US: No more cluster bombs for Saudi Arabia? - Germany, partner of Saudi Arabia - Federalism - Dengue fever - Peace talks - Heavy fighting and air attacks - and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche/ UN and peace talks
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
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**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
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
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
28.5.2016 – Sputnik News (** A K P)
Zivilopfer im Jemen durch Riads Streubombeneinsatz – USA stellen Lieferungen ein
Das Weiße Haus hat angeordnet, die Lieferung von Streubomben an Saudi-Arabien wegen der wachsenden Zahl an Zivilopfern im Jemen einzustellen, berichtet die Zeitschrift „The Foreign Policy“ (FP) unter Berufung auf US-Beamte.
Streubomben sind weltweit in über 100 Staaten verboten. Doch nach Informationen des Blatts hat Washington an Riad in den letzten Jahren Streubomben im Wert von Millionen von Dollar verkauft.
Bei der Begründung des Lieferstopps habe ein hochrangiger US-Beamte auf einen Bericht Bezug genommen, demzufolge Saudi-Arabien Streubomben in „Bereichen einsetzte, wo sich vermutlich Zivilisten befanden“.
„Wir nehmen solche Berichten ernst und versuchen, zusätzliche Informationen zu sammeln“, sagte der Beamte laut FP. Das Einfrieren der Lieferungen gilt für US-Streubomben des Typs CBU-105.
Saudi-Arabien habe seinerseits versprochen, die Vorfälle mit angeblichen Opfern unter der Zivilbevölkerung im Jemen-Konflikt zu untersuchen. Dies solle es ermöglichen, in der Zukunft Zivilopfer zu vermeiden.
FP zufolge bleibt es jedoch ungewiss, ob das Einfrieren die aktuelle Lieferung von Streubomben an Saudi-Arabien betrifft oder nur künftige Bestellungen. 2013 hatte Washington mit Riad einen Vertrag über die Herstellung von 1.300 Streubomben des Typs CBU-105 geschlossen. Es könne noch Jahre dauern, bis die letzte Lieferung laut diesem Vertrag erfolgt. Der Beamte wollte diese Frage gegenüber FP nicht erläutern.
http://de.sputniknews.com/panorama/20160528/310188521/streubomben-zivilopfer-jemen.html
27.5.2016 – Foreign Policy (** A K P)
Exclusive: White House Blocks Transfer of Cluster Bombs to Saudi Arabia
Riyadh’s air war in Yemen has killed and injured hundreds of civilians. Washington is finally trying to stem the carnage.
Frustrated by a growing death toll, the White House has quietly placed a hold on the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia as the Sunni ally continues its bloody war on Shiite rebels in Yemen, U.S. officials tell Foreign Policy. It’s the first concrete step the United States has taken to demonstrate its unease with the Saudi bombing campaign that human rights activists say has killed and injured hundreds of Yemeni civilians, many of them children.
The move follows rising criticism by U.S. lawmakers .
Asked about the hold on the shipments, a senior U.S. official cited reports that the Saudi-led coalition used cluster bombs “in areas in which civilians are alleged to have been present or in the vicinity.”
“We take such concerns seriously and are seeking additional information,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The hold applies to CBU-105 cluster bombs manufactured by the U.S.-based firm Textron Systems. According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, Saudi-led forces have dropped CBU-105 munitions in multiple locations around Yemen, including Al-Amar, Sanhan, Amran, and the Al-Hayma port.
Responding to humanitarian concerns, the United States has scaled back exports of cluster bombs and demanded changes in the munitions’ performance, such as banning those with a higher fraction of submunitions that do not explode on impact. A 2009 U.S. law prohibits exporting cluster bombs that have a failure rate of above 1 percent. It also says the weapons cannot be used “where civilians are known to be present” and only against “clearly defined military targets.”
The CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon has been touted for meeting the 1 percent requirement. But a February report by Human Rights Watch cited evidence the weapon was used in two attacks in Yemen, and had a failure rate that exceeded 1 percent.
The Obama administration has issued several statements of “concern” about the violence in Yemen, but has yet to formally announce any reduction in military or tactical support for the coalition. A U.S. official touted the fact that Washington’s “engagement” with Riyadh has led to the kingdom’s commitment to an inquiry into civilian deaths in the conflict.
While praising the decision to hold the sale of cluster bombs to Riyadh, prominent humanitarian groups told FP it’s not enough.
It remains unclear if the Obama administration’s hold will affect a tranche of cluster bombs poised for shipment to Saudi Arabia, or simply all future requests. The United States concluded a contract for the manufacture of 1,300 CBU-105 weapons to Saudi Arabia in 2013. The final shipment of such weapons can take years to complete, but U.S. officials have repeatedly refused to clarify if the order’s final tranche was delivered. - by John Hudson
Comment by Mary Wareham: Pledge by @WhiteHouse to "halt" US cluster munition transfers to Saudi Arabia lacks clarity
https://twitter.com/marywareham/status/736327092317495296
Comments by Jamila Hanan: White House sells the cluster bombs, refuels the killer jets, then gets "frustrated " at death toll in #Yemen ?? https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/736461110673592320
...what did they expect when they fully armed a regime that sees no problem in stoning women to death and crucifying kids?
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/736461761851891712
27.5.2016 – Die Welt (** B P)
Bei diesem Regime folgt Merkel der Erdogan-Logik
Die Kanzlerin steht in der Kritik, weil sie die Türkei hofiert. Doch Berlin umgarnt auch einen anderen Staat – einen der undemokratischsten der Welt. Aber niemand scheint das zu stören.
Das Königreich ist für die Bundesregierung ein Anker der Stabilität im Nahen Osten und einer der Schlüsselstaaten, um den Krieg in Syrien zu beenden – und damit die Flüchtlingskrise zu lösen.
Dass Saudi-Arabien seit Jahrzehnten die Menschenrechte missachtet und sein Staatswesen auf ein radikal-konservatives Verständnis des Islam gründet, wird dabei von der Bundesregierung ausgeblendet. Auch deutsche Waffenlieferungen sind immer wieder umstritten.
Bei der Partnerschaft verfolgt die Kanzlerin eine Logik, die der gegenüber Erdogan ähnelt: besser ein autoritärer, stabiler Verbündeter als gar keiner. Die Türkei, deren Präsident die Macht immer stärker an sich reißt, wird in Deutschland heftig kritisiert. Das Königreich Saudi-Arabien, ein radikal-islamischer Staat, der auf dem Ranking der unfreiesten Staaten der Welt regelmäßig ganz oben steht, steht dagegen kaum im Fokus.
Doch die Beziehungen nach Riad werfen mindestens so viele ethisch-moralische Fragen auf wie jene nach Ankara. Zugleich gibt es eine ganz reale politische Gefahr: Das nach außen glänzende saudi-arabische Königshaus ist so unter Druck wie selten.
Ohne den Iran und Saudi-Arabien – die beiden mächtigsten Länder der Region – dürfte Frieden in Syrien Illusion bleiben.
Deshalb setzt Deutschland auf gute Beziehungen zu Saudi-Arabien. Auf gute Beziehungen zu einem fragwürdigen Partner. Wie auch die Türkei versuchen die Saudis mit autoritären Methoden, ihre Macht zu erhalten, befinden sich inmitten eines Krieges und sollen gleichzeitig in der Flüchtlingskrise Heilsbringer sein. Dennoch, so scheint es, hat die Bundesregierung bei diesem Verbündeten weniger Skrupel, dabei sind die Risiken noch deutlich größer als bei Erdogan – von Mareike Kürschner
Kommentar: Auch die kritische Lage Saudi-Arabiens wird hier ausführlich behandelt.
cp2 Allgemein / General
28.5.2016 – Fars News (* B K)
Over 2,500 Pro-Hadi Militias Killed in Yemen War
Hundreds of forces loyal to former fugitive President Mansour Hadi, including his senior commanders, have been killed during 13-month long Riyadh-led war against Yemen, pro-Hadi military sources disclosed on Saturday.
"Nearly 2,500 militias loyal to Hadi have been killed in clashes with Ansarullah fighters," the Arabic media outlets quoted an unnamed battlefield commander of Mansour Hadi as saying on Saturday.
His remarks came as Yemeni military commanders warned that the Riyadh government is preparing for full-fledged military operations against Yemen as it will enjoy Washington's support in the Southern parts of the Arab country.
"Saudi Arabia is planning to initiate a joint offensive on Yemeni army and popular forces with the US support," Senior Yemeni military commander Mohammad Salman al-Salman told FNA.
He pointed to the dispatch of 250 US soldiers to Yemen early May and their presence in al-Anad military airport in the Southern part of the Arab country, and said, "The presence of the US forces in Yemen has resulted in a rise in the number of pro-Hadi militias and Al-Qaeda terrorists in the neighboring provinces."
Al-Salman underlined that Washington's decision to send soldiers to Yemen came after the war against the Yemeni resistance failed after 13 months.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950308000574
27.5.2016 – Shafaqna (* B K P)
Federalism they say … How Yemen’s partition is being sold as the road to peace
What was once whole now needs to be divided for the sake of peace! As of May 2016 this is the narrative US officials have fronted – might it be during TV debates or so-called peace talks, politicians are pushing for balkanization.
Interestingly no one has bothered to tell us why. If Washington has become a grand propaganda master, it has yet to honed down its ability to demonstrate its rationale by using factual evidences.
A sovereign-nation Yemen needs not be balkanized to see peace triumph. For peace to be restored Saudi Arabia has only to recall its allies and bought-out mercenaries. For stability to return, Riyadh has only to quiet its canons and dissipate its radicals … territorial fragmentation will only weaken Yemen’s sovereignty.
Sovereignty of course is what Saudi Arabia, and its Western patsies are after … the well-being and future of Yemen does not exactly measure up before empires’ ambitions.
As of now Western logic holds that Yemen needs both a new institutional and political format to resolve its many crises, and quiet its inner divisions – of course no one is making any mention of the fact that Yemen was thrown in the fires of war courtesy of Saudi Arabia. If Yemen has been plagued by instability it is because Riyadh has played kingmaker and asymmetrical warfare.
It needs to be said that secession in Yemen has been spoken by Western officials, and Saudi proxies long before Yemen descended into chaos, thus pointing to a carefully sought-out design, rather than the result of ground developments.
I would personally argue that Yemen was declared war to so that its territorial integrity could be eroded, and its sovereignty challenged in the most violent way.
If you recall it all began in 2011, when, on the wake of 2011 uprising experts began theorizing on Yemen’s federalism – presenting the set-up North – South as the only pragmatic solution to a Yemen’s regional quarrel.
Yemen’s unification it needs to be said was always seen as a political abnormality – an exercise doomed to failure. In a research paper for the Middle East Journal, Charles Dunbar, the US Ambassador for Yemen in between 1988-1990 and 1990-1991 wrote the following: “The successful drive of the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) and the People Democratic of Yemen (PDRY) to unify in the spring of 1990took observers both near and far by surprise …During the course of this author’s introductory calls as ambassador to Sana’a in the summer of 1988, two leading Yemeni officials predicted, that while there could be a détente in between north and south, real unity was at least 50 years away.”
This surprise Ambassador Mr Dunbar refers to might have been more deeply rooted than most experts ever anticipated – at least from a Saudi perspective.
