Dies ist die Fortsetzung von Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 827, Teil 1 / This is the sequel of Yemen War Mosaic 827, part 1:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-827-yemen-war-mosaic-827
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 1 / In Italics: Look in part 1
Klassifizierung / Classification
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Aden-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Aden government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp9b Beziehungen der USA zu Saudi-Arabien und den VAE / US-Saudi and UAE relations
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
cp19 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A P)
[Aden gov.] Yemen's Foreign Minister Ahmad bin Mubarak Sunday demanded a UN and international approach to deal practically with Houthi militias.
The procrastination of Houthis to deal with the endeavors of achieving peace in Yemen stresses that they have no desire to achieve peace, and do not pay attention to the sufferings of Yemenis and ending their humanitarian catastrophe, he said.
He indicated that Yemen's Presidential Council and government have provided everything possible to turn from a state of war to a state of peace to meet Yemenis' aspirations and end the war as well as restore security and stability.
He said the Houthis disavowed the gains of peace and seek to destroy benefits made for Yemenis during the past months.
https://www.yemenonline.info/politics/6812
(A P)
Al-Ejri: Paying Salaries Is Right for All Yemenis, Cannot be Waived
Member of the [Sanaa gov.] National Delegation, Abdulmalik Al-Ejri, stressed that the UN Security Council is not a platform for fairness and justice, and is subject to international interests and considerations for the favor of powerful regimes.
Al-Ejri said to Almasirah that "the UN has presented texts that contain chicanery regarding the truce, and this is unacceptable," explaining that there are no guarantees for the continuation of the calm as it was in the past during the truce.
The member of the National Delegation indicated that the truce in its first form has ended, and we do not reject negotiations, pointing out that the salary issue is a right for all Yemenis without exception, whether they are civilians or military, and the right of any employee cannot be waived because abdication rights is outside humanitarian, moral and legal standards.
Al-Ejri added, "If the negotiations reach a dead-end, escalation is the alternative option."
and
(A P)
Sanaa refuses linking its humanitarian demands to political negotiation
Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs, Lieutenant-General Jalal Al-Rowishan, on Sunday confirmed Sanaa’s refusal to link its humanitarian demands to political negotiation.
Lieutenant-General Al-Rowishan said in a statement to Al-Masirah TV channel that “Sanaa’s demands are purely humanitarian, and we refuse to link them to political negotiation as the Saudi-led coalition is trying.”
https://en.ypagency.net/275535/
My comment: Such a position never works. It is a blockade to any progress.
(* A P)
[Sanaa gov.] National Committee for Prisoners Affairs Signs Last List for Prisoners' Exchange with Saudi Side
The head of the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs, Abdulqadir Al-Murtadha, stated that correction of the prisoners’ data with the Saudi side has been completed, and the last list for the exchange has been signed.
Al-Murtada’s statement came after the arrival of Yemeni delegation on the prisoners’ issue from Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with the departure of the Saudi technical team from Sana’a airport, Saturday.
He pointed out that the visit of Yemeni delegation to the Saudi prisons was successful, as our prisoners were reassured, noting that this visit was necessary and was called for in the last round of negotiations in Amman to solve the outstanding problems that prevented progress in the prisoners' issue and the implementation of the agreement concluded last March.
He stressed that the prisoners' issue is a humanitarian issue and must remain neutral from other political and military issues, and that all parties benefit from the implementation of this agreement.
and also https://en.ypagency.net/275544/
(A P)
Saudi envoy urges UN Security Council to designate Houthis as terrorists
Saudi Arabia on Thursday called for the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen to be officially designated as a terrorist group, for it to face an international boycott, and for its funding sources to be blocked.
While reiterating its commitment to the international efforts to end the war in Yemen, the Kingdom also said it reserves the right to defend itself should the militia resume attacks on Saudi targets.
“We will spare no effort to deter these hostile acts against us,” Abdulaziz Al-Wasil, the Kingdom’s permanent representative to the UN, said during a Security Council meeting to discuss the latest developments in the war-ravaged country.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2180741/saudi-arabia
(* A P)
READOUT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFING AND CONSULTATIONS ON YEMEN HELD ON 13 OCTOBER 2022
On 13 October, the Security Council held a briefing and consultations on the implementation of SCRs 2451 and 2452. It received updates from Special Envoy (SE) for Yemen Hans Grundberg and OCHA’s Acting Secretary General Joyce Msuya (via VTC from Hudaydah) in the open session, as well as from the Head of UNMHA/Chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), Major General (ret.) Michael Beary, during closed consultations. Saudi Arabia and Yemen participated in the briefing under rule 37 of the Security Council provisional rules of procedure.
The SE deeply regretted that an agreement was not reached on 2 October. He outlined the main elements of his proposal to the parties, which included continued cessation of hostilities (and enhanced Military Coordination Committee for de-escalation and coordination), transparent and effective disbursement mechanism payment of civil servant salaries and pensions, reopening roads in Taiz and other governorates, increasing flights and destinations from Sana’a, regular flow of fuel into Hudadyah, commitment to urgently release detainees, and initiating economic and political negotiations and the resumption of the Yemeni political process. He appreciated the positive engagement of the Government of Yemen (GoY) and regretted that the Houthis’ additional demands that could not be met.
and
(* A P)
BRIEFING TO THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL BY THE SPECIAL ENVOY FOR YEMEN HANS GRUNDBERG
In this briefing, I will provide an overview of what was put before the parties and outline the way forward.
Efforts to not only extend, but also to expand and build on the elements of the truce have been ongoing since early July. On the 18th of September, I shared a proposal for a six-month extension and expansion of the truce elements with the parties. And in the weeks leading up to the 2nd of October, I intensified my discussions with them, conducting several rounds of negotiations in Aden, Sana’a, Riyadh, and Muscat. I subsequently shared a revised proposal with them on the 1st of October.
My proposal addressed the key – competing – demands of both sides, in a balanced manner. Allow me to outline the elements of the proposal and what the Yemeni people – men, women, and children – stand to lose:
First, the continued halt of all offensive operations and an enhanced Military Coordination Committee as a robust de-escalation communication and coordination channel,
Second, a transparent and effective disbursement mechanism for the regular payment of civil servant salaries and pensions, Third, the phased opening of roads in Taiz and other governorates,
Fourth, an increase in the number of flights and destinations to and from Sana’a International Airport;
Fifth, the regular and unhindered flow of fuel to the ports of Hudaydah, and Sixth, a commitment to urgently release detainees.
Additionally, for long-term progress towards a settlement of the conflict, the proposal also includes the establishment of structures for the initiation of negotiations over economic issues, a durable ceasefire, and – most importantly – the resumption of a Yemeni-led, inclusive political process to work towards a comprehensive resolution of the conflict.
In light of this, it’s deeply regrettable that on the 2nd of October an agreement was not reached on the extension and expansion of the truce.
I welcome that the parties have shown restraint since the expiration of the truce on 2nd of October as we have fortunately not witnessed any major military escalation, only sporadic exchanges of artillery and small arms fire in the frontline areas in Taiz, Ma’rib, Hudaydah, and Dhale. I urge the parties to continue to exercise maximum restraint.
Since the 2nd of October, flights between Sana’a Airport and Amman have continued to operate
It is important to remember that the truce was never intended as an end in itself, but as a building block to enhance trust between the parties and establish a conducive environment to work toward a political solution to the conflict. And the parties now have a choice before them. They can choose to preserve and build on the truce and take the path towards peace as is expected from them by the Yemeni population. Otherwise, a return to war would mean renewed and increasing suffering for the civilian population.
Allow me now turn to the way forward. In the 11 days since the expiration of the truce, I have continued my relentless efforts to engage the parties as well as regional and international partners on options for the renewal of the truce. I have just returned from visits to Abu Dhabi and Muscat where I held important discussions to explore ways forward in close coordination with Yemen’s neighbours. I personally believe that there is still a possibility for the parties to come to an agreement.
With the stakes this high, it is critical that we do not lose this opportunity. The parties need to demonstrate the leadership, compromise and flexibility required to urgently reach an agreement on the renewal and expansion of the truce.
and main points, and statements of envoys: https://press.un.org/en/2022/sc15062.doc.htm
and shorter survey: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129517
and shorter media report: https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-united-nations-abu-dhabi-yemen-civil-wars-abde5c3c4247328a8d38f6d65ad85231
(* A H P)
Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya - Briefing to the Security Council on the Humanitarian Situation in Yemen (13 October 2022)
I have spent the past six days in Yemen, having visited Aden, Ma’rib, Sana’a and Hudaydah.
During this time, I met dozens of people who told me about their lives.
While long-term support is essential, millions of people continue to depend on humanitarian assistance.
I have seen the impact of the aid operation myself over the past few days. Earlier today in Hudaydah, I visited a therapeutic feeding center in Al Thawra Hospital, which has admitted more than 700 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition so far this year.
In Ma’rib, I visited a school that provides education to almost 600 displaced children on a daily basis.
These are just two examples of the humanitarian interventions that are supporting more than 10 million people every month in Yemen.
As a result of these efforts, some gains have been made in preventing famine. According to new estimates that will be released tomorrow, 17 million people will be facing acute food insecurity during the last three months of this year. While this is still an alarmingly high number, it is 2 million people less than earlier projections.
Moreover, the number of people estimated to be in famine-like conditions is projected to go down from 161,000 people to zero.
This is a major achievement. But the global food security situation remains fragile, and we cannot let these and other gains go to waste.
To do this, we need continued donor support. The humanitarian appeal has received $2 billion so far – more than half of which has been provided by a single donor, the United States.
Despite these generous contributions, we are still only 48 per cent funded, with less than three months left in the year. This is why we allocated $20 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, CERF, just last month, which will be used to support underfunded sectors in the humanitarian response. This brings total CERF funding for Yemen to $60 million USD for 2022.
We hope that further funding will be forthcoming.
I have seen for myself the destruction that conflict has brought on this country. But I have also witnessed the courage and resilience that have pulled people through it.
The truce sparked hope that peace may – finally – be possible. We cannot let this be extinguished.
This is what people like Yousef and Amal want and so deserve, so that they can be empowered, rebuild their lives, and dream of a better future.
and also, shorter UN reports: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-deputy-un-relief-chief-spotlights-need-step-action-protect-millions-vulnerable-people-enar
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129582
(A P)
Deputy U.S. Representative to the United Nations: Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Yemen
https://usun.usmission.gov/remarks-at-a-un-security-council-briefing-on-yemen-12/
(A P)
Refusal to extend the truce threatens to dismantle the foundation built for a negotiated peace settlement in Yemen
Statement by UK Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council briefing on Yemen
(A P)
Chinesischer UN-Vertreter ruft zu Aufrechterhaltung von aktueller Sicherheitslage im Jemen auf
https://german.cri.cn/2022/10/14/ARTIxgMn4r9esHNBRAQjhFRY221014.shtml
(A P)
Chinese envoy calls for maintenance of current security situation in Yemen
https://english.news.cn/20221014/d24737925b244710abb5b1bdbb9d92e3/c.html
(A P)
Al-Ezzi comments on Security Council’s statement
Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein al-Ezzi has on Friday commented on the Security Council’s statement in which it expressed disappointment over Sana’a’s demands for an extension of the truce in Yemen.
In a tweet on Twitter, Al-Ezzi retweeted Sana’a’s demands and said: Here are our demands, which the Security Council regrets our adherence to and is disappointed about.
“Disbursement of employees’ salaries from the gas and oil revenues, smooth entry of fuel ships and without bribes, one destination is not enough for tens of thousands of patients and those in need of travel,” he wrote on Twitter account.
He added, “Gentlemen, we are facing unprecedented international degeneration in the human history.”
https://en.ypagency.net/275319/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/10/14/deputy-fm-rebukes-security-council-for-its-inability-to-accept-sanaas-demands/
(A P)
Sanaa accuses US, UK of obstructing efforts to stop war
Spokesman for the National Salvation Government, Minister of Information Dhaifallah al-Shami, on Thursday confirmed that the Americans and British play a major role in the aggression on Yemen, and in the continuation of aggression to press the oil-producing countries in the Gulf under pretext of protecting them.
“Any peace in the Arab region will negatively affect the American and British policy in the first place, and therefore they push their tools to intransigence and reject efforts to stop the aggression,” he explained in a tweet on his Twitter account.
https://en.ypagency.net/275312/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/10/14/yemens-minister-of-information-condemns-us-and-british-role-in-aggression-against-yemen/
and
(A P)
[Sanaa gov.] Deputy Foreign Minister of Yemen expresses hope about recent Yemeni-Saudi talks in Sana’a
(A P)
Houthis: Those deny Yemenis' rights obstruct truce extension
Any proposal confiscating the rights of some Yemenis is unaccepted, chairman of the Houthi Supreme Political Council said Wednesday.
Those, "who deny the Yemeni people's rights, obstruct the truce extension,
https://debriefer.net/en/news-31314.html
(A P)
Mohammad Abdulsalam: Truce Not Extended Due to US-Saudi Intransigence Regarding Rights of Yemeni People
The head of the [Sanaa gov.] National Delegation, Mohammad Abdulsalam, confirmed that the UN-sponsored truce ended and was not extended due to the intransigence of the US-Saudi aggression regarding the human demands and natural rights of the Yemeni people.
and also https://en.ypagency.net/275228/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/10/13/chief-yemeni-negotiator-confirms-full-end-of-un-mediated-truce/
(A P)
[Sanaa gov.] Oil Minister: Demand for Paying Salaries from Yemeni Oil Revenues Is Not Impossible
The Minister of Oil and Minerals, Ahmed Abdullah Daris, affirmed that the demand for paying salaries from Yemeni oil revenues is a legitimate right and a humanitarian entitlement, not a maneuver or impossible demand.
