Sana’a, 26 September – Interview with Dr. Abu-Bakr al-Qirbi , Yemeni Foreign Minister
26 September
What Yemen have shouldered is much more than what she get from the UNHCR or the countries that provide aid to them.
Two years after the presidential election interoperability, how can you measure the achievements of the Yemeni diplomatic , and what are the most important successes achieved ?
What about the role of the international community before and after the transitional phase ? What about the relationship with Iran and the United States of America ?
And why are there a lot of terrorist activities recently ? And how they can cope with this phenomenon within the decision of the national dialogue to prevent the drones from flying in the skies of Yemen?
What about the increasing flow of African refugees and finally the Syrians? These and other questions were the focus of this dialogue, which was conducted by «September 26» with Dr. Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, Minister of Foreign Affairs ..
Interviewed by Abdulkadir Sofian
On the occasion of the second anniversary of the presidential election, How do you rate Yemeni diplomacy during this period??
There is no doubt that what has been achieved during this period is huge, but I will summarize the most important points.
As you know, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the executive tool of the policy established by the President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and it is directly related with its action with the friendly country and in international organizations as well.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considered as the main charge responsible for the establishment and development of relations between our country and our alliance countries, and the international organizations as well ..
The period of last two years was a very sensitive phase transition is reflected in the first phase of transfer of power from former President to the new President Abd Rabbo Mansur Hadi and Everyone remembers what was going through that stage, the insecurity in the country and the division of the armed forces and the vital role of brotherly and friendly countries who were sponsoring the Gulf initiative and wake that all signatories implement this initiative strengths .. and at this stage all efforts supported President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi for the implementation of what was signed in Riyadh represented by the Gulf initiative and its implementation mechanism and there was also another difficult stage is to restructure the army and security and prepare for the comprehensive national dialogue conference.
This stage was filled with challenges due to the positions of the signatories of the Gulf initiative parts because each party saw and interpreted the initiative according to his vision while the initiative and its mechanism was quite clear and it is here the question arose as to how countries adorned the Gulf initiative could intervene.
And here was the main role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as directed by the President of the Republic, where these countries and through their representatives in Yemen, compelled all parties to engage in dialogue and not to interpret the initiative each according to his own vision ..
Thank you God, there has been a restructuring of the army and then the national dialogue which was a particularly difficult phase due to multiple projective in work teams and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were far in the treatment of direct dialogue. But we were in constant contact with our brothers and friends to provide international support for national dialogue and compel the parties to work to ensure the success of the dialogue since it is the only way to make the desired future.
During this period, several meetings were held for the Friends of Yemen under the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co -chaired by Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom , Yemen , the most important aspect of those meetings was not the financial support but political support in Yemen because it is linked to the security and economy and the Group of Friends of Yemen has become a key component at the international level to create a partnership with donor countries that offer grants and loans , including international organizations such as the World Bank and the International monetary Fund and the United Nations
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was during this period the main responsible of the organization for the numerous visits of the President of the Republic and the Summits that have been held in many capitals particularly in the five permanent member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council Considering that there meetings were a prelude to clarify the achievements of the implementation of the Gulf initiative and to get the support Yemen needs during the next phase and build the modern state of Yemen .
Economic diplomacy
The final document of the conference of national dialogue “outputs of the dialogue” provides for the adoption of an economic diplomacy to the next stage .. how to interpret ?
This is not a new issue because we practice economic diplomacy while ago , especially since I was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs … it was followed prior to my appointment .. and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is always looking to establish direct diplomatic relations with the countries which we have relations of common interests .. the Friends of Yemen and the Yemen participation in many international and economic conferences and efforts have been made to the Yemen’s accession to the WTO, this reflects the fact that economic relations and development is a key responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Freedom of opinion is guaranteed
There are those who now oppose the federal government .. What is the position of the international community?
We are a democratic country with political pluralism and it is not necessary that there be a consensus on all issues , therefore , the difference in views is normal .. and there are those who reject the idea regions and there are those who reject the idea of six provinces , and there are those who only want two, but in the end we must accept that the majority of the population of Yemen has chosen .. so opponents have right to express their opinion , but in the end we have a commitment to the principles of democratic practice , I think the results of the national dialogue was clear and the majority of the components have signed it are those who have signed under reserves and these reserves are treated now and there is a chance in the future to reconsider the objections .. but at present , it must comply with what has been approved by the majority of the conference dialogue.
But do you think any opponent is troublemaking ?
