President Saleh denies US military presence in Yemen

SANA’A, March 21 (Saba)- President Ali Abdullah Saleh has said that there is no US presence on Yemeni soil or waters and no bilateral security agreement on such US presence in the country. ‘’There is Yemeni-US security cooperation in combating terrorism and counterterrorism training’’, said President Saleh in an interview with pan-Arab Al Arabiya Satellite News Channel.”Some media reports are unfounded and there is no any US presence on the land of Yemen and there is no any treaty or agreement allowing US presence on our territory”, Saleh confirmed. On the Yemeni unity, Saleh said: “I will tell you something. I am not worried about our unity. The Yemeni unity is there to stay. Any major project is certain to run into some difficulties. What worries me is the disruptions obstructing development. There is a separatist culture. There is an unhealthy culture being promoted by elements that lost their power-related interests after the inception of unity”.Asked if the war in Saada is over, the President said: “We can say that the war has come to an end. It did not stop and there is no truce. It just ended. Al-Houthi announced full commitment to the six points and the relevant implementation mechanism. Thanks to this announcement, the war has come to an end”The text of this interview. [Al Arabiya TV] President Saleh, we will begin with Saada. The Yemeni Army triumphed over Al-Houthi. Has the war come to en end or has it only stopped? Are you observing a truce?[President Saleh] We can say that the war is over. It has not only stopped; we are not observing a truce. You can consider the war as over if Al-Houthi fully adheres to the six conditions. He has clearly declared that he is adhering to the six points and the mechanism to implement these points. With this declaration we consider the war at an end. There are positive signs. He has declared commitment to them and has started to remove mines from both the primary roads and the secondary roads. He has opened roads and removed his fortified positions on the roadside. He has started to evacuate the administrative units, and you can say he has already carried out 60 per cent of the evacuation.[Al Arabiya TV] What does the term administrative units mean?[President Saleh] The administrative units are the local authority centres and security positions. He has started to evacuate them and hand them over to the local authorities and police.[Al Arabiya TV] Did he occupy a large area?[President Saleh] He had occupied about nine districts. He has evacuated more than 60 per cent of them. Indeed, the rest have also been evacuated but he is waiting for the police to come and take over control of the buildings. These are the positive indications. He has evacuated the centres of the districts, reopened the roads, removed the mines, and ended his occupation of roadside positions. He has delivered a number of the detainees that he has. He delivered about 175 persons whom he considered to be detainees. We consider these positive indications. This proves good intentions that there will be no returning to a new war, because in the previous wars he was not serious. He was manoeuvring in the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth wars. This is the sixth war. We consider these to be positive signs. I consider the war to be at an end.[Al Arabiya TV] How are the committees working?[President Saleh] The work of the national committees that supervise the implementation is good, on both sides. There are positive elements among the Houthist representatives and they are cooperating satisfactorily. The committees that were composed by the state, the Parliament and the Shura Council, are doing well. The same applies to the committees composed of the local authorities. These are working in accordance with the drawn up mechanism that had been approved.[Al Arabiya TV] But we are aware that you had presented the six conditions previously and he took too much time, yet he failed to accept them, and thus the war went on. How do you explain his acceptance of these conditions later and his declaration that he was adhering to them?[President Saleh] We say let us dress the wounds of the war. If he is committed, well and good. Of course, we can say that the severe harm that was inflicted on him and his losses as a result of the war will not be restored. Even though the state lost in terms of equipment, personnel, and security resources, it is expected to compensate its losses. The lost soldier would be replaced; the damaged vehicle would be replaced. He would not be able to replace his losses.[Al Arabiya TV] But are you certain that he will not exploit this period of peace to boost his capabilities and restore his strength?[President Saleh] We can say that he resorted to tactics during the previous five wars but we took precautions. We hope he will not resume the war and that this will be the last war. Any opposition member or anyone who rebels against legitimacy cannot topple the political system by working from cliffs and mountain tops. Those willing to take part in political action should get involved in the political process. However, this is not a political action but an act of sabotage. Therefore we consider the war to be over and we have to dress the wounds of war. Al-Houthi must be fully committed to the six points and the implementation mechanism. Initial indications are positive. We encourage the promotion of positive developments.[Al Arabiya TV] We heard from a Saudi security official that the deployment of the Yemeni army along the Saudi side of the border has not been completed, especially in the Al-Malahiz area. When will the deployment be completed?[President Saleh] The army is moving along four sides. It is not only the Army but basically security forces.[Al Arabiya TV] Border forces?