The Minister of Oil and Minerals explained that cutting salaries and closing the port of Hodeidah and Sanaa International Airport is a crime against humanity and a flagrant violation of all international covenants and laws.
He pointed out that the US-Saudi aggression are looting and selling Yemeni oil and gas, depriving the Yemeni citizen of his most basic rights amid international complicity and silence regarding these crimes, pointing out that the aggression countries deliberately cut the salaries of civil and military employees to bring the Yemeni people to their knees.
and also https://en.ypagency.net/275239/
(* A P)
Saudi-led coalition and Houthis exchange prisoners of war in Yemen
Two delegations from the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen have landed in the country and exchanged prisoners of war, the Saudi state news agency SPA has reported.
Coalition spokesman Brig Gen Turki Al Malki described Wednesday's move as a “goodwill initiative” that aims to “build confidence” as part of efforts to renew a UN-brokered truce that expired on October 2.
“This is a humanitarian visit that handles the detainee issue in a pure humanitarian approach,” Brig Gen Al Malki said.
He said it was made possible “as one of the gains of the truce and the efforts to extend it, in addition to further expanding its humanitarian, economic and livelihood gains for the Yemeni people and kick-starting the political process and reaching comprehensive peace in Yemen”.
Meanwhile, Abdulqader Al Mortada, head of the Houthi-aligned National Committee for Prisoners Affairs, said the list of PoWs was agreed on during negotiations in Amman.
“A technical team from the committee went to Saudi Arabia and a technical team from Saudi Arabia came to Sanaa to confirm the list of names,” he said.
Despite the truce expiring, several analysts told The National that it seemed to still be in place unofficially, even though there have been some skirmishes and a slight escalation in violence on the front lines since.
Jacob Al Sufyani, director of the Aden-based South24 Centre for News and Studies, called it a “truce of negotiations”.
Other indicators of efforts to ensure that Yemen does not return to all-out war are visits by international brokers to the region and bilateral meetings among allied nations.
On Wednesday, Saudi Minister of Defence Khalid bin Salman met his Yemeni counterpart, Lt Gen Mohsen Al Daeri.
Discussions centred around the UN-brokered truce “to alleviate the suffering of the fraternal Yemeni people” and the kingdom's efforts to “advance efforts made to end the Yemeni crisis”, SPA reported.
Also on Wednesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said efforts to renew the Yemeni truce were still in place. He added that his country supported the UN-brokered agreement.
Earlier this week, Diplomatic Adviser to the President Dr Anwar Gargash met UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg in Abu Dhabi.
The US State Department also said that its envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, would make a visit to the region to discuss the truce.
and
(* A P)
Saudi-led coalition says it exchanged POW visits with Yemen's Houthis
Two delegations from the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen and the Iran-aligned Houthis exchanged visits to prisoners of war on Wednesday as a gesture of goodwill and a confidence-building measure to extend the truce in Yemen, the coalition said in a statement carried by the Saudi state news agency SPA.
The statement quoted spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki as saying "this visit is humanitarian in nature ... and comes as one of the gains of the truce as we seek to extend it."
Saudi statement: https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2391935
and
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGWc_iAAGKs
Photos: https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1580760715408789505
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1580625710137630722
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1580657403552407553
and
(* A P)
Saudi technical team leaves Sana'a after reviewing prisoners' conditions
The Saudi technical team left Sana'a, after a three-day visit, during which the prisoners' conditions were reviewed, the database was corrected, and the problems related to the lists and names in which there were differences were resolved.
The head of the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs, Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, told the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) that the visit was necessary and was called for in the last round of negotiations in Amman to solve the outstanding problems that prevented progress in the prisoners' file and the implementation of the agreement concluded last March.
He said, "This visit had positive results that resolved a large part of the problems related to the prisoners' file and the lists between us and the Saudi side, and there are still obstacles and problems with the Yemeni mercenaries' parties, and we spoke with the Saudi delegation about these problems, which he promised to work on in order to reach the Implementation of the agreement signed last March, due to the passage of a long period of time on it.
Al-Murtada indicated that the last list through which prisoners will be exchanged with the Saudi side was signed.
"We hope that the other parties will be at the same level of readiness and that there will be similar visits between us and the other Yemeni parties, and we are ready to implement the prisoner exchange agreement," he added.
Al-Murtada stressed that the prisoners' file is a humanitarian file and must remain neutral from other political and military files, and that all parties benefit from the implementation of this agreement.
The Head of the National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs expressed the hope that this visit would be a first step leading to the full implementation and comprehensive solution of the humanitarian file.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3207339.htm
and
(A P)
Head of [Sanaa gov.] National Prisoners' Committee: We received Saudi technical delegation to see their prisoners
Al-Murtada added, in a statement to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba): "We received a Saudi technical delegation, and the purpose of their visit is to see the conditions of their prisoners who are affiliated with them, who are with us, and also to match the names in reality, verify them and prepare for an exchange - God willing - in The immediate future, which is according to the agreement signed last March through the United Nations.
He expressed the hope that these mutual visits would be a gateway to reach a comprehensive solution to this humanitarian file.
Al-Murtada added: “Yesterday we bid farewell to a technical team from the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs that visited Saudi prisons to see the conditions of our prisoners who are in them, as well as contrast the names and their conformity with reality from inside the prisons, and to see the conditions of the prisoners and check on them, and we hope that this visit will be the beginning of a complete breakthrough. in the prisoners' file.
While the head of the visiting Saudi team, Salem Al-Harbi, said: "I thank you - on my behalf and on behalf of my colleagues - for the good treatment with our prisoners.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3207148.htm
and also https://en.ypagency.net/275280/
and
(A P)
Saudi diplomat thanks Yemen for receiving delegation in Sana’a
and
(A P)
First picture shows Sanaa delegation with prisoners of war in Saudi Jails
https://en.ypagency.net/275305/
https://twitter.com/abdulqadermortd/status/1580650202817781761
and
(A P)
Head of [Sanaa gov.] Prisoners’ Committee: Visits of delegations to Riyadh, Sana’a are to verify prisoners' names
The head of the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs, Abdel Qader Al-Murtada, revealed that a Saudi technical delegation has arrived Sana'a, and a delegation from the Prisoners Committee has gone to Saudi Arabia, to verify the names of the prisoners within the mechanism for verifying the statements of the first stage of the exchange that was agreed upon in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3207034.htm
and
(A P)
Saudi delegation arrives in Sanaa
Head of the Prisoners’ Affairs Committee in Sanaa, Abdel Qader Al-Mortada, revealed on Wednesday that a Saudi technical delegation arrived in the capital Sanaa, to discuss convergences regarding the prisoners’ file.
“Within the mechanism of verifying the statements for the first stage of the release of prisoners, which was agreed upon in the last Amman tour, a technical delegation from the Prisoners Committee went to Saudi Arabia, while a Saudi technical delegation arrived in Sanaa to verify the names and matching it to reality,” Al-Mortada said on Twitter.
https://en.ypagency.net/275155/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/10/12/saudi-delegation-arrives-in-sanaa-to-discuss-prisoner-exchange-agreement/
(A P)
[Sanaa gov.] Foreign Ministry: Aggression countries prevents armistice
In a statement to the Yemeni news agency (Saba), the ministry said that the demands of the Yemeni people to open Sana'a airport and the port of Hodeida and to pay the salaries of all state employees from the oil and gas revenues are just humanitarian demands that should have been neutralized and not used in any talks.
However, the aggression countries used the demands as bargaining chips to gain an advantage with the blessing of the international community, the statement said.
The ministry stressed that Sana'a is keen to achieve peace and end the Yemeni people's suffering, which has never been seen before in the history and that the aggression coalition bears the full responsibility.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3207170.htm
and also https://en.ypagency.net/275288/
and
(A P)
Head of [Sanaa gov.] National Prisoners' Committee: We received Saudi technical delegation to see their prisoners
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3207148.htm
(A P)
Saudi foreign minister says efforts to extend Yemen truce still stand
Saudi Arabia, the coalition the kingdom leads and the Riyadh-backed Yemeni government are 'keen on extending the truce', Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-foreign-minister-says-efforts-extend-truce-yemen-still-stand-2022-10-12/ = https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/saudi-fm-says-efforts-extend-yemen-truce-still-stand
(A P)
Alimi Urges European Countries to Pressure Houthis on Yemen Peace
The head of the [Aden gov.] Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, has called on European officials to put more pressure on the Houthi militias to push them toward the path of peace.
(A P)
[Sanaa gov.] President Al-Mashat: “Whoever rejects rights of Yemeni people is one who obstructs armistice extension”
https://en.ypagency.net/275137/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/10/12/president-mahdi-al-mashat-peace-without-respect-for-the-rights-of-yemenis-is-unacceptable/
(A P)
Jemen: Huthis fordern Erfüllung aller Bedingungen vor Verlängerung des Waffenstillstandes
Hischam Scharaf, der Außenminister der von der jemenitischen Huthi-Bewegung eingesetzten, international nicht anerkannten Regierung hat erklärt, dass die Huthis einen gerechten und würdigen Frieden in dem vom Krieg zerrütteten Land anstreben, wie die iranische Nachrichtenagentur Tasnim berichtete. Allerdings bekräftigte er, dass es keine Gespräche über eine Verlängerung des von den Vereinten Nationen vermittelten sechsmonatigen Waffenstillstands geben werde, solange die Forderungen der Huthis nicht "vollständig" erfüllt werden. Der Waffenstillstand zwischen den von Saudi-Arabien unterstützen Kräften und der Huthi-Miliz endete am 2. Oktober.
Der Huthi-Vertreter erklärte, die Beendigung der von Saudi-Arabien geführten Aggression, die Aufhebung aller harten Sanktionen und die Beendigung jeglicher ausländischer Militärpräsenz im Jemen seien die einzige Möglichkeit, den negativen Auswirkungen der anhaltenden humanitären Katastrophe in diesem Land entgegenzuwirken. Er fügte hinzu, dass das anhaltende Festhalten von Tankern mit Erdgas und Erdölderivaten auf dem Weg in den Jemen sowie die Weigerung der saudischen Seite, Ölschiffen das Entladen ihrer Ladung in einem strategisch wichtigen westlichen Hafen zu gestatten und den Flughafen von Sanaa wieder vollständig zu öffnen, die negativen Auswirkungen der humanitären Krise im Jemen nur noch verschärfen werden würden.
Die Angreiferländer, insbesondere Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, seien sich der Forderungen nach einer Verlängerung des Waffenstillstands sehr wohl bewusst. Scharaf zufolge ginge es bei den Forderungen vor allem um die Zahlung der Gehälter von Beamten und um die Vorbereitung auf die Aufnahme sinnvoller Friedensverhandlungen.
Der Huthi-Vertreter sagte, dass Millionen von Jemeniten den Wunsch hätten, einen "ehrenhaften Frieden ohne ausländische Anweisungen und Diktate"
Feindsender!
(A P)
Jemen: Keine Verlängerung des Waffenstillstands im Jemen, es sei denn, öffentliche Forderungen werden vollständig beantwortet
Der jemenitische Außenminister gab an, dass es keine Gespräche über eine Verlängerung des von den Vereinten Nationen vermittelten sechsmonatigen Waffenstillstands geben wird, der am 2. Oktober ausgelaufen ist, es sei denn, die legitimen Forderungen der Nation werden vollständig erfüllt.
Sharaf hob hervor, dass die einzige Lösung, um die Folgen der anhaltenden humanitären Katastrophe im Jemen auszugleichen, darin bestehe, die von Saudi-Arabien geführte Aggression sofort zu stoppen, alle grausamen Sanktionen aufzuheben und jede Art von ausländischer Militärpräsenz auf jemenitischem Boden zu beenden.
Er betonte, dass die anhaltende Festnahme von Tankschiffen mit Ölderivaten und Erdgas in Richtung Jemen und die unerbittliche Weigerung, Ölschiffen zu erlauben, ihre Ladungen im strategischen Hafen Hudaydah abzuladen und den Flughafen Sanaa wieder vollständig zu öffnen, die nachteiligen Auswirkungen der humanitären Krise im Jemen nur verstärken würden.
(A P)
[Sanaa gov.] FM confirms Sanaa’s firm position on extending armistice
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hisham Sharaf, on Tuesday affirmed Sanaa’s firm position on extending the humanitarian and military truce in Yemen.
In the meeting, Sharaf said that Sanaa is with the extension of the truce and the fulfillment of its requirements that the two aggression coalition countries, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, know well, which include paying the salaries of the state employees and preparing to enter into peace negotiations. “But if the goal is to make the country live in a state of no war and no peace, then this is totally and completely rejected.”
He affirmed that Sanaa expresses the aspirations of millions of Yemeni people to achieve honorable peace away from any foreign tutelage or dictates.
