zur Zeit besonders: Ukraine, Russland, Jemen, Rolle der USA, Neoliberalismus, Ausbeutung der 3. Welt

Dietrich Klose

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