There is a difference between the obstruction and the views ..the fact that you say “I don’t agree with the idea of the six regions” , for example, it is a point of view and every person has the right to say .. against by saying that I am opposed to six provinces and I will take up arms to prevent this is another question.
How do you see the future of Yemen after the success of the conference dialogue ?
The consensus held and the outputs of the national dialogue showed that Yemeni citizens despite the various positions and different political affiliations were convinced that building the future of Yemen cannot be done through violence but through dialogue … Now remains how the presidents of the parties will treat the results of the dialogue .. do we work in the interests of Yemen and strengthen unity and national reconciliation ..
And as the President stressed : are we going to start a new blank page to build the future of Yemen or we will continue to repeat the mistakes and past conflicts and what affects our future and it is the responsibility of political and I think it is the leaders of the parties, if they do not abandon the traditional view that created us all these shenanigans , the results of the dialogue will continue to be threatened .
Error Handling
But .. Is that the establishment of a federal state in several provinces will solve all the problems of Yemen in the north and the south?
This is what we agreed now .. The participants in the national dialogue have accepted the federal system and the provinces , they have the power to manage their business and receive their share of wealth and bear the responsibility for the development is the best way to correct the imbalances of the previous excessive centralization system and negligence that took place in some parts of Yemen ..
now we arrived at the conviction that the federal system and the formation of the state of several provinces will resolve all these errors .. We have to try , and I think that federal systems have proven more effective than centralized systems, but we also need to put controls in order to avoid a new extreme centralization at similar areas to that which existed at the state and therefore do not achieve the desired objective .
Time is sufficient
If we talk about the time remaining for the completion of the terms of the Gulf initiative .. Do you think a year is enough for this?
I think the period of one year is sufficient. The President thought we did not need a whole year because he wants to see Yemen out of this transition phase to reach the new Yemeni government and elect a new President .. and at the end of this stage we will be in a Phase of the full institutional legitimacy .. the period is sufficient if everyone don’t puts obstacles.. and maybe some of the parties seeking to invent obstacles to hinder this step and the national interest requires us now to make concessions to end the transition as soon as possible .
Treatment of disruptive
What is required from the international community at this stage to Yemen ?
Now three things are required : first, ongoing support now at the political level and push the parties to complete the remainder of the transition period , in accordance with the Gulf initiative and its implementation mechanism executive, And so as not to start crisis unwarranted and we now await the resolution of the security Council, which would certainly be on the issue of treatment of disruptive paralyzing the process by acts of violence or vandalism or incentives and create a political imbalance and security in the country , and the second aspect is the economic side, because the suffering of Yemeni people currently is the economy, money and projects will be an element of stability for the third citizen .. aspect is the aspect of security , which requires reconstruction of the armed and security forces on a national basis to address the security challenges that plague the nation.
Rely on third parties
You talked in the press that Yemen does not need international support as he needs a strong national economy?
I said that Yemen will not be built by donations and grants , but it will be built by the creation of a strong national economy , and the construction of strong national economy should be based primarily on the ability of Yemenis, a State cannot continue to rely on donations and grants and since the revolution, in the north and in the south we live these donations but we have not achieved our goals because we have not built a true national economy, and that is what we need today .
What we hope for the seventh meeting of the Friends of Yemen in Riyadh and when it will occur ?
The final date is not yet determined , may be the end of March or early April and the focus of the meeting will be to review what has been achieved so far , and the outputs of the national dialogue goal .. and how friends will stand with Yemen to spend the rest of the phase transition.
What can you tell us about the promises donors ?
Some countries have started to affect their commitments, for example , Saudi Arabia has completed 90 % of its commitments through projects that are in progress and commitments have been slow due to the formation of the executive body management of donor contributions , after several months of control for the selection of a president , an expert from Tunisia was finally selected and began work , I believe that if the executive branch is well positioned with full authority and experienced staff will resume its work and the wheel of development begin to turn .. This body will be responsible for the implementation of projects financed by donors.
Terrorism and Al Jihad
Terrorism has become the main problem today and its activities have increased in recent times , how to confront ?