The foreign minister pointed out that the continued detention of oil derivatives and domestic gas ships and not allowing them to enter the port of Hodeida, and the failure to open Sanaa airport completely and to more destinations increases the repercussions of the humanitarian catastrophe in all fields.
https://en.ypagency.net/275034/
(* A P)
Houthis exploit int'l truce pressures to maximize gains: Yemeni sources
The Houthi group exploits international pressures for renewed truce to maximize gains, Yemeni government firsthand sources said Monday, noting that Riyadh had promised to pay civil servants in Houthi-held areas.
The UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, is still exerting efforts to renew and expand the expired truce, the sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed website, but these efforts are faced by Houthi repeated rejections and preconditions.
The more they feel willingness from concerned parties, the further demands the Houthis add, the sources added.
"At the beginning, they asked for payment of civil servants salaries without linking them to revenues of oil arriving at Hodeida port, but after the government and Coalition agreed, the Houthis raised their demands. They're now asking for payment of their military and security forces."
Once Saudi Arabia committed itself to pay public salaries, the Houthis gave new conditions, such as "payment with old banknotes that shouldn't be through the government and delivered directly to them."
The UN envoy is now pressuring on the official government to accept the Houthi condition for paying the salaries of defense and interior ministries staff, though all of them are Houthi fighters, the sources said.
Having failed to persuade the Houthis into extending the truce, despite the government agreement to his proposal, Grundberg resorted to this matter, they added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-31276.html
(A P)
Anwar Gargash receives special envoy for Yemen
UAE official discusses efforts to find peaceful solution to country's crisis with UN's Hans Grundberg
and also https://twitter.com/OSE_Yemen/status/1579893789610893313
(A P)
Omani mediation for potential new truce deal: Yemeni ex-minister
There are signals that Yemen would see new deal on truce with Omani mediation, Yemen's former foreign minister tweeted on Sunday evening, one week after the UN-brokered armistice expired with no extension.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-31277.html
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp9b
(A P)
Saudi Arabia releases former Hamas official one day after Saudi delegation for verifying names of inmates for swap deal left the capital Sanaa. In 2020, Ansaruallah "Houthis" leader offered to exchange Saudi pilots for Hamas prisoners.
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1581654369027887105
(A P)
Israeli hofft auf Rückkehr in seine saudische Geburtsstadt
Der Traum von David Schuker ist es, noch einmal seinen Geburtsort in Saudi-Arabien zu sehen. Mit seinem Anliegen wendet er sich an das Königshaus.
https://www.israelnetz.com/israeli-hofft-auf-rueckkehr-in-seine-saudische-geburtsstadt/
(A P)
Israeli born in Saudi Arabia implores king to allow him to visit before he dies
David Shuker grew up in small Jewish community in Najran that dissolved in 1948 amid regime hostility; ‘I want to visit the place where I was born. I came from the dirt of Najran’
(A P)
The Ruling to Increase the Penalty of Imprisonment of a Yemeni Citizen to 25 Years by a Saudi Appeals Court is Considered a Violation of the Principles of Trial and a Deviation from the Application of Justice
SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties expressed its great shock at the ruling issued by one of the Saudi Courts of Appeal to increase the years of imprisonment for the Yemeni citizen and resident in the Kingdom, "Muhammad Fadael", to 25 years, based on charges related to his posting on social media and accusing him of affiliating with "terrorist entities". The organization pointed out that the decision of the Court of Appeal showed an unjustified exaggeration in the punishment.
In its statement issued on Thursday, the organization indicated its condemnation of the ruling issued by the Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal on August 10, which ruled that the appeal submitted by “Fadael” was not accepted and overturned. In addition, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being accused of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, which the Kingdom classifies as a terrorist organization, and of communicating - according to the verdict SAM reviewed - with Al-Qaeda.
"SAM" indicated that the judgment of the Court of Appeal was an exaggeration in the application of the provisions of the law and a deviation from the recognized legal principles
https://samrl.org/l.php?l=e,10,A,c,1,74/Statements,77,4536,php
(* B P)
On the International Day Against It: Torture and Abuses accompany the Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia
According to the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights' monitoring, since the beginning of 2022, Saudi Arabia has carried out 121 executions, 81 of which are part of a mass execution, the largest in the country's history. Saudi Arabia has set record numbers during the past ten years, as from 2013 until October 2022, more than 1,100 executions were executed, more than 990 of which were carried out during the reign of King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, which began in early 2015.
The continuation of the Saudi government in issuing and executing death sentences and the increasing intensity of the use of this punishment coincided with a series of official promises made during the past years, which were supposed to reduce them:
The 2022 World Day is dedicated to reflecting on the relationship between torture, ill-treatment, and the death penalty, where physical and psychological punishments are used during interrogation to extract confessions to crimes, as well as during sentencing; also while awaiting execution.
The death penalty in Saudi Arabia is widely associated with the use of ill-treatment and torture. According to the monitoring of ESOHR, detainees are subjected to various types of torture that start from the moment of arrest and do not stop with the issuance of sentences. Rather, the ill-treatment continues after the execution of the sentences, to the families of the convicts.
Saudi Arabia practices various types of psychological and physical torture against detainees who later face the death penalty, starting during arrest with beatings, the use of force, and enforced disappearance, which duration is prolonged in some cases. This was confirmed by special rapporteurs in letters to the Saudi government, including in cases related to executions carried out in March 2022, where they indicated that Asaad Shubbar and Mohammed al-Shakhouri were subjected to enforced disappearance after arrest.
During the investigation phase, ESOHR documented the use of patterns of physical torture, including electrocution, sleep deprivation, beating, nail extraction, suspension from legs, and others, in order to force the detainee to make confessions or sign confessions. Among those subjected to these types of torture, the minor Mustafa al-Darwish, who was executed in June 2021, who was forced to sign confessions under the threat of retrial.
In addition to physical torture, the organization monitored the practice of psychological torture against a number of detainees who were sentenced to death, including threatening to target their family members, where protester Haidar Al Leaf, who was executed on 23 April 2019, was threatened with bringing his wife to prison and divorcing him if he does not sign confessions. This is added to other practices such as the deprivation of communication with family, cursing, and insulting beliefs.
In many cases, torture led to disabilities, or to permanent injuries and pain, as well as cases of fainting and loss of consciousness, and in many cases, the detainee did not obtain his right to treatment. In the case of the young man Mounir Al Adam, who was executed in April 2019, torture led to an auditory disability, while the young man Abdullah Al -Tarif, who was executed in the same mass execution, indicated that the torture that he was subjected to has led to damages in the back vertebrae, a deviation in the left eye, and other problems.
Although the detainees confirmed in the cases monitored by ESOHR that they were subjected to torture and were forced to ratify confessions before the judges, their allegations were not dealt with seriously, and no serious investigation was opened into these allegations.
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp9a, 9b
(A P)
Tell Your Senators to Support a Yemen War Powers Resolution!
The ceasefire between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis in Yemen is set to expire. Senators Leahy, Warren, and Sanders introduced a new War Powers Resolution in the Senate to force an end to US support for the war. Tell your Senators to join the effort!
https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=18127
(A P)
Connecticut GOP candidate acknowledges work in Saudi Arabia
Stefanowski, who has a background in mergers and acquisitions, has acknowledged for the first time that he has done consulting work related to a proposed futuristic, green-energy city in Saudi Arabia, proposed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Stefanowski told reporters during a Zoom call on Wednesday that he has been and remains a consultant to NEOM, the company that is behind the massive NEOM project. He said he’s involved with a three-way venture to build a hydrogen plant.
(A P)
[Oman] Diplomatic Undersecretary receives US Special Envoy for Yemen
Sheikh Khalifa Alharthy, Undersecretary for Diplomatic Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of Oman received today Tim Lenderking, the US Special Envoy for Yemen.
https://fm.gov.om/diplomatic-undersecretary-receives-us-special-envoy-for-yemen-2/
and also https://omannews.gov.om/topics/en/81/show/110321
(* B K P)
America First Republicans, Co-Sponsor This Yemen Resolution!
Right now there is a huge opportunity for the Congress to force President Joe Biden to force the Saudis and United Arab Emirates to end their war against Yemen. This intervention has been totally unauthorized by Congress and does not serve American interests.
As Senator Rand Paul once explained to an instantly converted Fox News host Neil Cavuto years ago, if the US and its allies succeeded in their goal of regime change in the capital, AQAP and the Muslim Brotherhood (al Islah) could take over instead.
What more could anyone possibly need to know about this war to oppose it?
Unfortunately, President Trump, at missile-maker Raytheon’s request, vetoed the resolution.
Biden, who unlike Trump, campaigned on ending this war, would have a much harder time vetoing it
The war against AQAP is excepted in these resolutions. That is far from perfect. The war on terrorism is what led to the war for terrorism in Yemen in the first place. But there is just no comparison between the levels of violence inflicted by drones and special operations forces against terrorist targets and this genocidal foreign invasion the US has sponsored and supported these last seven years. This war is every bit as bad as Iraq War II or the dirty war in Syria. Hundreds of thousands of innocent people have died and are dying.
It must be stopped now. The campaign to repeal the AUMF of 2001 can be next.
(A P)
U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Lenderking’s Travel to the Region
U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking will travel to the region starting October 11 to support intensive, UN-led negotiations with the Yemeni parties to reach agreement on a truce extension and expansion, for the sake of Yemenis.
https://www.state.gov/u-s-special-envoy-for-yemen-lenderkings-travel-to-the-region/
My comment: The US miming peacebroker.
(* B P)
Peace is a Fading Hope in Yemen
Yemen’s belligerents have been unable (so far) to end the war. Biden could end US assistance to the Saudis, thus crippling their war effort and perhaps forcing a peace, but Biden hasn’t. Who is there left who can end the war? Can Congress?
US participation in the war in Yemen was not approved by Congress as the Constitution requires.
The War Powers Resolution must be passed by both chambers.
The chances of the Yemen WPR passing are slim. Congress tried to pass a War Powers Resolution for Yemen as recently in 2019. That WPR made it through Congress, but was vetoed by then President Donald Trump.
Overriding a presidential veto requires 67 votes in the Senate and 290 votes in the House (two-thirds of each chamber).
Besides admitting that his Yemen policy has failed, the president has an additional motive for vetoing the WPR: placating Saudi Arabia. On October 2, OPEC+ (the 13 members of OPEC and 10 nonmembers, including Russia) announced that it was cutting oil production by 2 million barrels a day. The price of gasoline per gallon soared after Biden’s March 8 embargo on Russian petroleum and natural gas in response to Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
We must assume that MBS has not forgotten—much less, forgiven—Biden’s numerous affronts.
Besides personal animus toward Biden, MBS has another motive for keeping oil prices high. It is the kingdom’s growing closeness with President Vladimir Putin’s Russian Federation. Putin wants high oil prices in order to fund his war with Ukraine and to counter the West’s economic sanctions on Russia. MBS, who is no supporter of the embattled Ukrainians, is happy to oblige.
So, Biden is unlikely to talk MBS into cutting production. But Biden is not going to throw away that slim chance by allowing the War Powers Resolution to become law, which would alienate MBS further.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/10/11/peace-is-a-fading-hope-in-yemen/
(* B K P)
Ohne USA hätte es den furchtbaren Krieg in Jemen nicht gegeben
Die NZZ blendet diese Realität aus und schiebt die alleinige Schuld Saudi-Arabien zu.
Das berichtete NZZ-Reporter Daniel Böhm Ende August. Der Konflikt finde im Ausland nur noch wenig Aufmerksamkeit. Im vierspaltigen Artikel fand sich kein Wort darüber, dass die USA die saudischen Streitkräfte während Jahren militärisch unterstützten: mit dem Betanken der saudischen Kampfflugzeuge in der Luft, mit Logistik, Luftaufklärung und schweren Waffen.
Nach dem Kashoggi-Mord im Jahr 2018 kündigten die USA an, das Betanken von Koalitionsflugzeugen einzuschränken. Doch noch heute beaufsichtigen US-Rüstungskonzerne nach Informationen des Council on Foreign Relations die Wartung saudischer Flugzeuge.
Nachdem das von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Erdölkartell kürzlich gegen den Willen der USA eine Drosselung der Erdölförderung beschloss, schrieb Daniel Böhm am 10. Oktober in der NZZ, dass es zwischen Saudi-Arabien und den USA schon lange kriseln würde.
Wiederum kein Wort darüber, dass Saudi-Arabien diesen brutalen Krieg ohne militärische Hilfe der USA – und in geringerem Masse auch von Frankreich, Deutschland und Grossbritannien – gar nicht führen könnte. Im Gegenteil, schreibt die NZZ: Die USA hätten den siebenjährigen Krieg sogar abgelehnt. Die alleinige Schuld liege beim skrupellosen Bin Salman.
Es fällt auf, dass NZZ-Reporter Böhm noch Ende August die «Reformen des Kronprinzen» über allen Klee lobte.
Infosperber hatte darüber berichtet: «Die NZZ redete die Diktatur in Saudi-Arabien schön.»
Wie es gerade ins Narrativ passt: Einmal das «Königreich der Frauen» und dann wieder das Regime eines jungen, skrupellosen Mohammed bin Salman.
Es geht hauptsächlich um regionale Vorherrschaft, um noch nicht erschlossene Ölreserven und um den Zugang zum Roten Meer. Die USA sind an einer ungehinderten Durchfahrt durch die Meerenge Bab al-Mandeb interessiert, welche das Arabische und das Rote Meer verbindet und für den weltweiten Transport von Öl von grosser Bedeutung ist.
