UAE TV INTERVIEWS YEMENI PRESIDENT ON AL-QAEDA, HOUTHI REBELS

SANA'A, Jan. 12 (Saba)- "We will continue working together with our
brothers and friends to fight terrorism and we will actively
participate in the London conference, Yemen will remain unified,
strong, and independent,", President Ali Abdullah Saleh said in an
Interview for Abu Dhabi Satellite TV.

Text of an interview with [President Saleh], by anchorman Yasir
Abdullah.

[Abu Dhabi TV] Dear viewers, God's peace, mercy, and blessings be
upon you. I salute you from Abu Dhabi Television and the Orbit talk
show, which is presented to you this time in 2010 from the Yemeni
presidential palace, where we are honoured to interview His
Excellency Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Your Excellency, I
welcome you in Abu Dhabi Television and congratulate you on the New
Year 2010. Before we begin, I carry a message that I need to convey
to you on behalf of all the Yemeni community members who welcome you
there and support you in confronting the challenges that Yemen is
facing. Your Excellency, perhaps I will begin with the article or
the column that you personally wrote for Al-Thawrah Newspaper. It
has impressed everybody and through it you managed to dot the i's
regarding Yemen. Your Excellency, what is your assessment of Yemen
in the year 2009 and what are your expectations for Yemen in 2010?

[President Saleh] First of all, I am happy to talk to Abu Dhabi
Satellite Channel. We hope and look forward to 2010 as a year of
peace and stability in Yemen and the region. Yemen is facing several
challenges, including the Al-Qaeda Organization, the Huothists in
Sa'dah, and the Mobility [the Southern Mobility Movement, SMM] that
calls for separation, in addition to the economic situation. These
are four situations facing Yemen. In Sa'dah, our stance is excellent
and our forces are achieving fine victories. As for pursuing and
monitoring al-Qaeda, our security units and air force are also
achieving fine victories against Al-Qaeda whether in Abyan, Shabwah,
or Sanaa Governorate, and the security agencies are still trailing
these dangerous elements that tamper with Yemen's security and
stability.

Together with all our brothers and friends, we insist on fighting
such challenges, particularly the Al-Qaeda Organization and the
Huthists. A few days ago, we called for a dialogue with all the
political forces representing both the opposition parties and the
authority. We have called for a dialogue without resorting to
violence or force and without disturbing public peace. Dialogue is
the best method, it can even include the Huthists and Al-Qaeda
provided they surrender their weapons, abandon violence and
terrorism, and return to reason. We are willing to reach an
understanding with them, and we will deal with anyone who abandons
violence and terrorism. But if Al-Qaeda, the Huthists or others
continue to carry out acts of violence and terrorism, we will chase
them to the best of our ability, for they are a threat not only to
Yemen but also to world security and peace, especially Al-Qaeda. The
majority of Al-Qaeda members are ignorant drug dealers, who are
illiterate and have nothing to do with Islam. They have caused harm
to the Islamic religion not only in Yemen, but all over the world,
they have distorted Islam. What the Muslim and Arab citizens are
subjected to in the West, the United States, and Europe is a direct
result to this Al-Qaeda's chaos and reckless behaviour. Communities
in France, Europe, and America are being harassed because Al-Qaeda
caused harm to the true Islamic religion, which shuns away from
them. We look upon the year 2010 to be a year of security,
stability, and peace. If all the political forces respond to our
call for dialogue and understanding, and each have its say, then
they are welcomed to present their working papers, so that we
discuss them. We will accept what is valid, and we will discuss
whatever is excessive or unacceptable until we reach common grounds.
If God may, I am optimistic that 2010 will be the year of security,
stability, and peace in Yemen.

[Abu Dhabi TV] We certainly hope so Your Excellency. Before moving
on to some internal dossiers, which we will review briefly, I would
like to discuss the UAE-Yemeni situation or relations. Your
Excellency, if we go back in time, particularly to 21 October 1986
-perhaps at that time, I was still in preparatory school -I recall a
picture of late Shaykh Zayid Bin-Sultan Al Nuhayyan, may his soul
rest in peace, together with your esteemed company, as both of you
were inaugurating the project of the Ma'rib Dam.. At that time, my
generation and I believed that you were simply inaugurating an
investment project and we did not realize back then that you were
establishing a strategic relationship between the UAE and the
Republic of Yemen. Sir, how do you assess the current UAE-Yemeni
relations?