Terrorism, unfortunately , is a disease that we have created with our own hands. Armed groups have been created to achieve political goals , and that is what happened in Afghanistan when the goal was to get rid of the presence of the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the name of jihad and .. we started in this way has brought us to where we are today. The wheel didn’t stop the problem and has taken multiple dimensions and these people take advantage of a situation where any lack of security or political unrest such as we see today in our region , especially in Syria, Libya, Egypt and Yemen and North Africa, and I think the reactions were unfortunately military first place , while the other elements associated with the phenomenon have a religious and ideological dimension , economic and political , democratic and untapped development in the last period, and these await an appropriate environment for terrorism , as well as rejection and then the confrontation and terrorism , and we always ask our partners in the fight against extremism and terrorism that he must realize that the war against terrorism will not be without a comprehensive strategy , because those who bear arms can respond if found direction and solution that will lead to the path of stability.
here is no substitute for aircraft
What about the cooperation of the United States Yemeni in the fight against terrorism .. especially the output of the dialogue emphasized the non-use of strikes by unmanned aircraft
This is a perfect application of course .. he did not mention the other side and what is the alternative for drones .. they are used for security requirements and are also used by the security forces as a tool against terrorism .. thus, the stoppage will not end the killings or acts of destruction … so I think this is a difficult issue for those responsible for the security of the country .. and how they can face elements that target the economic institutions of the state .. these do not realize the damage resulting from these actions when they hit an economic institution as Balhaf or refineries Aden etc. . Therefore , the State will not stay arms crossed but it will use various means to counter these.
Increased removal of diplomats , which affects the reputation of our country and its relations with other countries .. How can we solve this?
It is also a phenomenon that should be studied , it has increased recently due to the ransom paid to the kidnappers .. Because the ransom provided the funds for these elements who commit further violence and fund acts of destruction , but it is strange that there are those who say that the kidnappers commit kidnapping , not because they are al-Qaeda groups, but they do and rely on the Al- Qaeda to negotiate and get the ransom, and this should be studied because it indicates the presence of an imbalance of security that must be resolved .
But .. do you consider as a phenomenon of terrorism and political conflicts ?
To prove the contrary , I consider the phenomenon of terrorism, because it is easy for one party to accuse the other , and I think that these charges do not serve the truth , the question is lost due charges that cannot be proven .. We face these questions as an act of terrorism and sabotage, security forces must investigate and find out who is responsible whatsoever.
The error is not in revolutions
Do you think the increase in terrorist activities in the region is linked to the Arab Spring .. and why they have increased after the revolutions of the Arab Spring ?
The Arab Spring is not responsible for the results .. what is happening in Syria , Egypt and the other is a deviation from the objectives of the Arab Spring revolutions , the Arab countries have lofty goals , but their leaders have not sought to achieve these goals .. like those who accuse Islam of terrorism and Islam is innocent, it is the actions of Muslims are wrong, therefore , the error is not in revolutions, but those who run .
Yemen is facing the increasing number of refugees .. How would you rate the level of international aid to Yemen to face?
The High Commissioner for Refugees done its best .. We invited this week the international community at a conference in Sana’a on this subject to help Yemen cope with the refugee problem .. But these organizations depend late account aid states and we Yemen during the last year for example, we received only 53 % of the amount that we ask to face humanitarian action in Yemen .. What should be known to all is that what Yemen supports much of what we get from the Commission or countries that provide assistance , they brought in Yemen 200 or 300 million , and forget that Yemen spends more billion in welcoming refugees, we say this to let others know the sufferings and difficult economic circumstances of Yemen and that refugees are now in Yemen representing three times recorded with the High Commissioner in number because refugees are afraid to register.
What’s new in the relations of Yemen – Iran .. and what will be the fate of the Iranian diplomat kidnapped ?
He is still kidnapped and the security agencies get information here and there, but nothing so far not materialized as it is transferred from one place to another , and we remain in contact with the Iranian side and we their always make sure that we do everything we can to obtain his release .. but we do not conduct military operations that may threaten the lives of the kidnapped ..
As for the relations with Iran , they are still at an impasse and we hope that the election of the new Iranian president will start a new page .. and currently the President of the House of Representatives Yahya Ali Shepherd Iran to participate in Islamic parliamentary assemblies .. All we want is that Iran translate it always repeats itself , it is with the unity, security and stability of Yemen, and we want Iran to have a real role in stopping incentive programs broadcast by Iranian television stations against Yemen, and also prevent Iranian parties that interfere with the Yemeni affairs.
The next Arab summit will be held in late March in Kuwait .. What we hope this summit ? What is the vision of Yemen to activate the joint Arab action?
I always said foremost an Arab summit , over the previous 13 years , is the new Chair of the Summit will the Arab League on track after the difficulties it has recently known a result of changes that have occurred in the region after the events of September 11, 2001 .. and so far, unfortunately , I have presented many visions of reform of the common and the former secretary general of the Arab League Arab action has made great efforts in this area, but unfortunately does not happen because things are related to the Arab countries, and perhaps Kuwait succeed this time to take real reform of joint Arab action.