(B P)
Film: Hostages during Yemen's Civil War, the inside story of American contractors' kidnapping: Documentary
Mark McAlister and John Hamen III had just landed in Yemen. They'd both been hired to help renovate a hotel for the U.S. State Department in the Middle East. In the middle of a brutal civil war, they soon became bargaining chips.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfpdjKW72H8
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
Siehe / Look at cp9
(A P)
Iran slams Biden's support for riots as intervention in state matters
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has vehemently censured the United States over meddling in the Islamic Republic’s domestic affairs after President Joe Biden voiced support for riots in the country, made an interventionist statement, and sought encouragement of violence.
“On Saturday, Biden interfered for the umpteenth time in Iran's state matters by supporting the riots as he has done ever since the outbreak of recent developments in Iran,” Nasser Kan’ani said in a statement on Sunday.
(* B P)
Iran nuclear talks on hold for now as US, EU focus on protests
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Oct. 12 that the nuclear talks are not the focus of US policy toward Iran, and that supporting the protesters is. Two days later, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Iranian activists about what more the US can do to support the protests, including internet access.
The take here all along has been, and remains, that Iran wants a deal, for the obvious economic windfall that would follow, and to provide some breathing space for its people. And the Biden administration wants a deal because it considers the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as the best means to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon.
Now Iranian protesters, who have captured the attention of the world, are demanding more from leaders than just a return to the JCPOA. The US and the EU are exploring ways to support the protesters and censure those who are implicated in the violent crackdown on them following the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody for a hijab violation last month.
Iran warned this week of repercussions if the EU follows through on sanctions in response to the Iranian government’s crackdown on demonstrators.
With regard to the nuclear talks, "on hold" doesn’t mean "dead." Neither side has said time’s up or threatened to walk away. For the Biden administration, the EU-brokered compromise is on the table, ready to be signed, if and when the Iranians are ready to do so. The holdup, per Washington, is in Tehran.
And Iran is still teasing the prospect of a deal. In a letter to EU ambassadors, Gholamhossein Dehghani, Iran’s ambassador to the EU, wrote that because "there is a real shot at the revival of the JCPOA post-US midterms,” it is critical not to let the protests upset EU-Iran ties further, as Politico reports.
While the US maintains a firewall between its Iran and energy policies, in pure economic terms, the OPEC+ decision to reduce production by 2 million bpd (more on this below) should otherwise be an incentive for both sides to finish the deal.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/10/iran-nuclear-talks-hold-now-us-eu-focus-protests
(A P)
Iran president accuses US of ‘destabilization’ amid protests
Iran’s president on Thursday accused the U.S. of conducting a “failed policy of destabilization” targeting his nation, as Iranian protesters continued to call for the downfall of its rulers despite a violent and wide-ranging crackdown.
cp9b Beziehungen der USA zu Saudi-Arabien und den VAE / US-Saudi and UAE relations
Siehe / Look at cp9
(* A B P)
Beziehungen zwischen USA und Saudi-Arabien verschlechtern sich weiter
Die ohnehin schon angespannten Beziehungen zwischen der amerikanischen Regierung und dem saudi-arabischen Königshaus erfuhren Anfang der Woche durch die Entscheidung der Organisation der erdölproduzierenden Länder (OPEC), die Ölproduktion trotz heftigen US-Widerstands um zwei Mio. Barrel zu drosseln, eine weitere Belastung. Das Weiße Haus hatte sich sehr dafür eingesetzt, die Kürzung zu verhindern, weil Präsident Joe Biden einerseits hoffte, einen erneuten Anstieg der Benzinpreise in den USA vor den Zwischenwahlen zu verhindern, und andererseits aufgrund des Ukraine-Kriegs auch Russlands Einnahmen begrenzen möchte.
Eine mit den Gesprächen vertraute Quelle sagte, US-Vertreter hätten »versucht, die Situation als ›Wir alle gegen Russland‹ darzustellen«, während die Saudis entgegneten, wollten die Vereinigten Staaten mehr Öl auf den Märkten haben, sollten sie anfangen, mehr eigenes zu produzieren.
Der saudische Energieminister Prinz Abdulaziz erläuterte am Mittwoch im saudischen Fernsehen den Standpunkt der OPEC: »Uns geht es in erster Linie um die Interessen des Königreichs Saudi-Arabien und dann um die Interessen der Länder, die uns vertraut haben und Mitglieder der OPEC und der OPEC+-Allianz sind.« Die OPEC wäge ihre Interessen mit denen der Welt ab, »weil wir ein Interesse daran haben, das Wachstum der Weltwirtschaft zu unterstützen und die Energieversorgung auf die bestmögliche Weise zu gewährleisten«.
https://www.mena-watch.com/beziehung-zwischen-usa-und-saudi-arabien-verschlechtert-sich-weiter/
(* B P)
Saudis auf Abwegen
»OPEC plus« senkt Fördermenge. USA moniert Moskau-Connection ihres »strategischen Verbündeten«.
Die Arbeitsgemeinschaft erdölproduzierender Länder »OPEC plus« hat am 5. Oktober beschlossen, ihre gemeinsame Fördermenge um zwei Millionen Barrel pro Tag – rund zwei Prozent der Weltproduktion – zu senken. Ziel der Maßnahme ist die Stabilisierung der Ölpreise, die in den vergangenen Wochen unter die Marke von 90 US-Dollar pro Barrel gesunken waren. Der unmittelbare Effekt der Entscheidung war sichtbar, aber dennoch geringer als erwartet: Der international wichtigste Orientierungswert Brent notierte am Mittwoch morgen mit rund 95 US-Dollar, während der für Nordamerika maßgebliche WTI-Wert bei 89,66 US-Dollar lag.
Die Regierung der USA und Vertreter beider Kongressparteien geben sich enttäuscht und verärgert über ihren nominell »strategischen Verbündeten« Saudi-Arabien, der zusammen mit Russland die Produktions- und Preispolitik der »OPEC plus« bestimmt. Die Pressesprecherin des Weißen Hauses, Karine Jean-Pierre, warf den Saudis kurz nach Bekanntwerden des Beschlusses vor, es sei klar, dass sie mit Russland gemeinsame Sache machen würden. Viel mehr feindselige Polemik ist kaum vorstellbar.
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/436532.energiepolitk-saudis-auf-abwegen.html
(* A P)
Wegen Midterm-Wahlen: Biden wollte OPEC-Ölförderungsreduktion verschieben lassen
Joe Biden ist vor allem deshalb so sauer auf Saudi-Arabien, weil Riad nicht wie von Washington gefordert die Entscheidung über die Kürzung der Ölförderung auf die Zeit nach den Midterm-Wahlen verschoben hat. Die US-Regierung wollte höhere Benzinkosten vor den Wahlen vermeiden, weil einige Sitze auf dem Spiel stehen. Doch die Saudis spielen nicht mit.
In der Politik gibt es üblicherweise keine Zufälle. Insbesondere dann nicht, wenn es um große wichtige Entscheidungen geht. Wie zum Beispiel die vom Ölkartell OPEC und weiteren wichtigen Ölförderländern, der sogenannten OPEC+, kürzlich beschlossene Reduktion der globalen Förderung des “schwarzen Goldes”, welche für anhaltend hohe Ölpreise sorgen soll. Immerhin geht es hierbei auch um die ökonomischen Überlegungen der Ölproduzenten.
Nun ist ein Dokument aufgetaucht, welches belegt, dass die Biden-Administration versucht hat, die Tagung über die Anpassung der Fördermengen verschieben zu lassen. Und zwar genauer gesagt um einen Monat, damit die US-Wähler nicht mit steigenden Benzinpreisen konfrontiert werden, bevor sie zur Wahlurne bzw. Wahlautomaten schreiten. Immerhin stehen viele Abgeordnete, Senatoren und Gouverneure der Demokratischen Partei mitten im Wahlkampf und die Mehrheit im Kongress steht auf dem Spiel.
Dieser kleine Hinweis in diesem Dokument zeigt, dass die Biden-Administration aus wahltaktischen Gründen die OPEC+ zu einer Verschiebung der Entscheidung drängen wollte, indem sie versuchte, Einfluss auf Riad zu nehmen. Und nun, mit den Drohungen aus Washington, den Saudis die militärische Unterstützung zu versagen, revanchieren sich diese mit diesem “Leak”. Das Dokument gibt vor allem den Republikanern neue Wahlkampfmunition und könnte nun dafür sorgen, dass einige sehr knappe Wahlen nun sogar zu Ungunsten der Demokraten ausfallen und die Republikaner einige Wahlerfolge mehr feiern.
(* B P)
Arabiens Blick nach China – wie US-Präsident Biden einen Verbündeten verliert
Die Annäherung der Araber an China ist die nächste Front, an der die USA gegen den Niedergang ihres globalen Einflusses kämpfen müssen.
Mit seinem Schulterschluss zugunsten Putins Öleinnahmenbedarf nun hat Mohammed, dessen totalitäres Königreich über lange Jahre als eine Art US-Außenstelle am Golf galt, in Washington offensichtlich eine Reizschwelle überschritten, die das bisher immer noch halbwegs vertrauensvolle Verhältnis erheblich stören kann. Dabei war dieses Verhältnis der Verbündeten gegen den Iran der Mullahs und den Weltölmarktkonkurrenten Russland stets problematisch.
Mohammed sucht neue Freunde
Er strebt angesichts der gefühlten Schwäche der USA nicht nur mit Blick auf den Moskauer Despoten, sondern auch im Verhältnis zu Teheran Wege der Entspannung an, die wenig in die globalpolitische Perspektive der USA passen.
Die USA, die bislang mit Blick auf die innere Machtstruktur der Araber alle Augen zugedrückt hatten, sehen sich nun auch auf der arabischen Halbinsel mit einer von Peking gesteuerten Neuorganisation der Weltordnung konfrontiert. Bidens Reaktion ist insofern nicht nur durch die klammheimliche Unterstützung Putins veranlasst. Vielmehr befinden sich die USA in Gefahr, ihren bereits unter Obama deutlich geschrumpften Einfluss in Middle East zu verlieren und damit ins Hintertreffen gegenüber dem großen Konkurrenten China zu geraten.
https://www.tichyseinblick.de/kolumnen/spahns-spitzwege/saudi-arabien-usa-china/
(* A P)
Nach Drosselung der Ölproduktion: USA drohen Saudi-Arabien mit Konsequenzen
Gegen den ausdrücklichen Willen der USA planen die Mitglieder der Ölexport-Gruppe OPEC+ eine Kürzung ihrer Öl-Fördermenge ab November. Nachdem daraufhin zunächst der US-Kongress ein Ende der Zusammenarbeit mit Riad fordert, droht nun auch Präsident Biden mit Konsequenzen.
US-Präsident Joe Biden hat Konsequenzen für die umstrittene Entscheidung der OPEC+-Staaten angekündigt, die Ölproduktion zu drosseln. Er werde nicht genau sagen, was ihm vorschwebe, "aber das wird Konsequenzen haben", sagte Biden am Dienstag in einem CNN-Interview. Der Sprecher des Nationalen Sicherheitsrates, John Kirby, sagte, die Beziehung zu den Ölstaaten unter Führung Saudi-Arabiens werde "neu bewertet".
Die in der OPEC+-Gruppe vereinten Öl exportierenden Länder hatten sich vergangene Woche auf eine deutliche Produktionssenkung im November geeinigt. Der Schritt wurde weithin als diplomatischer Schlag ins Gesicht der USA gewertet, die sich explizit dagegen ausgesprochen hatten.
Saudi-Arabien verteidigte die geplante Förderkürzung der Ölallianz OPEC+. Der Beschluss sei aus "rein wirtschaftlichen" Gründen gefällt worden, sagte der saudische Außenminister Faisal bin Farhan am Dienstagabend dem Nachrichtensender Al-Arabija. "Die OPEC+-Staaten haben verantwortungsvoll gehandelt und die passende Entscheidung getroffen." Es gehe dabei um die Stabilität des Marktes.
https://www.n-tv.de/wirtschaft/USA-drohen-Saudi-Arabien-mit-Konsequenzen-article23644648.html
(* B P)
Eine Überprüfung des amerikanischen Verhältnisses zu Saudiarabien ist überfällig
Riad drosselt die Ölförderung und begünstigt damit Russlands Krieg. Es stellt sich immer dringlicher die Frage, warum die USA weiter einen autoritären Petrostaat unterstützen, wenn dieser sich nicht um die Interessen seiner Schutzmacht schert.
Joe Biden ist sauer auf Saudiarabien. Und das völlig zu Recht. Denn die Entscheidung des Königreichs, mitten in der durch Russland provozierten Energiekrise die Erdölförderung zu reduzieren, ist ein Affront gegen den amerikanischen Präsidenten, der sich im Sommer persönlich für die Erhöhung der Ölproduktion eingesetzt hatte. Sie stellt zudem den Pakt der ungleichen Partner grundsätzlich infrage: Dieser besagt im Kern, dass die USA die Sicherheit des Petrostaats garantieren, wenn dieser dafür verlässlich Erdöl liefert.