From where Riyadh is standing a strong united Yemen presents a threat to Saudi Arabia’s hegemony in the region. And while al-Saud Royals may have been comfortable playing covert politics for a while, Yemenis’ desire to rid themselves of foreign patronage, and religious indoctrination prompted calls for an immediate cutting down to size.
During the 2013–14 National Dialogue Conference, a contentious proposal was pushed through by President Hadi for a six-region federal model. As a governance model, federalism has become a popular tool for policymakers working on peacebuilding processes in post-conflict states because it ostensibly provides voice to all parties to conflict, and can promote more accountable and inclusive governance. However, federalism is also a complex process fraught with difficulty, and one that is often extremely politicised.
Federalism here is to be understand as a euphemism for fragmentation.
In a report for Saferworld in 2015 Peter Salisbury argued that the focus on federalism as a solution to Yemen’s many problems was emblematic of the wasted opportunity of Yemen’s transitional period. “Diplomats, foreign advisers and Yemeni politicians devoted more energy to selling utopian long-term solutions than to addressing a deteriorating political, economic, security and humanitarian environment,” he explained. “Unless future administrations prioritise much-needed basic services for the entire population, no governance model can provide a peaceful future for the country. Failure to address these concerns will continue to lead those disillusioned with the transitional process to give up on the state and turn to non-state actors,” he stressed.
In other words: Yemen’s problems have nothing to do with its territorial set up!
Still we have been instructed that only secession will allow for peace. Interesting theory when southern Yemen stands de facto under al-Qaeda occupation.
Is Riyadh actively pursuing the inception of the first terror state? - by Catherine Shakdam
http://en.shafaqna.com/news/33580
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
29.5.2016 – Handelsblatt von AP (* B H K)
Arm, ausgegrenzt, „Muhammaschin“
Sie leben in Slums, betteln oder arbeiten als Straßenkehrer: Dunkelhäutige Jemeniten. Sie nennen sich wegen der Diskriminierung selbst die „Ausgegrenzten“. In Jemens Krieg sind sie vollends zwischen die Fronten geraten.
Die „Muhammaschin“ oder die „Ausgegrenzten“, wie sie sich selbst nennen, verdienen ihr Geld in der Regel mit Hilfstätigkeiten, bei der Müllabfuhr zum Beispiel, als Schuhputzer oder Straßenkehrer. Viele betteln auch. Sie leben in Slums außerhalb der großen Städte und sind immer wieder Rassismus ausgesetzt. Der Krieg zwischen der von Saudi-Arabien gestützten Regierung und den vom Iran unterstützten Huthi-Rebellen, die die Wiedereinsetzung des früheren, abgesetzten Präsidenten fordern, hat ihre Situation weiter verschlimmert. Denn anders als andere Jemeniten kommen sie kaum in den Genuss von Hilfe. Viele „Muhammaschin“ sind auf der Flucht; örtliche Hilfsorganisationen, so berichten sie, ignorierten sie.
http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/jemen-arm-ausgegrenzt-muhammaschin-/13610480.html
28.5.2016 – Yemen Post (* A H)
Medical TRAGEDY: Dengue Fever kills 100s in #Yemen city Hodieda & govt gives blind eye as innocent pay price of war.
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/736595395082604544
27.5.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini (A H)
This Almrohmn counterpart area was hit because of Saudi air phosphorous on her house, you need urgent surgical intervention to halt the erosion of the skin has (extemely graphic!!)
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/736249578576588800
#Yemen had the second highest rates of malnourishment globally. Pic taken today in Bani Quis of Hajjeh
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/736263123540279296
In Bani Quis area of #Hajjeh there is another disease "Tuberculosis (TB)" spreading there widely.
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/736229073379299329
27.5.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A H)
Yemeni couple die on wedding night due to power outage
The power outage in Aden, in southern Yemen, led to the death of a Yemeni couple last night, mere hours after their wedding. The cause of their death was suffocation by the exhaust fumes from their diesel operated electricity generator.
A source from the couple’s family told the Anadolu Agency: “The couple, Aidarous Nasr Sayyad, 42, and his bride, 35, who live in the Al-Aidarous neighbourhood in the city of Crater in Aden, died after suffocating on the fumes from the electricity generator they were using on their wedding night due to the fact the power outage that lasted all last night in the city.”
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160527-yemeni-couple-die-on-wedding-night-due-to-power-outage/
27.5.2016 – Ndawsari (A H)
Heat rash.Hodeida without power for 1+yrs bcz diesel allocated 4 electricity is sold n black market instead
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/736205030634704896
27.5.2016 - World Food Programme (A H)
Map: Yemen Access Constraints as of 26 May 2016
http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/yem_op_accessconstraints_a3l_20160526.pdf
21.4.2015 – International Business Times (* B H K)
Yemen crisis: Humanitarian disaster looms in poorest country in the Arab world [Photo report]
Weeks of violent conflict have left many Yemenis hungry, trapped in cities and villages with food stocks running low and severe fuel shortages, World Food Programme spokesperson Challiss McDonough said.
In the worst-hit areas such as Sana'a, Aden and Lahj, businesses, shops and food markets are closed and the supply of water, wheat and other essentials has been seriously disrupted. Many people are fleeing to rural areas – by David Sim
http://linkis.com/www.ibtimes.co.uk/pJjfZ
4.2016 – UNICEF (* B H)
Yemen, Humnitarian Situation Report
Between 10 and 12 April, UNICEF supported a Nation-wide polio vaccination campaign. At least 4.6 million children under 5 years were vaccinated against polio and over 3.9 million children were given Vitamin A.
• UNICEF provided the 6 th monthly cycle of humanitarian cash transfers for over 4,700 vulnerable families in Amanat Al Asimah. Preparation are underway to increase the number oftarget householdsin Taiz governorate in the coming months.
• UNICEF mobile teams were deployed and provided emergency health and nutrition services to 107 IDPs families in Amran as an immediate response to the flash floods affecting nearly 30,000 people in seven governorates
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
27.5.2016 – Anadolu (* A P)
Yemen: 10 journalists detained by Houthis ‘missing’
Missing journalists had been on hunger strike for 18 days after being abducted and detained by Houthi Shia militia
The families of 10 Yemeni journalists abducted and detained in Sanaa by the Houthi Shia militia said their sons have disappeared following an 18-day hunger strike.
“As we waited for the release of our sons who had been on hunger strike for 18 days, we are surprised by their disappearance,” the families said in a joint statement late Thursday. “The [health] condition of our sons has deteriorated by the day, while the Houthis are still torturing and threating them.”
The families held the Houthis responsible for the lives and safety of their sons. They demanded their release and have asked that they be transferred to a hospital for treatment.
They have also called on the international community, the UN envoy to Yemen and the Yemeni government’s delegation, which is participating in the Kuwait peace talks, to save the missing journalists – by Mohamed el-Samei
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-10-journalists-detained-by-houthis-missing-/579471
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
28.5.2016 – Middle East Eye (A T)
'Westerner' arrested in anti-IS raid in Yemen's Aden
A French national said to have led 7-person Islamic State cell in Yemen's second city, where the group has gained ground amid political chaos
Yemeni authorities on Saturday arrested seven people accused of belonging to the Islamic State group (IS) - including one "Westerner" - in the second city of Aden, a police officer told AFP.
The arrests are part of a government offensive against al-Qaeda and IS, which has claimed a wave of deadly attacks in recent months in Yemen's south and southeast.
Among these were twin bombings claimed by IS that hit loyalist forces in Aden on Monday, killing at least 41 people as they queued to sign up as police recruits.
"We arrested seven Daesh [IS] members, among them a Western Muslim, in Mansura" district of Aden, said officer Munir al-Yafie, who took part in the raid, without giving further details.
A security source told local news site Aden al-Ghad that the cell of seven was led by a French national.
The group of seven was arrested during a dawn raid on a residential apartment.
The source said the group has been detained and is now subject to an investigation.
France is said to be the biggest source of European foreign fighters joining IS, with more than 900 French nationals thought to have left the country to fight for the group in Iraq or Syria.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/westerner-arrested-anti-raid-yemens-aden-1203736723
Comment by Judith Brown: I despair at the news from Yemen. Why is the nationality of this one individual important when there are mercenaries and troops fighting in Yemen from all over the world. Meanwhile no reports on the human catastrophe that has struck Yemen with people dying starving and suffering from war and embargo.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154391839298641
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
29.5.2016 – Saudi Press Agency (A P)
UN Envoy to Yemen Receives List of Prisoners from Yemeni government delegation
UN Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed received from the Yemeni government delegation taking part in Kuwait Yemeni consultations here today a list of prisoners held by Houthis and deposed President Ali Saleh's party.
The two sides should give their remarks on the contents of the list by next Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a delegation from the international Red Cross arrived in Kuwait to help in the prisoner-extraditing process.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1505484
29.5.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A K P)
Sources Close to Yemeni President: Yemeni Solution Approaching, Starting with Cementing Ceasefire
Details on regional and international efforts bent on finding a solution for the conflict tearing Yemen apart are indicating a positive outcome, sources close to Yemeni presidency told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. Uncovered details revolved around an effective cementation of ceasefire and the release of detainees.
Sources also revealed that the Houthis are demanding to partake half of authoritative posts in all of the government, army and national institutions.
Sources ruled out the possibility of any current hidden political settlement that is comprehensive. Any true settlement will strictly be based on the works of the Kuwaiti-held negotiations, U.N. Security Council’s resolutions for Yemen, especially U.N. resolution 2216.
U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed continues to carry out private meetings with the insurgency delegation discussing topics previously conferred with the government’s delegation. Meanwhile, the committee of the detainee and kidnapped continues to cooperate with the International Committee of the Red Cross as to look into the mechanisms of receiving the soon to be freed detainees.
Comment: “Cementing Ceasefire”: What about that? Just look at cp16 to find ceasefire violations just by the Saudi coalition (all in this chapter), and at cp17 to find more.
28.5.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A P)
Yemeni government discusses Houthi withdrawal
The Yemeni government delegation to the peace talks in Kuwait discussed with the UN envoy to Yemen the government’s vision regarding the Houthi withdrawal and the handing over of the group’s weapons, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported today.
The government delegation discussed the details of the withdrawal with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160528-yemeni-government-discusses-houthi-withdrawal/
Comment: They do not give up to try simply to win the war by means of the negotiations.
28.5.2016 – Saba Net (A K P)
Bombing al-Amaliqa camp threatens truce: National delegation
The national delegation described on Saturday the Saudi aggression bombing on al-Amaliqa military camp threatens the truce and talks progress.
The delegation's statement came in a letter of protest handed over to the UN Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed against the intensive bombing by the Saudi warplanes on al-Amaliqa camp taken place on Friday in Amran province.
The continuation of the air raids on the country clearly showed the lack of sincere will and serious efforts to reach a political solution, the delegation said.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news429110.htm
Comment: Houthi-affiliated source: national delegation = Houthi / saleh delegation
28.5.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Saudi – British – American Initiative to End the War in Yemen Before Ramadan
The head of the government delegation to the Yemen peace consultations that are currently being held in Kuwait confirmed that the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, the United States and Britain have been recently holding continuous meetings with the communication and coordination committee that was formed at the consultations. The aim of these meetings is to put an end to the ongoing war in Yemen before the holy month of Ramadan begins.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Yemen Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government delegation has received promises from the major powers sponsoring the peace process in Yemen that the war will be stopped on all fronts and that prisoners will be released in the next few days.