[President Saleh] In reality, after God the Almighty, the praise
goes to Shaykh Zayid for he was a true Arab national and he held
Yemen dearly to his heart and supported it. What is important in the
reconstruction of the Ma'rib Dam rises above its $135 million cost.
Rebuilding this great historic dam, which holds a major significance
that goes beyond the $135 million, is what is important. The
foundation of the Yemeni-UAE relations was established by Shaykh
Zayid, and we highly praise his positive role. This is also true in
the case of his children, His Highness Shaykh Khalifah, head of the
state, and His Highness Shaykh Muhammad along with all Their
Highnesses. They all value good relations with us in Yemen and
support the country. Their position in the London Conference with
the donor countries was a positive one, and, if I remember
correctly, to this day, they have contributed the sum of about 500
million. Approximately $1.2 billion have been sent through the
London Conference, this aid aims to rebuild what the flood in
Hadramawt has destroyed, and to support the armed and security
forces' training. We value this generous support provided by the
UAE, and our relations are special and based on brotherhood, mutual
respect, and trust between Yemen and the UAE. Hence, we highly
praise His Highness Shaykh Khalifah Bin-Zayid Al Nuhayyan and Their
Highnesses the Shaykhs.

[Abu Dhabi TV] Speaking of his Highness Shaykh Khalifah Bin-Zayid Al
Nuhayyan, you have become very close to him. Sir, how would you
describe His Highness?

[President Saleh]Actually I am close to all of them. As the saying
goes, like father like son. All of them enjoy the same good
qualities that their father enjoyed, they are all well mannered,
modest, and generous. As I said, like father like son.

[Abu Dhabi TV]There are also agreements that were recently signed in
the UAE between your minister of foreign affairs and his UAE
counterpart, and some aid has already been sent. Your Excellency,
are you supporting the projects that are currently carried out in
Hadramawt, and regarding the aids sent to the displaced people of
Sa'dah, is the Republic of Yemen in need of more aids now?

[President Saleh]I have talked with the brothers at the GCC during
their last convention held in Kuwait, and I have conveyed the
message that the biggest help that Yemen can get is through the GCC
countries assimilating the Yemeni workforce. Such help would be
greater than billions of dollars, for the more they can assimilate
the Yemeni workforce, the more unemployment decreases here and
pressure lessens. Most importantly, I hope that the brothers at the
GCC work together on creating a yearly quota for Yemen so as to
assimilate the Yemeni workforce. Absorbing the current unemployment
situation in Yemen constitutes part of this help and this is the
most important matter I ask from our brothers in the GCC.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Your Excellency, in your opinion and concerning the
GCC countries, what does Yemen lack in order to join the GCC
countries?

[President Saleh]Well, we are ready to join the GCC whenever the GCC
decides to complete Yemen's membership in it. Now we are present in
more than about seven to eight institutions, and when there is
political will, we will be grateful to and welcoming the GCC
leaders' decision regarding [Yemen's] joining the GCC.

[Abu Dhabi TV]We hope so, God willing. Your Excellency, regarding
the UAE file, we are still receiving some complaints from UAE
investors and businessmen about their desire to establish projects
in the Republic of Yemen, but they always face obstacles. Actually,
this is not a thing that is confined only to Yemen, rather, one can
face bureaucracy, boring routine, and difficulty in getting
commercial licenses in the Arab world and the whole world. If you
want tell investors something to reassure them, what do you say?

[President Saleh]We have established the General Authority for
Investment in order to save a lot of efforts. So, instead of going
to the ministries of interior, economy, cooperation, international
cooperation, or labour, the investors should go to this authority.
There they will find effective laws and all facilities will be
offered to them, whether they were from the GCC countries, which are
the nearer and older in terms of their investments in Yemen and they
also have special facilities guaranteed by this law, or from foreign
countries. We welcome anyone who wants to invest in Yemen and will
offer them all the facilities through the General Authority for
Investment.

[Abu Dhabi TV]This is for sure. Your Excellency, I will turn to the
domestic issues. Here, I am talking about the triangle of evil which
surrounds Yemen, something which saddens any Arab citizen. We hope
that you will be bale to confront this triangle, and there is no
doubt in that under your ruling. As for what is called the Southern
Mobility Movement [SMM], in your opinion, where does the support for
these demonstrations come from?