Das Verhalten der Saudi werde Konsequenzen haben, kündigte Biden nun an. Aus dem Weissen Haus hiess es am Dienstag, die Beziehungen mit dem Königreich würden insgesamt auf den Prüfstand gestellt. Mitarbeiter Bidens signalisierten zudem Offenheit für Forderungen der Demokraten im Kongress, die Waffenlieferungen auf Eis zu legen. Noch ist offen, was Biden am Ende tun wird. Klar ist jedoch, dass das Verhältnis mit den Saudi am Scheideweg steht.
Tatsächlich ist es überfällig, die Beziehungen zu überprüfen. Das Verhältnis der USA mit der wahhabitischen Diktatur beruht nicht auf gemeinsamen Werten, sondern auf geteilten Interessen. Zuvorderst steht das Interesse an Stabilität im Persischen Golf und einer verlässlichen Ölversorgung. Dafür haben die USA Zehntausende Soldaten auf Stützpunkten in Katar, Kuwait, Bahrain, den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten und Saudiarabien stationiert.
Die Entscheidung zur Kappung der Ölförderung zeigt die Hybris des Kronprinzen, der offenbar meint, auf die USA pfeifen zu können.
https://www.nzz.ch/meinung/die-usa-muessen-das-verhaeltnis-zu-saudiarabien-ueberpruefen-ld.1707016
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Wechselseitige Abhängigkeit: Spannungen zwischen den USA und Opec+
Ist Saudi-Arabien dieses Mal zu weit gegangen? Die Empörung in Washington über die Ankündigung der von dem Golfstaat dominierten Ölallianz Opec, die Förderquoten zu senken, ist groß. Wichtige Vertreter der Demokraten stellen das Bündnis mit dem Königreich und die Militärhilfe für dessen brutalen Jemen-Krieg gänzlich in Frage. Dabei hatte erst im Juni das Weiße Haus eingeräumt, dass sich auch US-Truppen noch immer im Jemen befinden. US-Präsident Biden hatte seinen Wählern etwas anderes versprochen.
Die USA kommen einfach nicht los vom saudischen Königshaus.
https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1167640.opec-wechselseitige-abhaengigkeit.html
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OPEC+ members back Riyadh amid US-Saudi tensions
Several member states of OPEC+, the producer group comprising the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus its allies, have expressed their endorsement of a recently agreed upon production cut, after the United States accused Saudi Arabia of coercing others to support the move.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/10/17/691077/OPEC--members-back-Saudi-US-accusations
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King Salman: The Kingdom is a peace mediator in the region
Saudi King Salman said the Kingdom was working hard to support stability and balance in oil markets, including by establishing and maintaining the agreement of the OPEC+ alliance.
"Our country is working hard within its energy strategy to support the stability and balance of global oil markets," King Salman said, as the Saudi Press Agency reported, "as petroleum is an essential element in supporting the growth of the global economy.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz said in an address to the Kingdom's advisory Shura Council that his country was a peace mediator and highlighted the crown prince's initiative to release POWs from Russia last month.
https://shafaq.com/en/World/King-Salman-The-Kingdom-is-a-peace-mediator-in-the-region
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Biden likely to halt US arms sales to Saudi Arabia amid OPEC row: Senator
'One of the most likely actions is to stop any future arms sales,' says Sen. Chris Coons
US President Joe Biden is likely to tap the brakes on any new arms sales to Saudi Arabia amid an ongoing row with the Kingdom over oil production cuts, a key senator said on Friday.
"I think you’ll see both the administration and the Senate take action, and one of the most likely actions is to stop any future arms sales," Sen. Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations Committees, told CNN during a televised interview.
"The country that benefits the most from this 2 million barrel cut is Russia because it does come down to supply and demand, and Russia obviously wants to keep the supply down so that demand drives the price up," he said. "We've been, I think, very candid and very clear about our concerns over this short-sighted regrettable decision."
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Biden will act 'methodically' in re-evaluating Saudi relationship
U.S. President Joe Biden will act "methodically" in deciding how to respond to Saudi Arabia over oil output cuts, but options include changes to U.S. security assistance, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.
Sullivan, speaking on CNN, said no changes to the U.S.-Saudi relationship were imminent as Biden re-evaluates it.
"And so the president isn't going act precipitously. He is going to act methodically, strategically and he's going to take his time to consult with members of both parties, and also to have an opportunity for Congress to return so that he can sit with them in person and work through the options," Sullivan said.
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Analysis: Saudi oil power play bruises U.S. ties but won't break them
Neither side is backing down in a battle of wills over oil between Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and U.S. President Joe Biden, putting severe strain on their countries' energy-for-security alliance, although a full rupture looks unlikely, Gulf sources and experts said.
As de facto leader of the OPEC+ oil group, Saudi Arabia risked U.S. wrath when the petroleum producers decided to cut output even after the Biden administration sought to stay OPEC's hand for a month with an eye on U.S. mid-term elections.
Despite the testy exchanges, both sides face constraints in how to pressure each other in practice, according to interviews with analysts and experts in the Gulf. Washington will not want to do anything to risk the security of the kingdom's oil sector, any damage to which would send prices spiralling even higher and possibly drive Riyadh closer to China and Russia.
For its part, Riyadh is aware it cannot easily diversify arms supplies for its military, which has been overwhelmingly equipped and trained by the United States ever since the two countries forged their mutually beneficial relationship in 1945.
Still, the U.S.-Saudi rift is widening as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MbS, flags his country's -- and his own -- importance on the world stage.
"The crown prince believes that the U.S. administration has him in its targets and therefore he decided to challenge it and prove the strength of his position within the kingdom and that he does not care about the U.S. stance," said one Gulf source, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
"They believe the Americans cannot go far in punishing Saudi Arabia so this is a battle of wills and sovereign decision making," said the source, adding that the Saudis calculated they could absorb "limited" U.S. retaliation options.
MbS gained some leverage on the world stage after Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, with Western leaders, including Biden, beating a path to the kingdom asking for more oil in order to combat high inflation and rising borrowing costs.
They all left empty handed.
"MbS is a very proud man," said Ali Shihabi, a Saudi commentator close to the Royal Court. "The U.S. is definitely a partner MbS wants to keep close and work with, but he will not allow the country to be at the mercy of the whims of US politicians."
"He has made a great effort since day 1 to signal to the U.S. that he wants excellent ties. But U.S. politicians keep on harping on Khashoggi which he admitted was a horrible mistake 4 years ago."
Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's de facto ruler, is aware of Riyadh's oil market power and position as a counterweight to Iran, and may stand firm in the face of U.S. criticism.
But Riyadh's Achilles heel is security. It says it faces a threat from Iran and its proxies, especially after 2019 attacks that temporarily hit Saudi oil output and shook energy markets. Riyadh blamed Tehran, which denied responsibility.
Several Saudi officials have publicly stressed that the OPEC+ decision had nothing to do with politics, but was a technical one based on safeguarding oil market stability in the face of global monetary and fiscal tightening.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has highlighted a joint Saudi-U.S. interest in maintaining security and military cooperation to help regional stability and provide benefits for the American defence industry.
"It is a very difficult situation. There is elections posturing (by Biden) but there is also bitterness (on both sides)," said another Gulf source, who also declined to be named. "But it can be ironed out, it can be eventually finessed.
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Film: Will Biden Finally Get Tough With Saudi Arabia?
After months of seeking to appease Saudi Arabia and its de facto ruler, Mohammed Bin Salman, the Biden administration has concluded that it needs to “re-evaluate” its relationship with the Kingdom following the announcement that the Saudis and the rest of the OPEC+ oil cartel will cut oil production by two million barrels per day. The production cut will drive up the cost of fuel just weeks before next month’s midterm elections, and critics have characterized the move as effectively constituting election interference. While Saudi Arabia is free to pursue its own interests in hiking oil prices, this sudden and drastic cut does not reflect the behavior the United States can reasonably expect from a partner, especially one that relies so heavily on the U.S. for security assistance and protection.
What can and should the United States do to rebalance the relationship with Saudi Arabia? Should it continue to provide security to Riyadh? Should the U.S. continue to support Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen or should the U.S. bring its troops home from Saudi? Please join us in addressing these questions in a conversation with U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution Bruce Riedel, and Research Fellow for the Middle East at the Quincy Institute, Annelle Sheline. Trita Parsi, Quincy Institute Executive Vice President, will moderate the conversation.
https://quincyinst.org/event/will-biden-finally-get-tough-with-saudi-arabia/ = https://twitter.com/QuincyInst/status/1580952238616285184
Snippets: If Biden doesn't muster the courage to get tough with the Saudis, MBS will continue to undermine US interests. The US-Saudi relationship is unhealthy, and Biden must act to rebalance it.
https://twitter.com/tparsi/status/1580774249479827457
"As long as this remains a proxy conflict this civil war is going to continue." We have the #Yemen war powers bill on the floor. We must assert constitutionally-granted war power authority
https://twitter.com/RStatecraft/status/1580955074292875264
There’s a notion that the US can drill its way out of our oil problems—but we don't have capacity to set the price of oil the way that Saudi Arabia does. We’ll remain dependent on petrostates so long as we're dependent on fossil fuels.
https://twitter.com/QuincyInst/status/1580961639494717441
The U.S. is going to have to figure out—how do we navigate a world where we’re no longer the sole superpower?
https://twitter.com/QuincyInst/status/1580963215215071234
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Saudi Arabia rebuffs US criticism of OPEC+ move as tensions rise
Saudi Arabia has defended a recent OPEC+ decision to reduce oil production as “purely economic,” amid a new of diplomatic tensions with the US, rejecting Washington’s accusations that the cut serves to back Russia amid its war on Ukraine.
In a statement on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry rejected as “not based on facts” claims that the slash in oil production was politically motivated against the US, saying that OPEC+ adopted the decision through consensus, took into account the balance of supply and demand and tried to curb market volatility.
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AL Rejects Statements Criticizing Saudi Arabia following OPEC+ Decision to Cut Oil Production
Secretary General of the Arab League (AL) Ahmed Abdul Ghait expressed his organization's condemnation and denunciation of the statements criticizing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia following OPEC+ decision to partially cut oil quotas of the member states.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2392350
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Saudis say US sought 1 month delay of OPEC+ production cuts
Saudi Arabia said Thursday that the U.S. had urged it to postpone a decision by OPEC and its allies — including Russia — to cut oil production by a month. Such a delay could have helped reduce the risk of a spike in gas prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections next month.
A statement issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry didn’t specifically mention the Nov. 8 elections in which U.S. President Joe Biden is trying to maintain his narrow Democratic majority in Congress. However, it stated that the U.S. “suggested” the cuts be delayed by a month. In the end, OPEC announced the cuts at its Oct. 5 meeting in Vienna.
Holding off on the cuts would have likely delayed any rise in gas prices until after the elections.
My comment: How stupid is this? They really think voters will not realize this?
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Dems Unveil 'Simple Yet Urgent' Bill Blocking US Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia
A pair of congressional Democrats on Tuesday officially introduced their promised proposal to immediately halt all U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia for a year.
The legislation, spearheaded by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), follows the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, or OPEC+, agreeing to slash oil production to boost prices.
"Saudi Arabia's disastrous decision to slash oil production by two million barrels a day makes it clear that Riyadh is seeking to harm the U.S. and reaffirms the need to reassess the U.S.-Saudi relationship," declared Khanna.
"There is no reason for the U.S. to kowtow to a regime that has massacred countless civilians in Yemen, hacked to death a Washington-based journalist, and is now extorting Americans at the pump," Khanna said, referencing the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, which the U.S. intelligence community concluded was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS.
"My bill with Sen. Blumenthal to halt U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia will force MBS to reconsider his efforts to jack up global oil prices," the congressman continued. "There must be consequences for fleecing the American people in order to support Putin's unconscionable war."
My comment: It’s all about US geopolitics and hegemony.
and
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Sen. @ChrisMurphyCT(@SFRCdemsME chair) tells @Isikoff he's considering supporting the policy already backed by over 125 cosponsors of House & Senate #YemenWarPowersResolution (HJRes87/SJRes56): Ending the Saudis' use of US-made fighter jets to bomb & blockade Yemen.
https://twitter.com/ErikSperling/status/1580633178712117249
An official at the [Saudi] Foreign Ministry: Kingdom's Goverment expresses its total rejection of the statements issued towards it following the issuance of OPEC+ decision, and affirms that the outcomes of OPEC+ meetings are adopted through consensus among member states
An official at the Foreign Ministry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stated that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has viewed the statements issued about the Kingdom following the OPEC+ decision announced on October 5, 2022, which have described the decision as the Kingdom taking sides in international conflicts and that it was politically motived against the United States of America.
The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would first like to express its total rejection of these statements that are not based on facts, and which are based on portraying the OPEC+ decision out of its purely economic context. This decision was taken unanimously by all member states of the OPEC+ group.
The Kingdom affirms that the outcomes of the OPEC+ meetings are adopted through consensus among member states, and that they are not based on the unilateral decision by a single country. These outcomes are based purely on economic considerations that take into account maintaining balance of supply and demand in the oil markets, as well as aim to limit volatility that does not serve the interests of consumers and producers, as has been always the case within OPEC +.
The OPEC+ group makes its decisions independently in accordance with established independent practices follow.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2391943
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Biden vows ‘consequences’ for Saudis after OPEC+ cuts output
President Joe Biden said Tuesday there will be “consequences” for Saudi Arabia as the Riyadh-led OPEC+ alliance moves to cut oil production and Democratic lawmakers call for a freeze on cooperation with the Saudis.