Al-Mekhlafi explained that the government delegation has held consecutive sessions with UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to discuss the withdrawal of the rebels from the cities. However, this matter has not yet been directly discussed with the Houthi- Saleh delegation.
Al-Mekhlafi continued by saying that the two sides discussed many details such as withdrawal, the formation of the security- military committee that will oversee this withdrawal and the handing over of arms, and “therefore we are relying on Ould Cheikh to specify a time frame” for these consultations so that they end before the month of Ramadan.
According to Al-Mekhlafi, Ould Cheikh finished his direct meetings with the government delegation during the last few days and will not meet them on Saturday and Sunday. He added that “The UN envoy will devote his endeavours during the two days to meet the rebels and perhaps progress will be made. Pressure will be put on the rebel delegation, especially considering that the government delegation made lots of progress regarding many points”.
About his meeting with representatives of the 18 nations that are sponsoring the consultations, Al-Mekhlafi said “all ministers of the delegations praise the government’s position, its flexibility and its dealings. They emphasised their commitment to resolution 2216 and prioritised the handing over of arms and the withdrawal. This is the international community’s unified position and it is aware of the other party’s obstinacy.”
Comment: Such a bulk of hypocrisy... The three most terrible warmongers, who bear the greatest responsibility for interference and aerial war, like to see themselves as „peace mongers“. And of course, the Hadi government is the very best.
Comment: Of course these are the parties that initiated the destruction of Yemen even if the the internal disagreements were there before the conflict. But they are arrogant to think that they can end the war now - all that they can end is the Audi attacks on Yemen but the threat of future interventions will always remain. But meanwhile the factions inside Yemen have become more polarised and Al Qaeda in particular has grown in strength exponentially. What will be left is a highly volatile unstable country just like Palestine, Iraq, Libya and Syria after the West and it's allies experiment with their vile weapons on human targets.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1142858242533332
27.5.2016 – Pars Today (A P)
Konfliktparteien im Jemen verständigen sich über Gefangenaustausch
Die Konfliktparteien im Jemen, die nationale jemenitische Delegation und die von Saudi-Arabien unterstützte Delegation, haben sich bei den laufenden Friedensgesprächen in Kuwait über den Austausch von rund Eintausend Gefangenen geeinigt.
Laut Berichten aus Jemen einigten sich beide Kontrahenten auf die Bildung eines Komitees, das den Prozess des Austausches einleiten und beaufsichtigen soll.
Kommentar: Möglicherweise doch geplatzt, die Hadi-Delegation soll das Komitee verlassen haben.
27.5.2016 – Hussain Albukhaiti (A P)
#Saudi #UAE backed delegates in #Kuwait retreated from signing #UN mediated agreement 2release 1000 prisoners n #Taiz bfr #Ramadan in #Yemen
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/736255915637235714
27.5.2016 – AWD News (* A P)
Saudi Arabia Give Extensive Concessions to Yemen in Kuwait Talks
Mujtahid, Saudi activist, announced that Mohammed bin Salman gives Yemen’s National Council Extensive concessions in Kuwait talk:
1. Saudi Arabia will withdraw from its demands embedded in the UN resolution
2. Ansarullah will remain in the regions under its control
3. Ansarullah will not be asked to lay down its weapons.
4. Mansour Hadi will return to Yemen to remain a president as a formality until the formation of a national unity government
5. Ansarullah will have a major say and a major share in the new government as large as the regions under its control.
Ansarullah still raised more demands including compensation for tens of billions of dollars of the destruction left in Yemen by the Saudi-led war.
http://www.awdnews.com/political/saudi-arabia-give-extensive-concessions-to-yemen-in-kuwait-talks
Comment: had already been reported, here just in short.
26.5.2016 – UN ( P)
Statement by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, 26 May 2016
I wanted to meet you today in order to update you on the latest developments in the talks. It has been a long week of sessions, in which we discussed a wide range of issues. Some sessions were promising and others tense. In spite of all of the challenges we are facing, the United Nations remains deeply committed to finding a peaceful solution.
I convened a number of bilateral meetings with the delegations over the past few days. We discussed specifically the details and mechanisms of withdrawal, handover of weapons, resumption of political dialogue, restoration of state institutions and other matters that will be included in a comprehensive agreement. The discussions also covered the importance of guarantees and reassurances to ensure the implementation of an agreement.
At this juncture of the talks, the parties have started to address specific and sensitive matters in detail based on the agreed reference points. It was agreed that the prisoners’ committee will continue to work separately. The committee was reinforced by human rights experts from both sides. Yesterday, representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) came to Kuwait at the invitation of my office. They met bilaterally with the delegations to brief them on the roles and guidelines for prisoners release and exchange processes in war zones and the mechanisms of ICRC’s work in this area.
Yesterday, I briefed the Security Council in a closed-session through video conference. During the session, I gave an overview of the talks, the preliminary understandings reached and I explained the compromises and solutions that are currently being considered. I also gave a summary of the support needed by my Office in order to facilitate the implementation of a peace agreement including support for interim security arrangements.
The representatives of Ansarullah and the General People’s Congress (GPC) in the De-escalation and Coordination Committee (DCC), have returned to their duties after a one-day suspension. The DCC continues to work with dedication, are we are working with the team to provide additional technical support.
In brief, the talks are ongoing, the international support is stronger than ever and the United Nations is determined to achieve a lasting peace and to solidify any agreement reached.
The parties must assume their responsibility towards the nation. We are at a dangerous crossroads. One path leads us to stability. If the parties do not provide the required concessions, the situation on the ground would significantly worsen. As we are approaching Ramadan, we hope that the parties will undertake tangible steps towards alleviating the economic suffering of the people, the release of prisoners and detainees, and the implementation of the cessation of hostilities.
I am increasingly asked how long will the talks last. There is no time limit and we will stay as long as it takes. The crisis in Yemen has to end as soon as possible; as soon as possible. We urge the participants in the talks to re-double their efforts to reach a peace agreement. It takes time to end conflict. A sustainable and inclusive agreement cannot be rushed. It is now up to the parties to decide. I want to take this opportunity to thank again the Emir of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Sabah al Ahmed al Jaber Al-Sabah, for Kuwait’s role in hosting the talks. I also applaud the efforts of the international community who consistently demonstrate unprecedented unity and endless support for the efforts of the UN.
Yemen is at a critical stage. The economy is in tatters, its infrastructure ruined, and the country’s social fabric is disintegrating. The situation on the ground is dire but there is hope emanating from Kuwait. Only a political settlement will restore hope. The participants in the talks are the only ones who can change the situation in Yemen.
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
29.5.2016 – Middle East Eye (A P)
Iran says to miss hajj, Saudi 'blocking path to Allah'
Iranian officials blame Saudi Arabia for making 'obstacles' for Iranian participation in this year's hajj
Iran said on Sunday its pilgrims will miss the pilgrimage this year because Saudi Arabia, custodian of Islam's holiest sites, was raising obstacles and "blocking the path to Allah" for its faithful.
The Iranian Hajj Organisation said: "Saudi Arabia is opposing the absolute right of Iranians to go on the hajj and is blocking the path leading to Allah."
The Saudi side had failed to respond to Iranian demands over "the security and respect" of its pilgrims to Mecca, of whom 60,000 took part in last year's hajj, the organisation said.
In the latest dispute between regional rivals Tehran and Riyadh, "after two series of negotiations without any results because of obstacles raised by the Saudis, Iranian pilgrims will unfortunately not be able to take part in the hajj" in September, Iran's Culture Minister Ali Jannati said.
Saudi officials have said an Iranian delegation wrapped up a visit to the kingdom on Friday without reaching a final agreement on arrangements for pilgrims from the Islamic republic.
The Saudi hajj ministry said it had offered "many solutions" to meet a string of demands made by the Iranians in two days of talks.
Agreement had been reached in some areas, including to use electronic visas which could be printed out by Iranian pilgrims, as Saudi diplomatic missions remain shut in Iran, it said.
It would be the first hajj in almost 30 years to take place without the participation of pilgrims from Iran.
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
29.5.2016 – Press TV Iran (A P)
Top Saudi cleric prohibits taking selfies with cats
Saudi Arabia’s senior cleric has placed a ban on taking selfies with cats under a bizarre ruling based on Wahhabi principles which are widely preached in the kingdom.
In a recent television appearance, Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan, a member of the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars, said that taking selfies with animals, including cats, was prohibited.
“The cats don't matter here. Taking pictures is prohibited here if not for necessity. Not with cats, not with dogs, not with wolves, not with anything,” said Fawzan in the live appearance, dealing with religious inquiries.
He issued the awkward prohibition in response to a question posed by a man from the audience, asking about the new Western trend of taking selfies with the feline pets and the legality of the act.
In March 2014, the same cleric also said that the Sun resolves around the Earth, adding that the “modern theories” must not be adopted by his followers.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/29/467940/Saudi-Arabia-Fawzan-Wahhabism-cats-selfie
Comment: This is the spirit Saudi Arabia by all means wants to implement in the whole Muslim world.
29.5.2016 – Noto Wahabism (A H)
Official #Saudi commission determines the price(dowry)of a virgin girl as 40000Riyal and a deflowered one as30000!!
10.4.2016 – Belfast Telegraph (A P)
Saudi Arabia's top cleric warns driving would 'expose women to evil'
The kingdom adheres to an ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam and is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.
Though no laws ban women from driving in Saudi Arabia, authorities do not issue them licences and women 's rights activists have faced detention for trying to defy the order.
Speaking on the religious satellite channel al-Majd, Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Sheikh said men with "weak spirits" who are "obsessed with women" could cause female drivers harm, and that family members would not know the whereabouts of women.
27.5.2016 – Al Araby (A P)
Saudi Arabia takes on Islamic State with cartoon competition
Saudi Arabia, whose citizens make up the second largest number of the Islamic State group's foreign fighters, has launched a cartoon drawing competition to take on 'religious extremism
Police in Saudi Arabia have come up with a novel way of tackling extremism in the deeply religious oil-rich kingdom: a cartoon drawing contest.
Saudi Arabia's ministry of interior kicked off the competition this week titled Cartoons Against Extremist Ideology and is accepting submissions from Saudi hobbyists and professional artists.
The artist with the best drawing lampooning religious extremism will go home with a sweet $4,000 in prize money – the runner-up and third place winner will also receive cash prizes.
"The cartoon must convey the dangers of extremist ideology," police spokesman Mohammad al-Maroul told state media.
"Jihadist ideology and political grievances are the leading reason young Saudi radicals join IS, rather than poverty or unemployment," Saudi political analyst Jamal Khashoggi previously told The New Arab.
Comment: As Saudi Arabia itself is spreading religious extremism worldwide (one example here), the winner of the competition I think will not win 4000 $ but 10 years in jail and 1000 lashes. Look at:
29.5.2016 – Amnesty International (A H P)
Saudi Arabia sentences activist Abdulaziz al-Shubaily to 8 years in jail for exposing human rights violations.
https://twitter.com/amnestypress/status/736898018281164802
28.5.2016 – New York Times (* B P)
The World Reaps What the Saudis Sow
Saudi Arabia has frustrated American policy makers for years. Ostensibly a critical ally, sheltered from its enemies by American arms and aid, the kingdom has spent untold millions promoting Wahhabism, the radical form of Sunni Islam that inspired the 9/11 hijackers and that now inflames the Islamic State.