[President Saleh]The Satellite channels blow things out of
proportion. Some of them display untrue archive footage. Tens or
hundreds of what so called the SMM gather together, and as far as I
know, they receive support from some expatriates living in the GCC
countries, some expatriates in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and
Kuwait. The regimes in the GCC are innocent of these donations.
There are contacts between the security apparatuses in the GCC and
us with regards to tracking down and making a follow-up on such
donation. These donations reach them form those expatriates as well
as from expatriates in the United States and Britain. In general,
this is really what is called the SMM. It is a group of people who
lost their interests after the blessed unity [of Yemen] and after
the 1994 summer war. They lost their interests and stature, other
political forces replaced those people and declared war and
separation in the 1994 summer. Political forces from the people of
the southern governorates replaced them and they consider themselves
the custodians of the southern governorates. The unity is deeply
established and rooted and a referendum had been held on it. There
is no concern about the unity, however, they, undoubtedly,
constitute an obstacle that hinders investment and service projects,
something which we are suffering from. As for the unity, there are
loyal men from our people in the southern governorates who
completely maintain and keen on the unity, and they are keener on
the unity than others. These are the discordant voices everywhere in
the world. In other words, in South America, Britain, and Ireland,
there are people who call for secession, and not only in Yemen. You
can find the discordant voices everywhere in the world. Anyone whose
interests are harmed comes up with something.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Yes Your Excellency, there was also a call by some of
the leaders of what is called the SMM for holding a referendum,
after the fashion of the current Sudanese one, on the recession.
Allow me Mr President to read some figures that resulted from a
survey conducted by a research and strategic studies centre and the
recipients belonged to the Yemeni community living here in the UAE,
and I will read these figures if you allow me. The result of the
Yemeni community recipients in Saudi Arabia was 98 per cent opposing
the separation, no one of the Yemeni community recipients in the UAE
supported the idea of the separation, the result of the Yemeni
community recipients in Sheffield, Britain, was 98 per cent opposing
the secession, given the fact that most of [Yemeni] labours are
present there, the result of the Yemeni community recipients in
Michigan, the United States, where many of [Yemeni] labours are
present there, was 96 per cent opposing the secession. Then, what do
those people want?

[President Saleh]The answer lies in what you said.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Yes, sabotage.

[President Saleh]Sabotage!

[Abu Dhabi TV]Thank you. Now, I want to turn quickly from what is
called the SMM to Al-Qaeda. You are receiving US security and
material aid to confront Al-Qaeda Organization.

[President Saleh]No, in order no to interrupt you. We did not
receive aid in the same way it is being circulated. We receive only
intelligence and security training. But there was a call or a
statement by the British prime minister yesterday in which he called
for holding a meeting on 28 January in which the EU, the United
States, and Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Your Excellency, did you receive any formal invitation
to attend this conference?

[President Saleh]We have received a letter from the embassy which,
in turn, received it from the British Foreign Office.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Will you participate?

[President Saleh]We will participate efficiently.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Your Excellency, you know about the Nigerian young man
and his attempt to blow up the US plane in December 2009. Mr
President you can evaluate men, and as we know that this guy
descends from a rich Nigerian family, even his mother has Yemeni
origins. He used to study in renowned colleges, he studied in the
Australian University in Dubai, what would incite the youths of
today to commit such foolishness and blow themselves up and kill
innocent people?

[President Saleh]The reason is ignorance. These people are ignorant
in the full sense of the word. If he was educated, he would not have
carried out such a terrorist act. Moreover, the media have
circulated the fact that he came from Yemen. Then, why did he come
from Yemen, go to Nigeria then to Ethiopia, and again go to
Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria and then to The Netherlands, and from
The Netherlands to the United States? Where are the advanced and
developed security devices? The media clamour and the satellite
channels are launching a campaign against Yemen. This means that
there is a bad intention to harm Yemen's interests, to distort
Yemen's image through some satellite channels, without mentioning
names.

[Abu Dhabi TV] Yes, yes, I fully understand your Excellency, Yemen,
its people, and its government are not involved in this. Everyone
can know what the truth about Yemen and the strategic nature of the
Yemeni lands?

[President Saleh]Yemen will always be unified, democratic, and
stable, God willing, no matter what the sacrifices will be. We have
a long experience in this, in which we had endured, after the
September revolution of 1962 until 1970, the battles fought against
the followers of the imams, and then we were able to victoriously
end this war because of our projects of the revolution and unity.
Whoever has strategic goals will attain victory at the end.
Additionally, our goals are not set by individuals, rather by the
Yemeni people. We withstood and fought until the revolution
triumphed in the year 1970. Following the period from 1962 until
1972, the so-called National Front emerged in the central areas. We
fought it from 1971 until 1982, and then attained victory. After
that, we witnessed the apostasy and secession war, which lasted for
67 days and then came out victorious. This is because of our
strategic goals and the goals of the Yemeni people, which are not
set by us, the rulers, or by individuals. We hold the aspirations
and goals of the Yemeni people and not those of the political
parties, influential ones, impetuous power-seekers, or traders in
politics. We embrace a political project similar to the one we had
when we triumphed during the September Revolution, where we had
triumphed for the sake of unity. We will defeat the followers of the
imams in Sa'ada and the Al-Qaeda Organization soon, God willing. We
will hunt them down and never let them go.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Yes Excellency, also, one final point regarding the
issue of Al-Qaeda Organization. The recent announcement that we
heard states that the subversive elements in Somalia will support
the Al-Qaeda elements in Yemen. To that extent do these people
consider that the Yemeni-Somali boarders are...?