Biden suggested he would soon take action, as aides announced that the administration is reevaluating its relationship with the kingdom in light of the oil production cut that White House officials say will help another OPEC+ member, Russia, pad its coffers as it continues its nearly eight-month war in Ukraine.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Rep. Ro Khanna of California introduced legislation that would immediately pause all U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia for one year. This pause would also halt sales of spare and repair parts, support services and logistical support.
But it remains to be seen how far Biden is willing to go in showing his displeasure with the Saudis, a vital but complicated ally in the Middle East.
Biden said in a CNN interview he would look to consult with Congress on the way forward, but stopped short of endorsing the Democratic lawmakers’ call to halt weapons sales.
“There’s going to be some consequences for what they’ve done, with Russia,” Biden said. “I’m not going to get into what I’d consider and what I have in mind. But there will be — there will be consequences.”
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The Worsening US-Saudi Split Could End the Brutal War in Yemen
That “unbreakable” relationship is now suffering maybe the severest strain yet, with the two longtime allies all but at each other’s throats.
This US unhappiness goes well beyond the White House though.
Some Democrats in the House have introduced a bill to pull troops and weapons systems out of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) began beating the drum on this as early as last Wednesday, while Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the second-highest-ranking Senate Democrat, fumed that “the Saudi royal family has never been a trustworthy ally of our nation”
It may seem somewhat absurd for this — the tacit Saudi support for a country waging an illegal war of aggression on a smaller neighbor — to be the final straw for US officials, given the much longer and even more brutal war that Saudi Arabia itself has waged against Yemen with US support and given the apparent Saudi role in an attack on American soil. But this isn’t really about Russia and its war on Ukraine.
The reality is US-Saudi relations have been going badly for some time, the downward slide picking up speed with the election of Joe Biden.
The latest news is that Khanna and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have introduced legislation in both chambers of Congress to immediately end weapons transfers to the country, and they claim it’s “already garnering bipartisan support in both chambers” over Bin Salman’s latest slight. Let’s hope it passes. The Russian invasion has sparked much moral outrage in the United States, but little self-reflection on, or attempts to actually change, US policy that supports a variety of identical crimes. Maybe that’s about to change.
https://jacobin.com/2022/10/opec-cuts-saudi-arabia-mbs-biden-yemen/
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Saudi Arabia Defied U.S. Warnings Ahead of OPEC+ Production Cut
Riyadh dismissed American officials who said the output reduction would be perceived as siding with Russia, in a new blow to relations [paywalled]
Days before a major oil-production cut by OPEC and its Russia-led allies, U.S. officials called their counterparts in Saudi Arabia and other big Gulf producers with an urgent appeal—delay the decision for another month, according to people familiar with the talks. The answer: a resounding no.
U.S. officials warned Saudi leaders that a cut would be viewed as a clear choice by Riyadh to side with Russia in the Ukraine war and that the move would weaken already-waning support in Washington for the kingdom, the people said.
Saudi officials dismissed the requests, which they viewed as a political gambit by the Biden administration to avoid bad news ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, on which control of Congress hangs. High gas prices and inflation have been central issues in the campaign.
Instead, the people said, the kingdom leaned on its OPEC allies to approve the cut, which is aimed at reducing production by 2 million barrels a day.
Adrienne Watson, a National Security Council spokeswoman, rejected Saudi contentions that the Biden administration efforts were driven by political calculations. U.S. officials questioned a Saudi analysis that the price of oil was about to plunge and urged them to wait and see how the market reacted. If the price did collapse, U.S. officials told their Saudi counterparts, OPEC+ could react whenever they needed.
“It’s categorically false to connect this to U.S. elections,” Ms. Watson said. “It’s about the impact of this shortsighted decision to the global economy.”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that President Biden believes that the U.S. should review the relationship with Saudi Arabia in light of the OPEC+ decision, “and take a look to see if that relationship is where it needs to be and that it is serving our national security interests.” He said the president was willing to discuss the bilateral relationship with members of Congress.
On Tuesday Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister, said the OPEC+ decision was purely economic and had no political dimensions. The alliance seeks to stabilize energy markets and advance the interests of producers and consumers, he said in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television.
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Saudi Arabia's 'hostile act' proves Biden critics right — and his advisers very wrong
Further proof Biden should have stuck to his instincts and declined to visit Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
President Joe Biden has a lot of reasons to be furious with his national security team who, against his better judgment, systematically pressured him for 18 months to do an about-face on Saudi Arabia.
The White House has reportedly been in a state of “spasm and panic” since Wednesday, when it became clear that several of the U.S.’s Persian Gulf partners, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, were set to commit what the White House considered “a hostile act”: an extensive cut in oil production coordinated with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, which will send oil prices soaring and very likely harm Democrats in the U.S. midterm elections in November.
Instead of pressing the kingdom to stop undermining U.S. interests, Biden was told to mend fences with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In response to the American president bending the knee to him (who can forget the infamous fist bump), MBS put a dagger in Biden's back.
Falling gas prices over the past months gave the Democrats much needed political momentum to prevent a Republican “red wave” in November. That momentum may now fizzle away as oil prices are now likely to climb above $100 a barrel, which analysts believe will result in Americans paying 10% more at the gas pumps.
The Saudi-led cut is particularly disastrous because it is far more aggressive than what the members of OPEC+ had been signaling. The impact will not only fall heavily on the U.S. and global economies, but it will also bleed into other areas of geopolitical importance: Higher oil prices could help Russia finance its war on Ukraine and possibly also weaken the resolve of countries supporting Ukraine.
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/why-biden-s-grip-gas-prices-might-be-slipping-n1299394
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“ELECTION INTERFERENCE”: OIL PRICE HIKE IS SAUDI ARABIA’S OCTOBER SURPRISE AGAINST BIDEN
“The Saudis are working to get Trump re-elected and for the MAGA Republicans to win the midterms.”
WHEN, JUST ONE month before midterm elections, Saudi Arabia announced it would be slashing oil production by 2 million barrels a day, White House officials called it a “hostile act” and said the administration was “re-evaluating” the Saudi relationship. It was the kind of bellicose language officialdom virtually never uses to describe the oil-rich monarchy, whose vast wealth has bought it enormous influence in Washington.
Congressional Democrats facing reelection amid soaring gas prices were similarly incensed.
Yet experts pointed to the price hikes as more than a geopolitical move. They said it was also a foray by Saudi’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS, into U.S. electoral politics: a move by the Saudi-dominated oil cartel OPEC against President Joe Biden and in favor of Donald Trump.
“The Saudis are working to get Trump re-elected and for the MAGA Republicans to win the midterms,” Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow of the Brookings Institution, told The Intercept. “Higher oil prices will undermine the Democrats.”
Oil prices affect not just the price at the pump but also the cost of virtually everything in our fossil fuel-dependent economy — and are a major driver of inflation. “There’s no doubt that the Saudi-led OPEC oil production cuts are a strategic effort to hurt Americans at the pump and undermine our work to tackle rising costs,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., in an email.
https://theintercept.com/2022/10/11/mbs-saudi-oil-biden-october-surprise-election-interference/
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The Best Way to Respond to Saudi Arabia’s Embrace of Putin
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Ro Khanna propose new legislation to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia and rebalance the U.S.'s relationship with Riyadh.
This week, Saudi Arabia colluded with Russia — deciding to cut 2 million barrels a day of oil production at the OPEC+ meeting, thus raising the price of gas to Russia’s advantage. The shocking move will worsen global inflation, undermine successful efforts in the U.S. to bring down the price of gas, and help fuel Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
The Saudi decision was a pointed blow to the U.S., but the U.S. also has a way to respond: It can promptly pause the massive transfer of American warfare technology into the eager hands of the Saudis. Simply put, America shouldn’t be providing such unlimited control of strategic defense systems to an apparent ally of our greatest enemy — nuclear bomb extortionist Vladmir Putin.
That is why we are proposing bicameral legislation in the Senate and House on Tuesday that will immediately halt all U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia – by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Ro Khanna
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Five ways Biden can ‘re-evaluate’ the Saudi relationship now
Failure to respond to the Kingdom’s slights would reinforce the perception that Washington is a mere oil dependent, susceptible to demands.
While Saudi Arabia is free to pursue its own interests in hiking oil prices, this sudden and drastic cut does not reflect the behavior the United States can reasonably expect from a partner, especially one that relies so heavily on the U.S. for security assistance and protection.
Yet Riyadh believes that it has the upper hand, as demonstrated by an op-ed published by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s media adviser, Turki Aldakhil. His piece details how Saudi Arabia could hurt the U.S., including by pricing oil in Chinese yuan rather than dollars and halting the purchase of U.S.-made weapons and other military equipment. The op-ed can be reasonably understood as reflecting MBS’ position.
A re-evaluation of the U.S.-Saudi relationship is clearly in order, as President Biden appears to have finally recognized. Failure to respond would reinforce MBS’ perception that America’s dependence on Saudi oil renders Washington powerless to resist his demands and will thus fuel more reckless Saudi conduct.
How might the U.S. go about such a re-evaluation? Biden has several options at his disposal, all of which can help create a healthier balance in the bilateral relationship. None of these steps are designed to rupture the relationship.
(* B P)
An end to US military support for Saudi Arabia is long overdue
Saudi Arabia’s recent move to collaborate with Russia in cutting oil production has prompted a flurry of calls from members of Congress to cut off U.S. arms and military support for the Kingdom.
The decision on oil production is a slap in the face to President Biden, who traveled to Saudi Arabia in July with the explicit purpose of persuading the regime to increase oil output to offset the impact of sanctions on Russia, hoping it would filter down to reductions in U.S. gas prices.
Current calls for an arms cutoff to Saudi Arabia have focused on the impact of Riyadh’s position on oil output in helping to sustain Russia’s war in Ukraine. But that is far from the only reason to do so.
The OPEC+ decision has provoked outrage from members of Congress and shock from the White House, prompting calls to reevaluate the U.S.-Saudi relationship. Yet a bill is already waiting to be brought to the floor that would send a clear signal to the Saudis that the U.S. will not continue to provide unconditional military support.
Over 100 members of the House of Representatives are supporting the Yemen War Powers Resolution introduced by Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.).
The administration may now be open to the resolution, as National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby stated that, “The president has been very clear that this is a relationship that we need to continue to reevaluate.”
The uproar over Riyadh’s support for Russia may turn the political tide, boosting support for a Yemen War Powers Resolution that would cut off U.S. arms transfers, spare parts and maintenance to the Saudi military.
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US senator wants ‘freeze’ on Saudi cooperation after OPEC+ cuts
Chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez called on Monday for a “freeze” on cooperation with Saudi Arabia after Saudi-led OPEC+ announced an oil production cut last week despite pressure from the US.
“The United States must immediately freeze all aspects of our cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including any arms sales and security cooperation beyond what is absolutely necessary to defend US personnel and interests,” Menendez said in a statement.
The US has accused the kingdom, the world’s second-largest oil producer, of helping underwrite Russia’s war in Ukraine as the supply cut will raise oil prices amid a global energy crisis.
“I will not green-light any cooperation with Riyadh until the Kingdom reassesses its position with respect to the war in Ukraine. Enough is enough,” Menendez said.
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Why is the US so angry with Saudi Arabia about oil supply cuts?
Joe Biden has threatened ‘consequences’ after Opec+ decided to reduce output in a decision that will benefit Russia
In an interview on Monday, Biden threatened unspecified “consequences” for the Opec+ decision – and on Wednesday night, US Democrats told Saudi Arabia that if the kingdom did not change course, they would force a one-year freeze on all arms sales.
Why would Prince Mohammed risk one of Riyadh’s most crucial alliances to help the beleaguered Russian regime – and what will the news mean for oil prices and Russia’s ability to prosecute the war?
In his interview on Monday, Biden threatened “consequences” for the squeeze on oil production, without specifying what they might be. Senior Democrats in Congress are demanding radical action which would have a material impact on Saudi Arabia’s economy, and its military strength.
Senator Bob Menendez, chair of the foreign relations committee, said he would vote to block future arms sales, while the New York Times reported that the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, was “seriously considering” legislation that would allow lawsuits for price fixing against the Saudis. And, in this piece, Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representative Ro Khanna call for legislation forcing an immediate halt to all US arms sales, arguing that it would take decades for Riyadh to transition to alternative suppliers and Prince Mohammed would have no choice but to negotiate.
Borger thinks that “this is a bipartisan issue, at least for the time being – Republicans would support this sort of action”. But he points to another possible factor in the Opec+ decision: Prince Mohammed’s calculation that a Trump presidency, and Republican control of Congress, would be beneficial. Through the likely impact on US petrol prices, “they’re putting their thumb on the scale of the US election”, Borger says. “More than a bet on Russia, this is a bet on the Republicans, and especially Trump.”
This is not a “no turning back” moment, says Quilliam: “US-Saudi relations will recover,” partly because the relationship between the two countries is much more deeply embedded in both their institutions. But it is a “hairline fracture”, he adds. “The damage with the Biden administration cannot be repaired, and successive Democratic administrations will likely remember this moment.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/13/us-saudi-arabia-oil-suppply-opec-russia-war-ukraine
(B P)
A failed truce renewal in Yemen could further complicate US-Saudi relations
“Now, the US is frustrated with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while it has no leverage with the Houthis,” said Johnsen. “The US has been lost at sea for the past year and a half when it comes to a Yemen policy,” he added, labelling it a situation largely “of its own making.”