The latest chapter in this long, sorrowful history involves tiny Kosovo.
As detailed by Carlotta Gall in a recent article in The Times, Kosovo is in this position largely because Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states have spent years developing and funding a network of imams, mosques and secretive associations there.
The United States and NATO invested heavily in helping Kosovo gain independence from Serbia in 2008 and establish democracy. That Saudi Arabia should be using Kosovo as a breeding ground for extremists, or allowing it to be used as a breeding ground by any Saudi entity or citizen, is a cruel reminder of the contradictory and even duplicitous behavior of America’s partners in the Persian Gulf and helps to explain why its relationships with those countries have become increasingly troubled.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/opinion/the-world-reaps-what-the-saudis-sow.html?_r=0
28.5.2016 – Sputnik News (B P)
Different as Night and Day? Whay Moscow, Riyadh Can't Find Middle Ground
Moscow and Riyadh approaches to today's economic and geopolitical challenges differ, furthermore, their true goals look completely incompatible, political analyst Nikolay Pakhomov suggests.
Although Russia and Saudi Arabia are making efforts to build a mutually-beneficial relationship, their goals in energy markets and Middle Eastern politics differ fundamentally, according to Nikolay Pakhomov, a New York City-based political analyst and Russian International Affairs Council expert.
"Current tensions between Moscow and Riyadh have two main dimensions. The Russian and Saudi positions differ, first, on the fundamentals of global energy relations, and second, on counterterrorism. Both dimensions have factors that obscure the full understanding of these differences," Pakhomov writes in his articlefor the National Interest.
The expert called attention to the fact that while Moscow is interested in freezing oil production together with OPEC, Riyadh's behavior during April's talks in Doha clearly signaled that Saudi Arabia puts its rivalry with Iran before the interests of global oil producers.
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160528/1040403967/russia-saudi-arabia-middle-east.html
Relating to:
26.5.2016 – National Interest (* B P)
Russia and Saudi Arabia Are Headed for a Showdown
The next thing to consider while analyzing differences between Moscow and Riyadh’s antiterrorism approaches is the fact that Saudi support to jihadist groups in Syria has been an open secret for some time. Now it even seems as though Saudi Arabia and Turkey, according to some estimates, are trying to consolidate jihadist units in Syria in a united command structure under the name of Jaish al-Fatah (the Army of Conquest). Coincidentally, Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri has also called for this kind of consolidation.
Last but not least, another factor to consider in analyzing Russian and Saudi differences in fighting against terrorist groups is that the Wahhabi branch of Islam is dominant in Saudi Arabia, and that Wahhabi preachers have cooperated with terrorist groups in Russia—in the North Caucasus, and especially in Dagestan. These facts help to understand both why Moscow is concerned with what is going on in Syria, and why it feels uneasy about Saudi support for various radical groups – by Nikolai Pakhomov
http://nationalinterest.org/feature/russia-saudi-arabia-are-headed-showdown-16362
27.5.2016 – Middle East Eye (* B H P)
'Dramatic surge' in Saudi executions in 2016: Amnesty International
Executions in the kingdom show no signs of slowing down after 47 people were killed in January on 'terrorism' charges
Amnesty International warned on Friday that a surge in executions carried out by Saudi authorities could see more than 100 people put to death in the first six months of 2016.
The London-based watchdog says that the kingdom carried out at least 158 death sentences last year, making it the third most prolific executioner after Iran and Pakistan.
This year, at least 94 people have been executed so far, "higher than at the same point last year," Amnesty International said.
If executions continue at the same pace, "Saudi Arabia will have put to death more than 100 people in the first six months of this year," the human rights group warned.
"Executions in Saudi Arabia have been surging dramatically for two years now and this appalling trend shows no sign of slowing," said Amnesty International's MENA deputy director James Lynch.
Lynch spoke of "pervasive flaws" in the kingdom's justice system "which mean that it is entirely routine for people to be sentenced to death after grossly unfair trials."
Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47 people were put to death for "terrorism" on a single day in January.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/amnesty-warns-dramatic-surge-saudi-executions-269003510
25.5.2016 – Alwaght (A P T)
Saudi Arabia Makes Deal with Iraqi Govt. to Save ISIS
As the final preparations are being made by different Iraq military forces to launch an operation in Fallujah, and as the possibility of taking the city back from the terrorists of ISIS grow bigger, Saudi Arabia has entered negotiations with Iraq and managed to reach an agreement with the Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al-Abadi to pave the way for saving ISIS' terrorists from an encirclement by the Iraqi forces that grew tighter day by day since past few weeks.
An informed source close to the Iraqi government has told Alwaght's reporter that the Saudi ambassador to Baghdad delivered a message during a meeting with the Iraqi defense minister. The message read that ISIS pledged to ease the conditions for Iraqi army as well as voluntary popular forces to recapture the city of Fallujah in Al Anbar province which during the past 13 years has been held by the Iraqi takfiri groups.
The source, who asked for anonymity, has continued that earlier Riyadh had made a similar deal with the government of PM al-Abadi to limit the firepower of Iraq’s force in ISIS-held areas of the country.
It is claimed that the Iraqi ministry of defense has agreed that in return to safe recapture of Fallujah with least number of tolls, the firepower of its weapons does not exceed three kilometers.
It was after this deal that the Saudi media during the past few days have welcomed liberation of 17 villages in Ramadi which is neighbor to Fallujah.
It appears that Riyadh has considered the event as part of Iraq’s anti-terror efforts.
http://alwaght.com/en/News/54504/Raqqa-vs-Aleppo;-Media-Showdown
24.5.2016 – Foreign Affairs (B E P)
Saudi Arabia's Oil Strategy in a Time of Glut
Why the Kingdom Wants to Pump More
The world is already awash in oil, and yet there may soon be more Saudi crude flowing to market. This month, just after scuttling a “production freeze” among major oil exporters, the Saudis fired long-serving oil minister Ali Naimi, who was a rare, reassuring fixture in the unpredictable oil market. Naimi had wanted to retire, but his support for the freeze contradicted the position of his superiors and probably hastened his departure.
Along with naming a replacement minister—Khalid al-Falih, the former CEO of the state oil giant Saudi Aramco—the Saudis also announced a significant shift in oil market strategy. The kingdom would not only maintain its brisk pace of oil production of 10.2 million barrels per day but increase it further. Amin Nasser, the current CEO of Aramco didn’t stop there. He said that the theoretical ceiling on Saudi oil production capacity—12.5 million barrels per day—could be expanded in the future – by Jim Krane
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/saudi-arabia/2016-05-24/saudi-arabias-oil-strategy-time-glut
24.5.2016 – Reuters (* B H P)
Women being sold to Gulf states like products in a retail shop: Andhra minister
Women domestic workers from Andhra Pradesh are languishing in jails in the Gulf states after attempting to flee abusive employers or overstaying their visas, said Palle Raghunatha Reddy, minister for non-resident Indian welfare, urging the national government to help them.
Government figures show there are an estimated six million Indian migrants in the six Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman.
n some cases, they do not have exit visas. Many others have been jailed on petty offences waiting for their case to be heard, according to the Andhra Pradesh government. Women from Andhra Pradesh and the neighbouring state of Telangana “are being sold like products in a retail shop,” Reddy wrote in the letter sent last week.
“Women are being sold to the tune of 400,000 rupees ($6,000) in Saudi Arabia and between 100,000 ($1,500) to 200,000 rupees ($3,000) in Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait,” the minister wrote. He added that at least 25 women jailed in Gulf states have sought the state government’s help recently.
cp9 USA
Siehe cp1 Am wichigsten / See cp1 Most important
29.5.2016 – Sputnik News (* A P)
Hopeless: Washington 'Frustrated with Saudi-Led Operation in Yemen'
Washington has suspended the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. That’s according to Foreign Policy magazine citing unnamed US officials. Radio Sputnik discussed the reported decision with political analyst and the editor of Politics First magazine, Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos.
“Why does it appear that the American government could stop supplying cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia? There are three reasons according to me. The number one reason is that in this day and age we have social media; we have alternative media outlets, for example, Sputnik.”
Talking about what this suspension would mean for America, the analyst said that it would be strictly embarrassing for America because it has a very strong relationship with the Saudis.
“That relationship is coming under exposure and that doesn’t look good for the American domestic organs. At the same time the US is very concerned about the conflict in Yemen because any conflict in the Middle East has the potential to set the whole continent into a massive blaze of fire,” the analyst said.
He said that according to him the US is trying to stem the conflict in Yemen because the longer Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuse continue the more damage it does to America’s relationship with Riyadh from a PR perspective.
Talking about whether he thinks that this ban on cluster bombs will change the situation, Papadopoulos said, “If cluster bombs are no longer used by the Saudis it is a positive thing but then of course that’s not the only weapon in the Saudi arsenal. They use all sorts of weapons in Yemen that result in civilian’s injury and fatalities.”
The Obama administration has issued several statements of ‘concern’ about the violence in Yemen, but has yet to formally pronounce any reduction in military or tactical support for the coalition.
“The US underestimates many areas that they get involved in. They underestimated Kosovo in 1991 when they got involved in that. Now Kosovo is a black spot in Europe for organized crime, sex and gun trafficking.”
“They underestimated Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and they underestimated the resolve of the Houthis and ordinary civilians to stand up to Saudi aggression. There have been so many incidents in the last 20 years or so where because of the reckless policies of Washington, ordinary people have suffered,” Popadopoulos concluded.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160529/1040441515/washington-saudi-arabia-relations.html
29.5.2016 – Alwaght (B K)
The US has supposedly suspended selling internationally-banned cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, but continues to provide the Arab regime with other kinds of weapons in its aggression against neighboring Yemen, says a former US diplomat in Riyadh.
In a phone interview with Press TV on Saturday, J. Michael Springmann said Washington might have suspended sales of cluster bombs to the Saudis, but it continues selling other weapons, providing training, targeting information, and logistical support to Riyadh.
“While the United States might suspend sales of cluster bombs to the Saudis, it does nothing at all and says nothing at all about other weapons that the United States is selling to the Saudis and it does not address the issue of providing military intelligence and targeting information that the Saudis have met, so they can continue to do war crimes and human rights violations in Yemen,” he said.
Washington has sold Riyadh millions of dollars worth of internationally-banned cluster bombs in recent years.
Springmann said that Washington “says nothing at all for example about US especial forces being in Yemen and helping the Saudis with their war.”
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
29.5.2016 – Politics Home (A P)
Allowing Yemen to collapse 'not an option', says Philip Hammond ahead of Gulf tour
Philip Hammond has said leaving Yemen to collapse is “simply not an option” as he pushes for further action in the war-torn state.
Speaking ahead of his Gulf trip, Mr Hammond said the crisis in Yemen would be high on his agenda.
"Wherever we look, the world is becoming more dangerous and more uncertain,” he said.
"International engagement is fundamental to maintaining both Britain's security and our prosperity.
"Britain's strong relations with the Gulf states enable us to work together on regional challenges and shared threats that confront us, whether from violent extremism, terrorism, or volatile economic conditions."
Comment: This seems to be the sort of 21. century's politician: 100 % just serving ghe interests of even the dirtiest industries of his country, Orellian speech, hypocrisy rate 100 %.