[Saleh, interrupting] With this announcement they have harmed the
Somalis, numbering more than 600,000 to 700,000 refugees in Yemen.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Inside Yemen?

[President Saleh]Yes, inside Yemen. This will inflict harm on the
Somalis because there will be security measures executed in coastal
cities. The Yemenis have always treated the Somalis the same way
they treat Yemeni citizens, because no country other than Yemen
welcomed them on its lands. Yemen initiated this because Somalia is
its neighbouring country and considers the Somalis like brothers,
however, after this statement, the Somalis' interests will be
harmed.

[Abu Dhabi TV]The Somalis?

[President Saleh]Yes, the Somalis in Yemen. The Somalis should be
cautious and track the infiltrators among their forces in their
villages and camps, and immediately report them to the security
services, so that they would not experience any form of harassment
by the security forces.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Good... Your Excellency, regarding the issue of
Al-Huthi, can we confirm Your Excellency that Abd-al-Malik al-Huthi
was truly killed?

[President Saleh]By God, I am not absolutely certain, however, the
Al-Huthi's media spokesman, Muhammad Abd-al-Salam, during his
interview, referred to him [Al-Huthi] as the martyr Abd-al-Malik
Al-Huthi, then tried to patch up the situation and referred to him
by his name Abd-al-Malik al-Huthi or by the brother Abd-al-Malik
al-Huthi. It is almost certain by 80 per cent that he is wounded,
however, I do not know if he is in fact dead, because there is
recurrent news concerning the truth of his death. The report, which
is more than 80 per cent accurate, is that he is wounded in his hand
and leg and was taken to a barricaded cave located in a cliff where
his brother Husayn Badr-al-Din used to reside in. I am aware of this
cave, for I was personally there two years ago. We will track every
person who inflicts harm on the nation's security and stability, and
will persist on tracking them until the end. This war is not like
the past wars, this sixth war is not like the previous five wars,
for back then we used to end the war and say may God lead them to
repent to God that they will repent and come back to their senses.
We made these wishes while they were improving their situation.
However, this time we will not allow them to arrange their agenda or
their situation, we will go on and attack them until they submit,
leave their weapons, refrain from violence, and hand their weapons
over [to us].

[Abu Dhabi TV]Currently, is there coordination between you, your
Excellency, and Saudi Arabia?

[President Saleh]Yes, there is coordination between us and the
Kingdom Saudi Arabia as regards to the security issue. They
[Huthists] assaulted the Saudi lands to show their experience in
fighting, and the fact that they are confronting the Yemeni
Government and Saudi Arabia. They are guerilla forces and not a
regular army, where ten elements are scattered in Tabbah, another
ten elements are in Sa'ilah, five here and there. They are carrying
out minor security disturbances and do not impose serious danger.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Yes Your Excellency, concerning the support offered by
the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] regarding the triangle of evil,
do you think this support sufficient for the time being?

[President Saleh]We thank each and every country in the GCC. Thanks
to all the leaders of the GCC, many thanks to their offerings.
Personal thanks to every country in the GCC for its support, and
they know to whom this thanks is directed and who is generously
supporting us.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Your Excellency, this will be the last question. What
is the status of the project you had presented in the early 2009
during the Kuwait Economic Conference pertaining to developing the
Yemeni proposal on reforming the Arab League?

[President Saleh]It is currently in the drawer of the General
Secretariat.

[Abu Dhabi TV]Will it be taken into consideration any time soon?

[President Saleh]Hopefully

[Abu Dhabi TV]Your Excellency, at the end of this interview, I would
like to congratulate you for the great event that we will enjoy in
2010, which is the hosting of the Gulf 20 [Gulf Football Cup]. We
will all be present here in Yemen to witness this historic event.

[President Saleh]The preparations are in full swing and procedures
and actions are going as planed in Aden. God willing, we will host
and welcome you in Gulf 20.

[Abu Dhabi TV]God willing, we cannot wait to watch the match between
the UAE team and the Yemeni team in the finale.

[President Saleh]God willing

[Abu Dhabi TV]Your Excellency, many thanks for this interview. Our
viewers, I would like to thank you on behalf of the programme's
crew. This is Yasir Abdullah from Abu Dhabi television, thank you
very much. Thank you Your Excellency.