[President Saleh] Security forces and border forces were deployed three days ago in Al-Malahiz, Shida, Razih and Ghamar. The entry of the forces to Ghamar will take place tomorrow. As for the border strip in the Al-Dukhan Mountain and the mountains where Al-Houthi is stationed, these are Saudi territories. These are Saudi territories but there are Yemeni heights with the same names opposite them. The Yemeni Army will be deployed there. It is now in military camps along the border. The police and the army on the border with the Kingdom will take one week or 10 days to take positions at the centres of the districts pending the completion of opening the roads and ensuring the removal of mines in order to move the vehicles about.[Al Arabiya TV] Will this be sufficient to control the border with Saudi Arabia?[President Saleh] Certainly the forces are sufficient to control security, prevent any infiltration, and deal with any security problems between Yemen and the Kingdom.[Al Arabiya TV] Obviously, we in Saudi Arabia intend to leave a distance of 10 km between the two sides along the border. These are new measures. Do you have any comment to make on this?[President Saleh] It is difficult for us to leave 10 km on the Yemeni side because there are people, houses, and farms. We cannot displace citizens who have been living for hundreds and thousands of years in these valleys and on these heights. These are mountainous regions, farms, and valleys. It would be difficult for us to move them to distant areas because they have behind them mountainous heights and not a desert where we can distribute to them land. It would be very difficult for us to displace our citizens. But it is our duty to use the local police and the Army, which is attached to the border guards, to ensure the safety of the border strip between the Kingdom and Yemen.[Al Arabiya TV] But Saudi Arabia is free to do what it wants on its own territory.[President Saleh] Yes, we do not object to that. There is a treaty between us and Saudi Arabia, leaving 20 km by both sides for grazing purposes. I do not believe that evacuating people would disturb the border treaty between us and them because the treaty ensured the rights of grazing and movements to adjacent areas.[Al Arabiya TV] But if there are no Saudi Arabians in such an area, certainly a Yemeni will not be able to enter this demilitarized zone.[President Saleh] Nobody will enter for trade. He will enter for grazing and this is very simple; it does not constitute a problem.[Al Arabiya TV] Do you believe that Al-Houthi entered the Saudi territory to address his internal crisis or do you believe that he was under external pressure to cross the border?[President Saleh] You can say that both are correct. There are internal problems but external reasons are not ruled out. Indeed I believe that the external reasons constitute from 80 to 90 per cent, and the aim was settling scores with Saudi Arabia by states in the region; preoccupying Saudi Arabia. The intention was to send a message to Saudi Arabia using these Houthist elements. This is because we have no problem with Al-Houthi. He does not pose a problem. Al-Houthi has imbibed external ideology. Let us say that he adopts the Shiite Twelver doctrine. He is a Zaydi. We in Yemen are Zaydis and Shafiis; we have no problem. The Twelver doctrine is new in Saada and among the Houthists. We are not against the Twelvers doctrine , the Shiite Denomination anywhere. We believe in denominational multiplicity but we refuse the imposition of these denominations on our country or adopting them. This is categorically rejected because for thousands of years in Yemen we have been Shafi’is and Zaydis and there are no problems between the Shafi’is and the Zaydis. This is a new denomination in Yemen. Its price is paid. The price is sending a certain message to the Saudi neighbour. This is clear. I am being very clear and I mean the Saudi neighbour. What has he got to gain from Yemen? For the past 48 years since the revolution, Yemen has been amid what we might call storms – the return of the Imamate after the 1962 September revolution, and the seven years of war and other problems between the two parts of Yemen. We have no problem. But this is a message.[Al Arabiya TV] Talking of denominations, you said in 2005, at a consultation meeting with the Yemeni Clerics Association, that the state would exercise full supervision of the educational centres. What happened to this plan? [President Saleh] We have several categories: The Ministry of Education, the science institutes, and the rest of the institutes. The science institutes joined the Education Ministry; they no longer exist. There will be no dual education.[Al Arabiya TV] What about the curricula?[President Saleh] The same curricula; namely, the Education Ministry curricula. The other private institutes that Al-Houthi established in the form of elementary schools to teach the Koran to children, the Shiite schools in mosques, the religious lessons between the sunset prayers and the evening prayers, or between the noon prayers and the afternoon prayers, are new phenomena. You cannot say that he supervises them because he goes to the mosque and sits with the clerics and says: I am just reciting the Koran. At the same time, they created the summer centres. These summer centres created problems for us in Saada. They attracted boys – fifth grades and sixth grades. All those who fought along the Al-Houthi ranks and who turned into Houthists have no education beyond intermediate school. No secondary schooling and no college education. Therefore, he attracted them on this basis at an early age while they are still simple-minded so that he could implant this culture in their minds, the Twelver doctrine culture, the culture of the teachings of the so-called Hussein Al-Houthi, ideas that the Yemenis had not known at all. Thus these boys imbibed these teachings and they fought alongside Hussein.