Comment: Of course, prior to the total collapse, there are far too many arms to sell.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1033981109988252&id=961126490607048
Look at Hammonds Twitter account:
29.5.2016 – Philipp Hammond (A P)
My tour of 6 #Gulf states begins in #SaudiArabia. Regional security, #humanrights, #Yemen & prosperity all on agenda
https://twitter.com/PHammondMP/status/736934919910379521
Comment: Human Rights? What about the right to live, which is offended by British arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Prosperity? Whose prosperity? Of the Yemenis whose country is turned to rubble by British weapons? Or the prosperity of the British arms industry?
29.5.2016 – BBC (A P)
Philip Hammond: More action needed on Syria and Yemen
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is to press for more concerted action on the war-torn countries of Syria and Yemen during a tour of the Gulf states.
Mr Hammond is due to arrive in Saudi Arabia before going to Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
He said Britain's "strong relations" with Gulf states will enable them to "work together on regional challenges".
Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Hammond said: "Wherever we look, the world is becoming more dangerous and more uncertain.
"International engagement is fundamental to maintaining both Britain's security and our prosperity.
"Britain's strong relations with the Gulf states enable us to work together on regional challenges and shared threats that confront us, whether from violent extremism, terrorism, or volatile economic conditions."
He said the Yemen crisis will be high on his agenda, saying that allowing the state to collapse "is simply not an option".
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36407378 and see the official site of the Foreign Office: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-in-the-gulf-to-discuss-countering-daesh-and-the-yemen-crisis
Comment by Jamila Hanan: More action?? Please no! What the world needs right now is for Brits to stop acting and to stop profiting from war
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/736800559618007040
Comment by Judith Brown: Hammond is such a warmonger. He is just interested in selling more and more weapons. https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154392618668641
29.5.2016 – Bloomberg (A P)
U.K.’s Hammond Visits Gulf to Discuss Islamic State, Yemen
U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is meeting leaders of six Gulf nations on a tour of the region to discuss their role in countering Islamic State and resolving the crisis in Yemen.
Hammond, who arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for the first leg of a three-day visit of the Persian Gulf, will emphasize the importance of security in the region and say that close relationships with its constituent countries are vital to keep Britain safe, the Foreign Office said in an e-mailed statement.
“Wherever we look, the world is becoming more dangerous and more uncertain,” Hammond said in the statement. “International engagement is fundamental to maintaining both Britain’s security and our prosperity. Britain’s strong relations with the Gulf states enable us to work together on regional challenges and shared threats that confront us, whether from violent extremism, terrorism, or volatile economic conditions."
Comments by Jamila Hanan: “the world is becoming more dangerous and more uncertain" writes @PHammondMP visiting Gulf partners in crime ...as if the billions in weapons we are supplying to brutal extremist dictatorships had nothing to do with that
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/736754857890205696 and https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/736757642169880576
28.5.2016 – The Guardian (* A K P)
UK weapons sales to oppressive regimes top £3bn a year
Big increase since 2014 in quantity of missiles and bombs sold to countries on Foreign Office’s list of human rights violators
The UK is selling record quantities of arms – including missiles, bombs and grenades – to countries listed by the Foreign Office as having dubious human rights records. Several have been accused of war crimes or suppressing popular protest.
More than £3bn of British-made weaponry was licensed for export last year to 21 of the Foreign Office’s 30 “human rights priority countries” – those identified by the government as being where “the worst, or greatest number of, human rights violations take place”, or “where we judge that the UK can make a real difference”. Listed countries that last year bought British arms and military equipment include:
■ Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of perpetrating war crimes in Yemen.
■ Bahrain, which used troops to quell protests following the Arab spring – by Jamie Doward
Comment by Dr. Karim: UK gov's harvest of Yemen-BloodMoney from KSA in 1year: £1.7bn fighterJets,£62m bombs,£990m missiles.Other services?
https://twitter.com/StopDestroyYem/status/736713974528479232
25.5.2016 – The National Scot (* A P)
Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: Tories must open their eyes to the suffering in Yemen
THERE are few issues which expose the core values of this Tory Government and its cronies more than its approach to the ongoing conflict in Yemen, and the UK’s part in arming Saudi Arabia, a key protagonist.
Amnesty’s discovery of the bomb, which was originally manufactured in the UK in the 1970s, is surely clear evidence that the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition have used British munitions in Yemen despite the recent protestations of the current UK Government.
That’s why yesterday in Parliament I was pleased to be granted an Urgent Question to the government, when I asked the MoD to make an urgent statement to the House of Commons on this pressing matter. Their reply was simply astonishing.
A decent, compassionate, just government would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that our democracy fully complied with international law, and that we had no part to play in the slaughter of civilians with horrific and illegal munitions. What I saw instead was something else.
UK weapons cannot have been used in this conflict, we were assured, because the Saudi Arabian military has told us so. It was not the case that there was any evidence of munitions manufactured in the UK, because our allies in the Saudi Government have given clear assurances that this is not true.
Despite the UK signing up to an international treaty which states that we should make “best efforts to discourage States not party to this Convention from using cluster munitions”, the most the Foreign Secretary could do yesterday was to say that when speaking to the Saudi authorities British officials had made clear that they “cannot support the use of cluster munitions”.
There will be no investigation, no reference to an independent authority. Saudi Arabia cannot have broken international law because their government, a government with which we have previously refused to do business because of their poor human rights record, has simply told us so.
Time and time again the minister responsible refused to accept for one moment that Amnesty’s evidence was correct, and that the matter deserved a full and proper investigation.
In another bewildering intervention, Sir Alan Duncan, a Tory MP with a history of outrageous insensitivity on a range of issues, dismissed all of Amnesty’s evidence out of hand on the basis that he had personally visited the Saudi military headquarters. The current Parliamentary Register of Interests records that his visit, along with a group of other backbench Tory MPs, was entirely paid for by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs – by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh
24.5.2016 – Antimedia (* B K P)
UK Trains or Arms Half the Countries on Its List of Human Rights Abusers
New research has shown the U.K. is providing military training and support to over half the countries named on its own watchlist of human rights abusers. An investigation by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) and The Independent has revealed U.K. armed forces have trained security and armed forces personnel from 16 of 30 regimes who are on a Foreign Office (FCO) watch list for use of torture and violence.
The FCO publishes an annual report on Human Rights and Democracy that lists countries of “wide-ranging concern.” While it is no secret the interests of the military-industrial complex come before human rights, information obtained from the Ministry of Defence could arguably be satire if it weren’t so appalling. The discovery that British soldiers have trained armed forces in over half the countries on its own human rights watchlist warrants an even slower hand clap than Tony Blair’s admission, weeks ahead of the Chilcot Inquiry, that his understanding of the Middle East “is a lot deeper today” than when he was Prime Minister.
Despite horrific human rights records, the “countries of concern” benefiting from support from the British war machine are listed asAfghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burma, Burundi, China, Colombia, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. Andrew Smith from CAAT said Britain should not be colluding with countries it knows are led by authoritarian regimes, adding that the U.K. army has provided training to some of the most authoritarian states in the world.
Further, evidence of the U.K government’s support for violations of international humanitarian law by Saudi forces in Yemen came to light through a British-made cluster bomb found in a Yemeni village. Despite the use of cluster bombs being banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions (to which the U.K. is a State Party) the unexploded munition was discovered by Amnesty International during the inspection of a village in northern Yemen.
Originally manufactured in the 1970s, the weapon contains 147 “bomblets” that scatter across a wide area and often do not detonate until disturbed at a later date.
The U.K. is thought to have sold large numbers of cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since the 1980s. Even if the weapons were sold before Britain became a signatory to the Convention, Britain should take responsibility for weapons previously supplied. Better still, the country should honour its claim to have one of the most robust arms export controls in the world — and at least attempt to rein in the industry profiting from death and destruction all over the world – by Michaela Whitton
[Full text; licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, attributed to attribution to Michaela Whitton andtheAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific]
http://theantimedia.org/uk-sells-arms-human-rights-abusers/
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
Siehe cp1 Am wichtigsten / See cp1 Most important
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe cp 9, USA, cp10 Großbritannien / See cp9 USA, cp10 Great Britain
cp13b Flüchtlinge / Refugees
29.5.2016 – UN High Commissioner for Refugees (A H)
Republic of Yemen Fact Sheet April 2016
Despite varying lengths of displacement, shelter and NFIs are a primary concern, being ranked highly and consistently by IDPs when stating their priority needs. A number of IDPs have suffered through multiple displacements since leaving their areas of origin and as they moved to areas further away from their homes and existing family links, they have sought out accommodation in various types of shelter arrangements. Despite the on-going efforts of cluster partners and government actors, a large number of the displaced are still living in the open, in unfinished buildings, substandard shelters, schools and religious buildings. Depleted savings and lack of access to financial resources and/or saturation of available housing capacity have further enhanced the need to identify and pursue all viable alternative shelter options for a large number of vulnerable families among the recently displaced persons. Families hosted by friends and relatives report that inter-family tension is on the rise and that lack of privacy and safe shelter is a major concern to both the displaced and host families.
RESPONSE
In response to recent flooding and the ongoing conflict in the country, the Shelter/CCCM/NFI Cluster distributed Non-Food Items to 9,031 HHs, Emergency Shelter Kits to 3,073 HHs, Emergency Shelter Materials (Plastic Sheets/Ropes) to 1,704 HHs, Family tents to 449 HHs and cash for rental subsidies to 10 HHs during the month of April 2016.
GAPS / CHALLENGES
The Cluster envisages the following challenges that impede the implementation of the cluster humanitarian response plan:
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/republic-yemen-fact-sheet-april-2016 and in full: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/yemen_shelter_cccm_nfi_cluster_factsheet_for_april_2016_-_5_may_2016-_v2.pdf
29.5.2016 – UN High Commissioner for Refugees (* A H)
UNHCR IDP Protection Report (January – April 2016)
This report highlights UNHCR’s protection response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which are conducted within the scope of the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) under the umbrella of the Protection Cluster1. As part of its involvement in the IDP response, UNHCR is engaging in a number of protection activities in Yemen including displacement tracking at the community level, two-way communication with Persons of Concern through a humanitarian call centre, protection monitoring at the household level, targeted protection services such as legal assistance, psychosocial support and cash assistance and awareness raising and sensitization.
UNHCR is a co-lead of the Task Force on Population Movement (TFPM), which is a technical working group of the Protection Cluster and the authoritative source for displacement statistics in Yemen. Since its inception in April 2015,
UNHCR has contributed to 8 TFPM displacement reports and has produced 12 related information products. In April 2016, UNHCR commenced dedicated displacement tracking completing in excess of 7,000 mapping assessments through interviews with approximately 8,000 key informants. To foster two-way communication and promote accountability, UNHCR established the ‘Tawasul’ humanitarian call centre, the first of its kind in Yemen, which is available as a common-service to the Yemen Humanitarian Operation. Tawasul has generated 3 reports and 3 information products covering over 1,900 calls received in relation to 3,000 plus needs representing in excess of 35,000 individuals. Under its Protection & Basic Assistance Mechanism (PBAM), UNHCR has conducted protection monitoring for over 6,000 individuals with targeted assistance provided to 5,000 individuals and awareness raising, sensitization and training provided to close to 4,000 individuals including through 29 teams of Community-Based Protection Networks (CBPNs) composed of 215 members.