While there is pressure within the US to sternly react to Saudi Arabia’s energy policies, it is yet to be seen how the US will respond to the developments in Yemen, where some say Washington would be wise to uphold its security guarantees.
“I don’t think it is in the best interest of America to reduce their military assistance to Saudi Arabia,” said Abdulla. “If they do, it will backfire on America more than many of these senators would imagine.
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(B P)
An official in Sana’a Exposes Dangerous British Plot in Yemen
In the details of the plan, “Ibn Amer,” the author of the book “The Division of Yemen, British Imprints.” “Britain’s plan in Yemen is from its archives; isolating the North the Red Sea coast and made it in a state of dependency, isolating it from the south and provoking separatist tendencies among the tribes, orchestrating war conflicts between Yemen and Saudi Arabia to strengthen control over both countries, and that is what is happening today.”
https://alkhabaralyemeni.net/2022/10/16/191941/
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(A K P)
Verstärkte Waffenlieferungen an die Ukraine - Kompromiss beim Thema Saudi-Arabien
Die Grünen haben auf ihrem Parteitag die Notwendigkeit verstärkter Waffenlieferungen an die Ukraine betont.
Zu Saudi-Arabien heißt es in dem Beschluss, die dortige Regierung begehe nachweislich massive Menschenrechtsverletzungen und sei Kriegspartei im Jemen-Krieg. "Deswegen lehnen wir jegliche Rüstungsexporte an Saudi-Arabien ab." Die Grünen "streben auch einen europäischen Rüstungsexportstopp für Saudi-Arabien und ein europäisches Waffenembargo gegenüber anderen Staaten an, solange diese nachweislich unmittelbar am Jemen-Krieg beteiligt sind". Die Rücknahme einer kürzlich erteilten Exportgenehmigung im Rahmen eines europäischen Gemeinschaftsprojekts wird in dem Beschluss jedoch nicht gefordert.
und auch https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/gruene-401.html
https://taz.de/Gruenen-Parteitag/!5885664/
und
(A K P)
Im Dauer-Dilemma
Die von der Bundesregierung genehmigten Waffenexporte an Saudi-Arabien sorgten auf dem Grünen-Parteitag für Zündstoff. Trotz gefundener Kompromissformeln ist das Dilemma der Partei bei einigen ihrer Kernfragen unübersehbar.
Der Streitpunkt ist ein europäisches Rüstungsprojekt zusammen mit Italien, Spanien und Großbritannien. Die Große Koalition hatte es noch mit ausgehandelt. Demnach werden Kampfjets und Munition nach Saudi-Arabien geliefert - an ein Land, das am Jemen-Krieg beteiligt ist.
Außenministerin Annalena Baerbock sprach in ihrer Rede von "Dilemmata" europäischer Rüstungsexporte. Sie und Wirtschaftsminister Robert Habeck hätten sich mit der Entscheidung sehr schwergetan. "Wir können nicht sagen: 'Schwups, dieser Altvertrag ist weggezaubert, den gibt es jetzt nicht mehr'", sagte Baerbock. Deutschland müsse seine Verpflichtungen erfüllen, die aktuelle Ampel-Koalition das ausführen, was die Vorgängerregierungen beschlossen hätten.
Die Außenministerin betonte, dass es sich um ein europäisches Projekt handle. Und sie sagte schließlich einen Satz, der an mancher Stelle im Saal für ein verwundertes Raunen sorgte: "Es gibt keine Waffenlieferungen aus Deutschland nach Saudi-Arabien". De facto passiert das aber - nur eben im Verbund mit europäischen Partnern.
https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/gruene-parteitag-237.html
und auch https://politik.watson.de/deutschland/analyse/982734510-gruenen-parteitag-kampf-der-ideale
(A K P)
Deutschlands Beihilfe zu Völkermord im Jemen
Film: Bundestagsdebatte
Reichstag: Linke will Waffenexporte nach Saudi-Arabien stoppen Die Fraktion Die Linke fordert die Bundesregierung auf, den Export von Waffen nach Saudi-Arabien einzustellen. Saudi-Arabien führe einen Krieg im Jemen, der eine der schlimmsten humanitären Krisen der Welt befeuere, schreiben die Abgeordneten in einem Antrag (20/3947), der am Donnerstag im Bundestagsplenum beraten werden soll. „Ausgerechnet für die Lieferung von Ausrüstung und Munition für Kampfflugzeuge im Wert von 36 Millionen Euro an Saudi-Arabien hat die Bundesregierung nun eine Exportgenehmigung erteilt“, schreiben die Abgeordneten. Diese widerspreche den Zielen des Koalitionsvertrags zwischen SPD, Grünen und FDP, in dem vereinbart sei, keine Exportgenehmigungen für Rüstungsgüter an Staaten zu erteilen, solange diese nachweislich unmittelbar am Jemen-Krieg beteiligt sind. „Die Lieferung von Waffen an kriegführende Diktaturen widerspricht sowohl einer feministischen als auch einer wertegeleiteten Außenpolitik“, schreiben die Antragssteller und fordern die Bundesregierung auf, „die Auslieferung von Kriegswaffen, Rüstungsgütern, einschließlich Ersatzteile und Munition, an Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate zu stoppen und erteilte Genehmigung zu widerrufen“.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vwycZUZR50
daraus:
(A K P)
Gregor Gysi, Film: Die Bundesregierung wird Saudi-Arabien, das im Jemen Krieg führt & Menschenrechte schwer verletzt, Kriegsgerät im Wert von 39 Mio € liefern. Ich finde es mehr als grottenpeinlich, völlig daneben, ahistorisch & unverschämt, dass Deutschland an diesem Krieg auch noch verdient.
https://twitter.com/GregorGysi/status/1580639843402522624
(A P)
Antrag gegen Waffenexporte nach Saudi-Arabien
Der Bundestag befasst sich am Donnerstag, 13. Oktober 2022, mit einem Antrag (20/3947) der Fraktion Die Linke, in dem diese fordert, keine Waffen nach Saudi-Arabien zu exportieren.
„Die Lieferung von Waffen an kriegführende Diktaturen widerspricht sowohl einer feministischen als auch einer wertegeleiteten Außenpolitik“, schreiben die Antragssteller und fordern die Bundesregierung auf, „die Auslieferung von Kriegswaffen, Rüstungsgütern, einschließlich Ersatzteile und Munition, an Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate zu stoppen und erteilte Genehmigung zu widerrufen“.
https://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2022/kw41-de-waffenlieferungen-914862
Antrag vollständig: https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/20/039/2003947.pdf
(A K P)
Trittin kritisiert Ampel für Waffenlieferung nach Saudi-Arabien
Der Grünen-Politiker Jürgen Trittin hat die Zustimmung grüner Regierungsmitglieder zu Waffenexporten an Saudi-Arabien kritisiert. „Ich halte den Zeitpunkt und die Art der Waffenlieferungen für falsch. Es gibt keinen stabilen Waffenstillstand für den Jemen. Und deshalb hätte man solche Entscheidungen mindestens aussetzen müssen.“
https://wirtschaft.com/trittin-kritisiert-ampel-fuer-waffenlieferung-nach-saudi-arabien/
and
(A K P)
Film: Jürgen Trittin: "Wenn es einen besonders falschen Zeitpunkt für Rüstungsexporte nach Saudi-Arabien gibt, dann ist das das Ende der Waffenruhe im Jemen. ..Für solche Verträge, alte wie neue, gilt: Bilaterale Verträge finden ihre Grenze im Völkerrecht." Meine Rede gestern im Bundestag.
https://twitter.com/JTrittin/status/1580846445497925632
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
Norway announces opening of direct communication channels with Sanaa
Regional director of the Norwegian Center for Conflict Resolution(NOREF), Omar Aboud, expressed Norway’s desire to open direct channels of communication with the National Salvation Government in Sanaa.
https://en.ypagency.net/275167/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/10/12/norwegian-official-expresses-will-to-open-direct-diplomatic-relations-with-sanaa/
cp12b Sudan
(* B H)
Sudan facing a medicine crisis
Sudan is suffering from a lack of life-saving medicines, with the shelves of many pharmacies running empty due to a near-complete halt in supply.
This shortage coincides with a sharp increase in Sudan of the price of medication - most notably among medicines used to treat the kidneys, diabetes and for chemotherapy - according to a report published by the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper in London.
Officials and specialists attribute the crisis to the lack of foreign currency available in the country, as well as the expansion of the black market to now include certain medicines in the absence of government control over the markets.
The Sudanese Pharmacists Association said it expects more medications to join the missing list soon.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-detains-yemen-army-commander-arabic-press-review
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp9, cp9b, cp11
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
(* C)
E-Book: Yemen: A Photographic Journey
The staggering breadth and diversity of Yemen’s landscapes and peoples is not something easily conveyed. Here, in this remarkable celebration of his homeland, Mahmoud Al-Shaibani presents a breathtaking panorama that sweeps in the mountains and valleys, the plains and seas, and the myriad of different communities that live across this ancient land. We are fortunate to be able to have this window into this rare corner of Arabia - a land of stark geographical contrasts inhabited by a people whose way of life has often scarcely changed since the dawn of settled civilisation.
http://qualitybook.site/?q=1908531495
(A P)
UNESCO contributes to the safeguarding of Yemenis living heritage
UNESCO Office for the Gulf States and Yemen recently organized a two-week training titled ‘Community-based safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage’ for participants from different backgrounds, including civil-society organizations, governmental institutions, and universities from all regions of Yemen.
https://ich.unesco.org/es/noticias/-13421
(C)
Archeological Al-Aan Palace in Najran Represents Historical Authenticity, Sustainable Architectural Creativity
Architectural heritage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents an important historical incubator that received attention from the state that created a clear organizational framework for its through the Saudi Vision 2030, especially that it reflects the society and its values and principles and achieves sustainable tourist development, where that heritage – which was used in the past for housing and shelter – now transfers into civil cultural platforms that enhance identity, loyalty and the quality of life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including the archeological Al-Aan Palace in Najran (photos)
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2391403
My remark: Part of Yemen until 1932; this is Yemeni culture.
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A B E P)
IMF Staff Concludes Visit to Yemen (October 5, 2022)
End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. This mission will not result in a Board discussion.
At the end of the mission, Mr. Rayner made the following statement:
“Higher global commodity prices have compounded inflationary pressures and exacerbated food insecurity. Annual inflation in August was estimated around 45 percent, with food inflation around 58 percent. Yemen has also faced a decline in wheat import volumes and has been unable to fully substitute for imports from Russia and Ukraine, which constituted around 40 percent of Yemen’s wheat. Meanwhile, humanitarian assistance has continued to fall short of Yemen’s needs. As a result, food insecurity is on the rise with the UN projecting the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance to reach 23.4 million by end-2022, with 19 million facing acute food insecurity.
“Despite the challenging headwinds, some encouraging developments have been paving the way to greater macroeconomic stability. In particular, the truce has supported a period of relative calm
“The mission underscored the importance of external support as a critical lifeline for Yemen. In particular, additional external assistance is needed to finance essential food imports, help meet urgent social spending needs, and address pressing infrastructure gaps. Such financing would also reinforce macroeconomic stability and the reform momentum.
https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2022/10/05/pr22336-yemen-imf-staff-concludes-visit-to-yemen
(B E)
Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY) - Remittances Tracker (September 2022)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cash-consortium-yemen-ccy-remittances-tracker-september-2022
(B E)
Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY) - Price Monitoring Tool: September 2022
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cash-consortium-yemen-ccy-price-monitoring-tool-september-2022
(B E)
Cash Consortium of Yemen - Flash Update 54: YER Exchange Rate Volatility September Week 2 & Week 3
The IRG vs DFA exchange rate variation currently stands at a 582 YER difference.
The exchange rate in the IRG areas is continuing to depreciate after a small appreciation in April 2022. While the exchange rate in DFA areas has stabilized after appreciating from 600 YER earlier this year.
The range between the maximum and minimum value of the exchange rate from Sep W2 & W3, in the South expanded from 50 to 85 YER, indicating a sligh volatility across exchange shops in IRG areas, and in the North it stayed the same at 6 YER, indicating a stability across exchange shops in the areas of interest.
Cash Consortium of Yemen - Flash Update 53: YER Exchange Rate Volatility August Week 4 & September Week 1
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(A T)
#alQaeda in #Yemen ... New statement today warns public to avoid helping or even just being near "#UAE mercenaries" (i.e. southern forces) since they are a "legitimate target" for #AQAP ambush and bombs.
in past week: Martyr eulogy for #AQAP religious scholar Abu 'Ammar al-Hadrami (b.1975, droned 2019), 5 page pdf & 6 minute video 2 #UAE "mercenary" vehicles bombed in al-Mahfad, Abyan 8 Oct as part of #AQAP "Arrows of Truth" campaign in south
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1579887147431366657
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
How to Lose Friends and Influence Over People
A decade of Obama-Biden foreign policy has broken the Middle East and America’s security order
American allies in the region are witnessing the unraveling of a post-Soviet world order that they helped America build. As the White House doubles down on regional and global policies that are hastening that unraveling, stakeholders the world over are rightly reassessing their own security interests as America’s partners.