Through these activities, UNHCR has identified a number of protection trends and issues, which include the following:
• In the context of population movement there is tendency towards rapid large-scale displacement as well as return.
• Most IDPs are residing with host communities or are renting accommodation.
• There is a clear need amongst IDPs for basic necessities, however, there is also a need for targeted assistance for non-tangible assistance such as psychosocial counselling.
• There is a major need for health assistance and this has exposed the weakness of the current referral pathway in Yemen.
• There is scope for cash assistance for Extremely Vulnerable Individuals (EVIs) with the implication that such assistance needs to be scaled-up based on a clear objective of what is to be achieved through the approach.
• Cash needs may relate to other sectors such as shelter to the extent that cash assistance as a modality to meet cross-sectorial needs must be given additional focus.
• There is an emerging need for documentation both for the purpose of accessing assistance and services but also to facilitate movement. A linked concern is that the prevalence of documentation amongst females is low in comparison to males.
• The situation of muhamasheen IDPs warrants specific attention as they count amongst the more vulnerable persons of concern in Yemen.
• The ‘no-camp’ policy that has been adopted by the Yemen Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) impacts on the development of a strategic approach to shelter solutions for IDPs and access to services, especially those with infrastructural implications.
• This point links with the issue of competition over resources as the needs of non-displaced host communities also remain high.
• The lack of a legal framework to implement the National IDP Policy of 2013 presents a challenge to defending the rights of IDPs as has been exposed in relation to eviction of IDPs.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unhcr-idp-protection-report-january-april-2016 and in full: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/UNHCR%20Protection%20Report%20Jan%20-%20April%202016.pdf
27.5.2016 – International Organisation of Migration (* A H)
IOM Assists Newly Arrived Migrants Along Yemen’s Southern Coast
IOM has assisted more than 1,500 migrants who arrived along the southern coast of Lahj, Yemen in recent weeks (22 March to 17 May 2016.)
Yemen’s coast has always been a popular landing point for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees from the Horn of Africa. According to UN estimates, for the first four months of 2016, almost 40,000 new arrivals crossed the sea to Yemen, seeking protection or a better socioeconomic situation.
When the conflict in Yemen forced IOM to suspend its coastal activities during much of 2015, it was noted at a recent Mixed Migration Working Group meeting in Aden that the large number of migrants arriving along the southern coast needed medical assistance.
In response, IOM coordinated with its local partners and Yemeni authorities and on 22 March, an IOM mobile ambulance team resumed daily patrols along the coastal road from Aden city to Khor Omeira, Lahj Governorate.
The IOM mobile team – a doctor, a nurse, a translator, and protection staff – have started assisting more than 1,500 newly arrived migrants. Almost half of them received urgent medical assistance (including hospital admittance), while all of them received information about the current situation prevailing in Yemen.
“IOM Yemen is committed to closely work with its national and international partners to offer assistance to the numerous migrants, asylum seekers and refugees searching for better conditions in Yemen,” said Laurent de Boeck, the IOM Chief of Mission in Yemen.
He added: “It is only through active coordination and partnership that we will be able to identify a long-term positive solution to desperate migrants. A dialogue with countries of origin is essential to identify joint responses to the massive influx of migrants to Yemen.”
Since the mobile ambulance team resumed the daily patrolling, IOM has ascertained that 36 boats have landed along the Lahj coast between Ras Alarah and Al Swaidah. The migrants – mostly Ethiopian men – had transited through the Port of Obock and Hayu in Djibouti and were headed to Aden, Yemen. A few of the new arrivals were headed to the refugee camp in Lahj.
Given the overall poor health conditions of the new arrivals, in the coming weeks IOM will provide drinking water, food, and hygiene or dignity kits. Should the flows to Yemen continue at the same pace and security permitting, IOM expects to assist several more thousands of migrants who will arrive along Lahj’s coastal road in 2016.
In the coming weeks, IOM also plans more capacity building activities with the government to better address Yemen’s complex migration flows. Plans are underway for more trainings and the resumption of the national Mixed Migration Task Force, which is co-chaired by UNHCR and IOM in Sana’a.
IOM Yemen’s migrant assistance and protection activities are funded and supported by the UK Department for International Development, European Union, US Department of State, Swedish International Development Agency and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.
*Table below shows the numbers of new arrivals seen by IOM during last three months with numbers of those who received medical assistance during the same period (from 22nd of March to 17th of May 2016) in Aden and Lahj governorates, Yemen.
https://www.iom.int/news/iom-assists-newly-arrived-migrants-along-yemens-southern-coast
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
29.5.2016 – Fars News (A T)
Report: Documents Prove UAE's Support for Terrorists Groups in Yemen
The Yemeni intelligence sources disclosed that the country's security forces have gained access to a series of documents and correspondence which prove the UAE's role in supporting Al-Qaeda and other radical terrorists groups in Southern Yemen.
"The documents and letters gained by the Yemeni security forces clearly show that the United Arab Emirates has supported Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups in Yemen, specially in the Southern part of the country," the Arabic-language Emirate al-Youm quoted unnamed Yemeni intelligence officials as saying on Sunday.
The sources reiterated that the UAE spies have given a lot of cash and weapons to the commanders of the Al-Qaeda and the ISIL in Yemen to conduct their terrorist acts in the Southern Yemeni provinces.
"These documents and intelligence unveil the relations between a UAE intelligence officer with senior commanders of Al-Qaeda and the ISIL in Yemen," the added.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have been supporting the Takfiri terrorist groups in Southern Yemen against the Yemeni popular forces.
In mid-March, a senior Yemeni military source disclosed that the Saudi regime has coordinated with Al-Qaeda to dispatch a large number of Takfiri terrorists to the strategic regions in Southern Yemen.
"Saudi Arabia has stationed a large number of al-Qaeda terrorists around the strategic strait of Bab al-Mandeb in Southern Yemen in line with a US plot to increase its military presence there," Khalil Abdullah told FNA.
Abdullah also said that Saudi Arabia has asked its Sudanese mercenaries to advance towards Ta'iz and Lahij provinces.
"Hundreds of Al-Qaeda terrorists are now in Southwestern Yemen and they have pointed their artillery at the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait," Abdullah said.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950309001448
Comment: Really more details of the documents would be needed. “Takfiri” here really is used in a propaganda way, the word meaning apostate to Islam.
27.5.2016 – The burning blogger of Bedlam (* A T)
IRON MAN 3 & the BIN LADEN Myth: Plus More Evidence of Faked Videos…
In February this year, a former ISIS fighter in Yemen appeared to have admitted that ISIS fakes videos and uses fighters as actors. Memri explains that ‘the Al-Hidaya media group, which is associated with Al-Qaeda, published a 12-minute video titled “The Hollywood Reality Of Al-Baghdadi Group.” The video, which was posted on the group’s official Twitter account (@Hedayh_701), features the testimony of Abu ‘Ataa’ Al-Sanaa’ni, a former member of ISIS in Yemen who recently defected from its ranks and wished to expose the truth behind the organization’s conduct
cp15 Propaganda
29.5.2016 – National Yemen (A P)
Six Reasons Why Iran Will Not Leave Yemen
By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh President of the International American Council
Iran’s role in the war in Yemen is multidimensional. On the surface, Yemen does not seem to bear geopolitical or strategic significance for the Iranian leaders. Yemen’s conflict also does not pose a national security threat to Iran. But, why Iran is determined to have a role in Yemen’s war and direct it in its favor?
The ideological factor
One dimension of Iran’s involvement in Yemen is ideological. One core pillar of its foreign policy is anchored in its Islamic revolutionary principles.
The key decision maker in Iran’s foreign policy is the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
One of Khamenei’s underlying revolutionary values is that he views himself as the leader of the Islamic world and he views Iran as the vanguard of Muslims. In fact, his official website refers to him as the “Supreme Leader of Muslims”, not the Supreme Leader of “Iran” or solely the “Shiites”.
As a result, from Khamenei’s perspective, as a supreme leader of Muslims, using rhetoric, influencing, and directing the political affairs of every Muslim country, including Yemen, is his religious and ideological duty.
In addition, since Khamenei views himself as the leader of Muslims, he has naturally positioned himself to view Saudi Arabia as a competitor and rival. Showing his ideological influence in Yemen gives him leverage against Riyadh.
The geopolitical and strategic reasons
Iran considers itself, and desires to be treated, as the paramount power in the Middle East because of it strategic significance, geographic location, military capabilities, economic strength, wealth and natural resources (such as holding the second and fourth largest gas and oil reserves in the world), and size of its population (second largest most populous nation in the Middle East after Egypt).
Iran’s regional hegemonic ambitions direct the Iranian leaders to pursue policies which are aimed at countering the power of other regional state actors (mainly Saudi Arabia), and weakening their strategic, economic and geopolitical significance in order to tip the regional balance of power in favor of Tehran.
While Yemen does not pose a national security threat to Iran, it does to Saudi Arabia since it shares a border with Riyadh. Iran seizes this opportunity, by supporting the Houthis, to challenge Saudi Arabia, making it look more vulnerable, all while Tehran is showing off its regional significance to Saudi Arabia and how it can cause a security threat to Riyadh.
In addition, by diverting the Saudi’s attention to Yemen, Iran is attempting to create a quagmire for Riyadh in Yemen, making it bogged down in Sanaa, in order to draw it away from Syria and Iraq; Iran’s main allies.
Iran also seizes the opportunity to increase its leverage against Riyadh and use Yemen as a strategic bargaining chip, to push Saudi Arabia to change it policy toward Damascus, Baghdad, Bahrain or other countries where Iran exerts influence.
Economic, ethnic and sectarian factors
Although Iran views itself as the vanguard of both Sunnis and Shiites, it does contain a covert sectarian agenda in supporting the Shiites (or an offshoot of Shiism) to improve and extend its influence in other countries.
Finally, Iran’s strategy of expanding its influence in the region is to create proxies in Muslim countries and make a political reality out of them over time to influence the domestic affairs of those nations (as it has done with Hezbollah and other Shiite groups in Iraq) – by. Majid Rafizadeh, American political scientist, president of the International American Council on the Middle East
http://nationalyemen.com/2016/05/29/six-reasons-why-iran-will-not-leave-yemen/
Comment: Part of the Saudi anti-Iranian propaganda. The facts on the ground in Yemen must be pressed into the scheme of the Saudi-Iranian strife. For being able to “leave” Yemen, the Iranians first must get in.
Comment: Anything relating to Iran is shadowy. And paranoia builds up.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1033899289996434&id=961126490607048
29.5.2016 – Saudi Press Agency (A P)
Yemen Foreign Minister Accuses Coup masterminds in Sanaa of lacking Seriousness in Reaching Peace
Yemeni Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Head of government delegation at Kuwait Consultations Abdulmalik Al-Mikhlafi said that the coup party, which participates in the consultations, does not seem serious so far about reaching peace, as it is still putting a lot of obstacles and rescinding their commitments.
This came in a speech he delivered before the extraordinary session held here today at the Arab League's headquarters.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1505181
Comment: There certainly are even more reasons to believe that the Hadi government delegation does not take the talks serious.
29.5.2016 – Arab News (A P)
Iran plays spoilsport in Yemen
The ongoing Yemen peace talks in Kuwait have failed to make much headway because of Iran’s consistent attempts to derail the efforts, Yemeni Minister of Information Mohammed Qubaty has said.