The United States has either inadvertently (Bush) or deliberately (Obama) facilitated the regional ambitions of Iran, the existential enemy of Saudi Arabia and Israel. Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, and Yemen are now in flames. The Obama administration likewise tried hard to cooperate with enemies of Jerusalem and Riyadh in Egypt (the Muslim Brotherhood) and Gaza (Hamas).
(A P)
Iran Is Spoiling the Truce in Yemen
The way out of this political stalemate with the Houthis is not by offering more concessions but by understanding that Iran is a substantial spoiler of this process.
Given the current domestic unrest in Iran due to the death of the twenty-two-year-old Mahsa Amini and the accumulative deaths of protestors at the hands of the regime, there is no better time for Iran to lean on the Houthis than now.
Iran’s role in Yemen has never been in pursuit of the country’s stability. The Islamic Republic has maintained a singular focus on supporting the Houthi militia and empowering them militarily, strategically, and financially. This allowed Yemen’s conflict to be prolonged for as long as possible to keep attention on Saudi and Emirati behavior as it denied any involvement or maleficence in the country. In the past, Iran has hidden its support for the Houthis and vehemently denied backing the group. The policy community has gone along with this farce, ignoring Iran’s agenda in Yemen’s affairs, but accumulative evidence of its military and financial backing started to surface. From 2017 onwards, when the Houthis launched their first attack using ballistic missiles against Saudi Arabia, the Houthis’ military arsenal has grown thanks to Iranian supply and assistance.
Iran’s influence in the country is real.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/iran-spoiling-truce-yemen-205286
(A P)
Houthis and their benefactors
Even though Houthis never honor agreements, admittedly they never forget the favors done to them by their benefactors, provided that these benefactors are neither Yemenis nor Arabs.
Houthis [in 2013] remained unable to expand outside their Saada stronghold toward the neighboring Amran province for months, despite the Iranian support with weapons, until more benefactors (countries of different languages, currencies, schemes and proxies) stepped in bringing with them more weapons and more tricks.
Houthis were unappreciative for some of those benefactor (Arab) countries humiliating and annihilating many of their people.
Admittedly again, they have not forgotten the favors of non-Yemeni and non-Arab benefactors as they remain to regard them with reverence, no matter how Houthis chant adversarial slogans against them in public to hide the truth of alliance with those clandestine masters as privately agreed between them, a game expo
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-61132
(A P)
More Saudi coalition „We are benefactors“ propaganda
http://en.adenpress.news/news/36760
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2392639
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
Fast keine Luftangriffe seit Beginn des Waffenstillstands.
Almost no air raids since the beginning of the truce.
(* B H K)
Remembering the deadly funeral hall bombing in Yemen
Survivors say UNSC's failure in delivering aid to Yemenis is the worst and the ‘maximalist’ international response to a humanitarian crisis.
More than six years ago, Saudi airstrikes using US bombs targeted the Grand Hall in Sanaa on October 8, 2016, killing 140 mourners and injuring over 700 others as they were gathered to pay tribute to former Interior Minister Jalal Al-Rowaishan over his father's death. Al-Rowaishan wasn't at the Hall when the strikes hit.
To this day, unresolved trauma remains and survivors of the massacre are still seeking justice and punishment, and not an apology from the US and Saudi Arabia.
Naji Al-Rowaishan, 24, survived the massacre by sustaining burns and remained in the hospital for over a month after he received news of his father's death, Hasan Al-Rowaishan, who was severely injured in the hall.
"The sixth anniversary passed with great sadness, renewing the pain and tragedy, as the massacre was there to stay throughout the past six years", Al-Rowaishan told Al Mayadeen English.
"The countries of aggression, like UAE and Saudi Arabia, as well as the mercenaries from Al-Islah Party, bear the responsibility of the massacre," he explained.
Al-Rowaishan rejected the coalition's investigation into this massacre, saying, "How can we accept an investigation run by the enemy and perpetrators of the crime?"
"How can anyone accept that the killer judge himself, because if so, he will absolve himself and point fingers at others, and this is just what Saudi Arabia and America did, for they acquitted themselves and blamed the Yemeni mercenaries," said Al-Rowaishan.
He said the US' role in this crime is "pivotal in planning and targeting," given that the US has been leading the Saudi coalition.
Fahd Abdulwahab, the current guard of the Grand Hall, said the event was so traumatizing that he was unable to get out of his home for two years, and recalling what has changed in his life, he said, "This is going to damage my mental health."
"I survived because I was outside the Hall during the first airstrike," Abdulwahab told Al Mayadeen English from the window of his home in the western yard of the Hall. He was so disinterested in getting out. "I didn't rush into the Hall to rescue mourners, but I went to rescue my children."
"I found that they were not injured, but all the windows and doors were shattered, so I decided to move them into a relative's home in Haddah," explained Abdulwahab.
https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/feature/remembering-the-deadly-funeral-hall-bombing-in-yemen
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Nach dem Ende des Waffenstillstands nehmen die Kämpfe etwas zu, aber beide Seiten halten sich immer noch weitgehend daran und wollen die Lage nicht eskalieren. Beide Seiten werfen sich Verstöße vor.
After the end of the ceasefire, fighting has somewhat increased, but both sides are still largely in compliance and do not want to escalate the situation. Both sides accuse each other of violations.
Siehe / Look at cp18
(A K pH)
Citizen Injured in Taiz Due to Targeting Chicken Farm by Saudi-mercenaries
and also https://en.ypagency.net/275555/
(A K pS)
#Taiz military axis says the govt forces shot down a Houthi drone west of Taiz city today. (photos)
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1581684629668446214
(A K pS)
KSrelief's Masam Project Dismantles 7,039 Mines in Yemen during One Week
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Project (Masam) for clearing mines in Yemen, dismantled, during the second week of October 2022, a total of 7,039 mines planted by the Houthi militia across Yemen, including 4 anti-personnel mines, 224 anti-tank mines, 6,787 unexploded ordnance and 24 explosive devices.
Since the beginning of the project, as many as 368,351 mines planted by the Houthi militias, have been dismantled.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2392908
(* B K pS)
Houthi Landmines Kill 100 Civilians During Ceasefire in Yemen
The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs revealed that casualties increased by 38 percent during the truce due to Houthi landmines.
According to the latest UN office reports, 169 children and 79 women were killed or injured in the six months following the truce, citing landmines and unexploded artillery as the primary cause of casualties.
The report stated that landmines and unexploded artillery caused 343 civilian casualties, including 95 deaths, and 248 injuries, between Apr. 2 and Sept. 30, compared to 248, including 101 deaths and 147 injuries, in the six months before the ceasefire.
It also noted that preliminary evidence indicated torrential rains and flooding in July and August caused the explosive materials to shift.
(A K pS)
Houthis suffer heavy losses on Yafa' fronts
http://en.adenpress.news/news/36757
(A K pS)
Clashes renew in Taiz as Houthis launch fresh attack
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-61180
(A K pH)
Two civilians injured by mine explosion in Al-Jawf
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3207223.htm
(* B K)
Landmines continue to cause suffering, turmoil in war-torn Yemen
Landmines are a hidden and hazardous vestige of the cruel conflicts in Hajjah, where thousands of families have been trying to unburden themselves from the plight of war and start a new life from the wreckage.
Thousands of people, mostly children, fell victim to these insidious and lethal weapons while walking on pastures, farms, roads, or even around schools in the government-held province.
Ahmed Sofan, an officer of the demining team, said that so far they have removed more than 4,000 landmines from this area.
"The removed mines included anti-tank mines, anti-personnel mines, and other types of explosive devices made from plastic and camouflaged in the shape and color of small and medium rocks. They were very hard to detect," Sofan said, adding that "the work is continuing."
The Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance in Yemen (Masam) estimated that over 1 million landmines have been laid since the outbreak of the civil war in late 2014, when the Houthi group took control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital, Sanaa.
The Masam project claimed to have removed over 360,000 mines across Yemen since 2018, adding that 33 deminers were killed and more than 42 were injured during demining operations.
The civilian casualties are much higher. Landmines, unexploded bombs, and other explosive remnants in Yemen caused 338 civilian casualties in 2021, including 129 fatalities, according to the UN-affiliated Civilian Impact Monitoring Project. (photos)
https://english.news.cn/20221013/e589d82ebab64040983405d03a89ad74/c.html = https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202210/1277152.shtml
(A K)
The conflict in #Yemen has resurged since the expiration of the 6 month truce on 02 October 2022. @NavantiGroup analysts tracked 33 violent incidents between #Houthi and #PLC/#STC forces (#YNA #JRF #SBF #Resistance) in the week since the truce ended (02-09 October 2022).
https://twitter.com/NavantiGroup/status/1580590861124915200
(A K pS)
Southern Forces Repulse Houthi Attack North Lahj
http://en.adenpress.news/news/36747
(A K pS)
Houthi infiltration bid foiled in Shabwa's Bihan
http://en.adenpress.news/news/36743
(A K)
Private houses damaged by Houthi missile north Yemen
The Houthi group on Tuesday fired missiles at a residential village in the Yemeni northeastern governorate of Marib
https://debriefer.net/en/news-31291.html
(A K pH)
[Aden gov.] Yemen army repels fresh Houthi attack in the outskirts of besieged Taiz
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-61134
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
Seit dem Abkommen von Stockholm vom 13. Dezember 2018 gibt es einen Waffenstillstand für Hodeidah. Zwar bleiben größere Offensiven aus, kleinere Gefechte gibt es aber laufend, und beide Seiten werfen sich ständig Verstöße gegen den Waffenstillstand vor.
Since the Stockholm Agreement of December 13, 2018, a ceasefire has been in place for Hodeidah. There are no major offensives, but smaller battles are ongoing and both sides constantly are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.
(A K pH)
Aggression commits 50 violations in Hodeida in 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3207458.htm
(A K pH)
Aggression commits 49 violations in Hodeida in 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3207336.htm
(A K pH)
Aggression commits 60 violations in Hodeida in 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3207246.htm
(A K pH)
[Sanaa gov.] Hodeidah Governor: Three to Four victims of Mines, Cluster Bombs Fall Daily
Hodeidah Governor Muhammad Ayyash Qahim said that the goverorate is waiting for the United Nations to expedite the installation of bridge cranes in the port of Hodeidah and to stop piracy on fuel ships.
This comes during a meeting of the leadership of Hodeidah Governorate and the Red Sea port with the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and the team of the United Nations mission in the governorate.
(A K pS)
Films: A citizen was injured and his truck was damaged by a Houthi mine explosion in Hays, south of Hodeidah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1erp_CumXkM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkzwGSSadnY
(A K pH)
Aggression commits 83 violations in Hodeida in 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3207141.htm
(A K pH)
Aggression commits 45 violations in Hodeida in 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3207029.htm
(A K pH)
Coalition’s forces commit 85 violations of Sweden agreement in Hodeida
https://en.ypagency.net/275060/
and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3206920.htm
(A P)
United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM) Operational Analysis – September 2022
Food and Fuel Discharged in September 2022
There was an 11% decrease in food discharge in September 2022 (276,769 t) compared to the 2021 monthly average (310,856 t) and a 6% decrease compared to the monthly average since May 2016 (294,518 t).
There was a 634% increase in fuel discharged in September 2022 (327,148 t) compared to the 2021 monthly average (44,589 t) and a 141% increase compared to the monthly average since May 2016 (135,701 t).
and https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unvim-operational-analysis-september-2022
and
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UNVIM Operational Snapshot - September 2022
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unvim-operational-snapshot-september-2022
cp19 Sonstiges / Other
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Qanun_ER The The Arabic #HumanRights Platform is now on twitter!
https://twitter.com/Qanun_En/status/1580895426772840448
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Photos from Socotra
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298087-d574818-Reviews-Socotra_Island-Aden.html
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57.649 Yemen Stock Photos
https://www.shutterstock.com/de/search/yemen
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Film: WE MADE IT TO THE RED SEA! Sailing Yemen, Gulf of Aden, Djibouti
As we venture north from the horn of Africa, we stop to rest on the tiny island of Socotra, sail five days to Djibouti, and enter the very busy (and very HOT) Red Sea!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkiQWeMN7Qo
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E-Book: Motoring with Mohammed: Journeys to Yemen and the Red Sea
In 1978 Eric Hansen found himself shipwrecked on a desert island in the Red Sea. When goat smugglers offered him safe passage to Yemen, he buried seven years' worth of travel journals deep in the sand and took his place alongside the animals on a leaky boat bound for a country that he'd never planned to visit.
As he tells of the turbulent seas that stranded him on the island and of his efforts to retrieve his buried journals when he returned to Yemen ten years later, Hansen enthralls us with a portrait -- uncannily sympathetic and wildly offbeat -- of this forgotten corner of the Middle East. With a host of extraordinary characters from his guide, Mohammed, ever on the lookout for one more sheep to squeeze into the back seat of his car, to madcap expatriates and Eritrean gun runners- and with landscapes that include cities of dreamlike architectural splendor, endless sand dunes, and terrifying mountain passes, Hansen reveals the indelible allure of a land steeped in custom, conflicts old and new, and uncommon beauty.
http://qualitybook.site/?q=067973855X
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-826-yemen-war-mosaic-826
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-826 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-826:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
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