Talking to Asharq Al-Awsat Qubaty exposed how Houthis and Yemen’s deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh are coordinating with Iran and Al-Qaeda even as the talks are under way.
Counterterrorism special forces, which were formed by US forces during Saleh’s regime, are now unleashing terror, he said. “The coordination encompasses an array of terrorist attacks and political turbulences.”
http://www.arabnews.com/node/931451/middle-east
Comment: Also in propaganda, a little bit of intelligence could be an advantage. If – he missed the Houthis and Saleh coordinating with Northern Corea, the Mafia and Camorra, the Russian Secret Service, Boko Haram, ...
28.5.2016 – Arab Times (A P)
Yemen … before it’s too late
IT IS time for the international community to stop the bloody and humanitarian crisis in Yemen, considering that about 10 million Yemenis are under the threatening sword brought by the group which is indifferent to the catastrophe caused by the war. The collapse of Yemen means disintegration of whatever is left of the international system which started to weaken when it stood, with hands tied, towards breaking Somalia, as well as its inability to solve problems caused by its ambiguous position on the civil war in several Arab countries.
Indeed, the legitimate government agreed to sit on the same table with the Houthis — Saleh’s group — in a bid to stop the Yemeni bloodshed; because it’s constitutional, legal and moral responsibility is to protect the 26 million Yemenis.
The legitimate government’s main mission is to protect the entire Yemeni population from the internal force which facilitated itself to be the mask of Iran’s occupying authority. However, this government will not last forever to wait for the Houthi rebels to take peace negotiations seriously and abide by the principles of dialogue. If the government continues to wait for such incident, it will become a captive of the humanitarian situation that continues to deteriorate day after day; whereas an international power continues to put more pressure on the government such that it pushes through with the negotiations, which almost become a ‘circus’, to end the unjust treatment of thousands of innocent Yemenis.
It is delusional for the international powers to assume that the Arab countries’ coalition will get tired of fighting against the indirect Persian aggression on Yemen. The Arab coalition, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will never stop even if the war continues for a hundred years. It will never allow Yemen to be an easy prey for the expansionism savage that never gets satisfied.
The coalition realized from the beginning that slackness in confronting the expansionism scheme of Iran’s regime will make it pay a price which is much higher than what the coalition is paying in the current war.
Therefore, the coalition is working seriously to prevent the passing of reconciliation efforts by some major powers and Iran at the expense of the people of Yemen and the presence of GCC countries, or there will be a ‘stepping’ place for the Mullah regime in any part of the Southern frontier.
The international community, which is an active force in the world, is being accused of agreeing to annihilate a nation to serve temporary interests that are not worth even a teardrop of a hungry child or a drop of blood of an innocent person.
If the active force in the world continues with its position which encourages Iran to continue its indifference in the hands of Houthi rebels and Saleh, it must prepare for a ‘flood’ of new Yemenis refugees who will come in millions and are threatened by hunger, death and diseases - by Ahmed Al-Jarallah – Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/yemen-before-its-too-late/
Comment: And the normal propaganda again. The bad Iranians and Houthis, he humanitrian catastrophe is due to these bad guys. And : aerial war and bombing, ever heard of?
28.5.2016 – FAZ (A P)
Predigt ein Imam Intoleranz, sollte man seinen Status annullieren“
Saudi-Arabiens Außenminister Adel al Jubeir rät im Interview mit der F.A.Z. dazu, Imame in Deutschland zu kontrollieren. Für die Instabilität im Nahen Osten sieht er einen klaren Hauptverantwortlichen.
Herr Minister, in Syrien ist die Waffenruhe faktisch obsolet, und die Genfer Verhandlungen für einen politischen Übergang stocken. Gibt es noch Hoffnung?
Hoffnung gibt es immer. Das Problem ist Baschar al Assad. Die Lösung ist, ihn zu beseitigen, wozu es einen vereinbarten Prozess gibt.
Saudi-Arabien führt im Jemen einen Krieg gegen die Houthis mit hohen zivilen Opferzahlen.
Jeder Krieg sollte vermieden werden. Wir haben den Krieg im Jemen nicht gewollt, wir sind dazu gezwungen worden. Eine radikale Miliz, die mit Iran und der Hizbullah alliiert ist, übernimmt ein Land, ballistische Raketen und eine Luftwaffe. Das war eine direkte Bedrohung für das Königreich Saudi-Arabien. Wir mussten intervenieren, um die legitime Regierung des Jemen zu schützen und eine Bedrohung Saudi-Arabiens abzuwehren.
Erlebt die Region einen Religionskrieg zwischen Sunniten und Schiiten?
Nein, das sollte es auch nicht sein. Der Konfessionalismus begann im Nahen und Mittleren Osten 1979 mit Chomeinis Revolution. Iran hetzte systematisch die schiitischen Gemeinschaften auf. Das löste in der sunnitischen Welt eine Reaktion aus, was zum sunnitischen Extremismus führte.
Hat dabei nicht der Wahhabismus auch eine Rolle gespielt?
Muhammad Bin Abdalwahhab war ein religiöser Reformer, der vor 270 Jahren in Zentralarabien gelebt hat. Sollte er so extrem, gewalttätig und intolerant gewesen sein, wie die Leute sagen, weshalb hatten wir diese Gewalt in den ersten 250 Jahren nicht gesehen? Weshalb gab es keine Gewalt gegen Schiiten? Der sunnitische Extremismus begann in Saudi-Arabien nach 1979. Erst Iran hat diesen gefährlichen Trend des Konfessionalismus ausgelöst, der heute die Region zerreißt.
Aber die Saudis finanzieren doch Madrasas und Moscheen, entsenden Imame.
Wenn wir vor 50 Jahren eine Moschee gebaut haben, sind dann wir heute dafür verantwortlich, wenn dort eine Radikalisierung stattfindet? Und wir entsenden keine Imame. Wenn jemand einen Imam ins Land lässt, braucht er ein Visum und eine Arbeitsgenehmigung. Predigt dieser Imam Intoleranz, dann sollte man seinen Status annullieren! Das machen wir in Saudi-Arabien immer. Wir prüfen, was in unseren Moscheen gesagt wird, wir disziplinieren Imame und hindern sie am Predigen. Wenn wir das in Saudi-Arabien tun können, kann Deutschland es auch tun.
Kommentar: Es ist wirklich schwer nachvollziehbar,warum diesem Mann schon wieder von deutschen Medien eine solche groß bemessene Möglichkeit zur Verbreitung der üblichen saudischen Propaganda gegeben wird, und das ohne eigene kritische Kommentierung und mit ausgeschalteter Kommentarfunktion für die Nutzer. Das haben wir alles schon so oft gelesen. Am groteskesten die Aussagen zum radikalen Islam. Wer den tatsächlich in der Welt verbreitet, ist auch klar.
28.5.2016 – Xinhua (A P)
UAE improves global image in business and diplomacy: official
The United Arab Emirates' diplomacy at regional and international levels as well as its active participation in international efforts to fight terrorism has enabled it to acquire an outstanding international image, a UAE minister said on Saturday.
The Gulf state UAE strives "to build a regional and international environment based on peace, stability and mutual trust," Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, was quoted as saying by Emirates state news agency WAM.
He added the country offers development and humanitarian aid, as well as active contributions to peacekeeping operations to protect the civilian population and takes part in the rebuilding of the affected areas.
Dubai and the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi host a number of major regional congresses such as the Middle East's first conference for the hospitality industry, the annual Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, or the biennial defense fair and exhibition IDEX in Abu Dhabi.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-05/28/c_135395274.htm
Comment: They praise themselves. Over a year of pounding Yemen, they find nothing better to do than praise themselves for inhumane behaviour.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1033447446708285&id=961126490607048
26.5.2016 – Arab News (A P)
King Salman honored for services to unite Muslims
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has received an honorary doctorate from King Abdulaziz University (KAU) for promoting unity in the Muslim world.
King Salman received the honor while attending the 50th anniversary of KAU on Wednesday night, where he also launched several projects worth SR5.5 billion for the expansion of the facility.
Education Minister Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Issa, president of KAU’s council, said that King Salman’s contribution has included major global aid and charity initiatives and protecting and preserving Islamic culture and heritage, SPA reported.
The minister made the statement after chairing the fifth session of the council for this academic year. He said the monarch has received numerous awards, medals and certificates for his achievements across the world.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/930481/saudi-arabia
Comment: Crazy, because nobody does more to cause strife and hatred among Muslims than the Saudis by spreading their radical Wahabi Islam. And where this is not enough, saudis directly bring killing to other Muslims (Yemen, Bahrain, Syria).
Comment: Delusional. Not funny any longer because lives are at stake. This man has caused damage, spread death, unstabilised, divided and martyrised.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1033275683392128&id=961126490607048
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
29.5.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini ( A K )
Im hearing the sounds of Saudi jets flying now over the capital Sanaa.Im always asking myself when all this will end? God only knows.
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/737006889196748800
29.5.2016 – Saba News (A K PH)
Aggression continues to breach the truce
The Saudi aggression and its hirelings continued to breach the UN-backed ceasefire in several provinces during the past 24 hours, a security official said Sunday.
The Saudi warplanes waged an air raid on Abbs district in Hajjah province, a raid on Kilo 16 area in Hodeida province and two air raids on al-Masloub district in Jawf province, the official explained.
The Saudi aggression targeted Harf Sufyan district of Amran province with 15 sorties and targeted a cement-loaded truck in the district, the official added.
The Saudi warplanes nonstop flying on the skies of many provinces, including the Capital, Taiz, Mareb, Jawf, Amran, Sana'a, Baidha and Sa'ada.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news429166.htm
29.5.2016 – Ahmad Alghobary (A K)
#Breaking: 3 #Saudi led coalition air strikes targeted Shada district in Sadaa
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/736920011898490880
29.5.2016 – Afrah Ateiq (A K PH)
Wildfires caused by a raid targeting food stores( warehouse ) in Hodeidah Yemen.
Hodeidah - for News - Special:
Although the province is not experiencing confrontations; the planes alliance of aggression, Sunday, May 29 / May 2016, the implementation of an air strike on the province of Hodeidah # (western Yemen), and caught fire in a warehouse.
A security source told the "news" that the airforce hostile raid targeting an economic institution Yemeni stores, resulting from the outbreak of large fires.
He added that the Civil Defense extinguished the conflagration caused by the raid were surpassed.
The province has seen, the middle of this month, shelling "hysteria" targeted the airport and military camps of the air and coastal defense, as the raid targeted the city, "Almnasra" residential, earlier.
https://www.facebook.com/Living-In-Yemen-On-The-Edge-961126490607048/ = https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1738492416413156&id=100007572434234 = http://www.khabaragency.net/news61781.html
29.5.2016 – Yemen Post (A K)
DESTRUCTION: 60 Saudi airstrikes over 48 hours attack Strategic (Amalikah) military base in #Yemen region Amran.
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/736911013698801664
29.5.2016 – Ahmad Alghobary (A K)
#Saudi led coalition warplanes are over my city Dhamar,#Yemen God save us
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/736661643837505536
28.5.2016 – Yemen Today ( K PH)
Film: Saudi raids hysterical aggression on the banner of the Giants in the Harf Sufyan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rcf0NTko6Q
28.5.2016 – Press TV Iran ( K PH)
Saudi attacks on Yemen continue despite truce
Saudi Arabia has launched fresh airstrikes on Yemen despite an ongoing round of UN-backed peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in the Arab country.
Saudi jets on Saturday carried out bombardments on Masloob district in northern Jawf Province, with no immediate reports available on the potential casualties.
Attacks had also been launched in Amran Province late Friday, with reports suggesting that residential neighborhoods across the northern province were targeted by at least 50 rounds of Saudi air strikes.
Riyadh’s attacks on Yemen come despite UN-mediated talks in Kuwait between representatives of the Saudi-backed former regime and a delegation comprising of the ruling Houthi Ansarullah movement and allies.
The Houthi delegation on Saturday submitted a protest to the UN officials over the attack in Amran, saying such blatant cases of truce violation could lead to a full collapse of the peace talks.
Sources in the capital Sana’a said the Houthis were pondering a withdrawal from the talks if the other side keeps breaching the terms of the truce.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/05/28/467805/Saudi-Arabia-Yemen-Houthis-Amran-Hadi-Jawf
28.5.2016 – Khabar Agency (A K PH)
#Yemen: 50 #Saudi airstrikes targeted the Gaint brigade in #Amran
http://www.khabaragency.net/lasten61715.html
28.5.2016 – Saudi Arabia War Crimes (A K)
Photos of the truck loaded with cement targeted by the airline Saudi American aggression on the Directorate of Harf Sufian in Amran governorate
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1549419672020688
28.5.2016 – Yemen Post (A K)
War ESCALATION: 35 Saudi airstrikes attack 4 #Yemen provinces today & Houthi militants clash in 6 provinces.
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/736544237219684352
27.5.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini (A K PH)
Saudi jets hit Hareeb area in Nehim district of Sanaa with 2 sorties
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/736293038281109504
27.5.2016 – Yemen Post (A K)
Night of MISSILES: 20 Saudi strikes attack Houthi run military base in #Yemen region Amran as war escalates today.
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/736298839276163073
27.5.2016 – Yemen Post (A K)
Wave of ATTACKS: 14 Saudi airstrikes in 2 hours bombard #Yemen regions as deadly war enters 14th month & counting...
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/736229074377551873
27.5.2016 – Yemen Post (A K)
More AIRSTRIKES: Saudi missiles attack #Yemen regions of Jawf & Mareb today as #UN peace talks finally see progress.
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/736186420847595522
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
29.5.2016 – NZZ (A K)
Fast 40 Tote bei neuen Kämpfen
Bei Kämpfen zwischen regierungstreuen Truppen und schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen sind im Süden des Jemen am Sonntag 39 Menschen getötet worden. Insgesamt seien 25 Rebellen und 14 Soldaten umgekommen, sagte der jemenitische General Misfer al-Harithi der Nachrichtenagentur AFP. Es sei seinen Truppen gelungen, einen Überraschungsangriff der Rebellen in der Provinz Schabwa zu stoppen und anschliessend Stellungen des Gegners zu erobern.
Trotz einer im Jemen geltenden, allerdings brüchigen Waffenruhe kämpfen die schiitischen Rebellen und Regierungstruppen um das letzte noch von den Huthi kontrollierte Gebiet in der Provinz Schabwa
http://www.nzz.ch/international/nahost-und-afrika/jemen-fast-40-tote-bei-neuen-kaempfen-ld.85431 und höhere Zahlen hier http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/jemen-wieder-kaempfe-trotz-waffenruhe.447.de.html?drn:news_id=618673, bis 69 werden berichtet (englisch)
29.5.2016 – AFP (A K)
South Yemen clashes kill 48: military
Fierce fighting between government forces and Shiite rebels in south Yemen on Sunday claimed the lives of 48 fighters -- 28 insurgents and 20 soldiers -- a senior military officer said.
"A total of 28 Huthis (Shiite rebels) and 20 of our men were killed in the fighting, which continued into the evening," General Misfer al-Harithi, who commands the army's 19th Infantry Battalion, told AFP.
Earlier, Harithi gave a death toll of 28 rebels and 14 soldiers.
He said the clashes erupted when rebels and allied forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh attacked government positions in Bayhan district on the border between Shabwa and Marib provinces.
Troops counter-attacked and pushed the rebels back, he said.
"Our forces managed to recapture several positions," Harithi said.
"We will not stop fighting until we take control of the entire sector," he added.
The area where the fighting is taking place is the only part of Shabwa province still controlled by the Iran-backed rebels.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3615204/South-Yemen-clashes-kill-39.html = http://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/south-yemen-clashes-kill-39-military/ar-BBtC6dn and even higher figures are reported up to 69: http://www.24news.ca/the-news/world-news/227371-fighting-in-central-yemen-kills-69
29.5.2016 – Saba News (A K PH)
Aggression continues to breach the truce
The Saudi aggression and its hirelings continued to breach the UN-backed ceasefire in several provinces during the past 24 hours, a security official said Sunday.
The Riyadh's hirelings in Taiz province pounded Dhubab city, al-Amri Mount and many areas in al-Waze'yah district, he said.
The hirelings pounded the army and popular committees sites in Jahmalya and Tha'abat areas in Taiz province. They continued to target al-Shabka Mount, al-Madrab Mount, al-Qashuba area with medium weapons.
The official confirmed that many hirelings were killed or injured when they tried to advance towards al-Dhahura Mount in al-Waze'yah district in Taiz.
The hirelings in Jawf province targeted al-Moton district with artillery shells.
In Sana'a province, the Riyadh's hirelings attacked al-Hawl, Bani Bareq, Melh areas in Nehm district with medium and heavy weapons.
The hirelings in Mareb province continued to target different areas in Serwah district. They also targeted citizens' farms in Hareb-al-Qaramish with mortars.
Meanwhile, the army and popular committees repulsed an attempt of the hirelings to advance towards al-Saq area in Usailan district in Shabwa province. One military vehicle of the hirelings was burnt in the attempt.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news429166.htm
29.5.2016 – Saba News (A K PH)
Dozens hirelings killed in Shabwa
Almost 15 people of Riyadh's hirelings on Sunday were killed as trying to advance on Usailan district of Shabwa province, a military official said.
Dozens of hirelings were wounded during the violent clashes taken place in al-Safra area in Usailan district, the official said.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news429170.htm
28.5.2016 – Before It's News (A K PH)
Various films on fighting, saudi coalition breaking truce
28.5.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Hirelings kills man, injure five in Jawf
A citizen was killed and five others injured by an attack carried out by Riyadh' hirelings in Jawf province, a security official said on Saturday.
The attack was one of tens of violations of UN-backed ceasefire announced early in April committed by the Saudi aggression and its hirelings in several provinces during the past 24 hours.
The Saudi fighter jets waged two air raids on al-Masloub area and targeted al-Moton district with artillery shells as the hirelings tried to advance towards the district, the official added.
The fighter jets launched more than 30 air raids on al-Amaliqa military camp in Harf Sufyan district of Amran province.
The aggression also dropped flash bombs in Melh area in Nehm district of Sana'a province. It waged two sorties on Harib-Nehm area and a raid on Serwah district of Mareb province.
The Riyadh's hirelings in Dhalea province targeted the army and popular committees sites in Najd al-Qarin area.
In Taiz province, the official said the hirelings pounded the army and popular committees sites in al-Qushba and al-Madrab areas in al-Waze'yah district, Jarah Mount, Usaiferah area, al-Amri Mount, Dhubab city.
The Riyadh's hirelings in Baidha province targeted al-Wabia area with mortars. The Saudi warplanes waged an air raid on the north of Mukairas district in the province, he said.
The violations also included the Saudi warplanes nonstop flying on the skies many provinces such as the Capital, Taiz, Mareb, Jawf, Amran, Sana'a, Baidha and Dhalea, the official said.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news429089.htm 28.5.2016 – Yemen Post (A K)
War ESCALATION: 35 Saudi airstrikes attack 4 #Yemen provinces today & Houthi militants clash in 6 provinces.
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/736544237219684352 27.5.2016 – Yemen War (A K PH)
Yemen forces destroying armored vehicles belong to Arab coalition in AlJawf desert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvlaeVbbTBA
27.5.2016 – News Yemen TV (A K PH)
Aggression's Aircrafts& Mercenaries New Ceasefire Violations 27 5 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At-a0leraCo
Taiz mercenaries targeted medical assistance convoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXTg4J3fDRs
Mareb Clashes between Tribesmen and Mercenaries
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfRr_NT1Jv8
Mareb Mercenaries failed to advance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_c3GRtAgP0
27.5.2016 – Saba News (A K PH)
Saudi-led coalition, mercenaries continue to breach ceasefire
The Saudi-led coalition and its mercenaries continued to breach the UN-announced ceasefire during the past few hours in a number of provinces, a military official said Friday.
The aggression warplanes launched a raid on Serwah district of Mareb province and two others on al-Maslob district in Jawf province, the official told Saba.
He added that the hostile war jets targeted Harf Sufian district in Amran province with two raids, in addition to six raids waged on the district since the morning.
The warplanes and spying planes flew intensively in the sky of districts of Taiz province and on the coastal strip.
The military official said the aggression’s mercenaries pounded different parts of Serwah district in Mareb province with artillery shells. They bombed the sites of the army and popular committees in Jarrah Mount and Usaifera area in Taiz province with medium and heavy weapons.
Moreover, the hirelings attacked the army and committees locations in Najd al-Qurein in Dhalea province with diverse arms, and targeted al-Wahbiya area in Baidha province with mortars and machine guns.
The official said the army and committees forces foiled an attempt by the mercenaries to advance on al-Maton district in Jawf province.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news429047.htm
27.5.2016 – Hussain Albukhaiti (A K PH)
Dozen of #Saudi #UAE CO strikes on Giants brigade #Amran N #Sanaa #Yemen Fighting broke out in all fronts inc North border wth #KSA
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/736227277508358144
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
29.5.2016 – Ovmizi.ru (not looked at; B H)
Water Stress: Some Symptoms and Causes: A Case Study of Taiz, Yemen
To download this book in PDF from Playster click on the next banner
28.5.2016 -Port News (A E H K)
New procedure for commercial goods permits in Yemen ports
Members whose vessels are calling at ports in Yemen should note that new procedures to facilitate commercial imports have been instituted by the United Nations at the request of the Government of Yemen, the London P&I Club said.
The new procedures, known as the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM), require shipping companies and vessel owners who are shipping commercial goods or bilateral assistance (government to government transfers) to any port in Yemen that is not under direct control of the Government of Yemen (ie. Port Saleef, Mokha, Hodeidah and associated oil terminals) to apply for the relevant permit upon departure from the port of origin of their cargo. The UNVIM is effective immediately and the UNVIM’s online form can be accessed by clicking here. For a copy of the Standard Operating Procedures for the UNVIM for Yemen, click here, and further information is available on the UNVIM website, which can be accessed by clicking here.
Members should note that the United Nations arms embargo imposed by UN Security Council Resolution 2216 of 2015 remains in place – click here to access a copy. This includes an obligation on Member States to inspect all cargo (including screening of containerised cargoes) in their territory that is destined for Yemen, if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the cargo contains prohibited items.
http://en.portnews.ru/news/220133/
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/krieg-im-jemen-neue-artikel-zum-nachlesen-150
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-150: / Yemen Press Reader 1-150:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
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