[Al Arabiya TV] We want you to name these countries. You mentioned in a previous answer; you alluded, to states that support the Houthists, whether by arms, money.[President Saleh] There are states, and there are individuals in certain states. You can say persons in certain states. Such states might not know anything about this but contributions are collected in most states in the region.[Al Arabiya TV] You informed the states concerned?[President Saleh] The states concerned know about this and they are monitoring and following these developments.[Al Arabiya TV] Do we in Saudi Arabia have such individuals?[President Saleh] Yes.[Al Arabiya TV] Can we know the names of the other states?[President Saleh] Of course, any state that has sympathy with the Houthists in the name of the Twelver doctrine; in the name of the Shiite. Any Shiite in the region would sympathize with them and collect contributions to support them. States in the region that want to send messages, and persons who sympathize with the Houthists to establish a new denomination in Yemen, apart from the Zaydi and Shafiia denominations, subject to certain political considerations. Yemen is composed of Zaydis and Shafiias and we have no problem.[Al Arabiya TV] We asked you if we in Saudi Arabia have such people and you said yes. In Saudi Arabia we have the families of Hamid-al-Din and Al-Wazir. They are Zaydis. Is it reasonable that they, or some of them, should back the Houthists?[President Saleh] Yes, these are dreaming of the restoration of the rule of the Imamate.[Al Arabiya TV] Can you confirm that some of the Hamid-al-Din family members support the Houthists? Have you informed the officials?[President Saleh] Yes, yes, yes, and we have documents to prove their contacts with the Houthists, their support for the Houthists, and their collecting contributions to restore the Imamate. They always dream of this. They will not despair of the restoration of the Imamate. They do not believe that the revolution has been entrenched for the past 48 years; they believe that they have a divine right. Al-Houthi is a tool for those who are in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere.[Al Arabiya TV] Are these supporters present in other Gulf countries?[President Saleh] In Saudi Arabia, London, the United States, and other regions, not only in Saudi Arabia.[Al Arabiya TV] What is the response of the Saudi government?[President Saleh] Saudi Arabia is against these practices and has taken effective measures.[Al Arabiya TV] Back to the Saudi-Yemeni border control. Apart from what you have mentioned that the army is there and there is a buffer zone, 20-km wide, is there any other mechanisms or other steps to reassure us about preventing smuggling and other illegal practices?[President Saleh] We are in contact with the brothers in the kingdom to have joint patrols and to bring in modern surveillance equipment along the entire border. The border between Yemen and the kingdom extends more than 2,000 km. The discussion is about two tracks along the border: one on the Yemeni side for the Yemeni patrols, and another track on the Saudi side for the Saudi patrols. These tracks are joint patrols. There are towers with cameras fixed on them that keep watch between one tower and the next, a distance of more than 1 km. They are monitoring all movements day and night along the entire border. We are discussing this project with several companies and this project will be carried out to reduce the smuggling of drugs, arms, and explosives. This project is being discussed between the Yemeni and Saudi authorities.[Al Arabiya TV] But there is a third track, which is the semi-organized arms trade here in Yemen. Some of the Yemeni officials are active in this. It is said that when the Somali wants to shop for arms he comes to Yemen. Al-Qaeda came to Yemen to purchase arms when it wanted arms to use in Saudi Arabia. This is an organized trade.[President Saleh] Somali arms are flooding the Yemeni market. After the dissolution of the Mohammad Siad Barre-led Somali state, it left behind an arsenal because it was within the Warsaw Pact. It had an arsenal of light and medium weapons. When the state was dissolved, the Somali tribes took over these weapons or looted them.[Al Arabiya TV] What about the arms that arrive from the Yemeni Army depots?[President Saleh] I will be talking about this. These arms are smuggled through the sea and the smugglers deliver them to arms dealers. The state buys them. Some of them are smuggled to the Kingdom and they have been seized by the Saudis on the border with Saudi Arabia. Arms were also seized by the Yemeni Army on the border with Saudi Arabia. There is mutual cooperation. There is no basis of the truth for the notion that arms are smuggled from the Yemeni arms depots. However, you can say that a soldier, two soldiers, or 10 soldiers might take them and run away. For instance after the 1994 war, quantities of arms and ammunition were stolen and they fell into the hands of the tribes…[Al Arabiya TV] But sympathy with the Houthists by some Yemeni Army personnel does not exist?[President Saleh] No, no.[Al Arabiya TV] Or the involvement of certain officials in this trade?[President Saleh] No, no. In the past some of the arms merchants were licensed to import arms for the Yemeni government. The arms merchants later on used this as a game. We then issued a decree that the state would be the sole importer of arms…[Al Arabiya TV] This decree was issued a few months ago.[President Saleh] No, much earlier; four or five years ago, but we used to receive smuggled arms from China or from other regions, from states that joined the EU, which were known previously as the Warsaw Pact. These arms arrived by the sea and we were surprised to see them at the harbours. We had to impound them.[Al Arabiya TV] Let us move on to the issue of relations with the United States. The Western press said that the US Government forces spoke of doubling the number of the Yemeni military forces and stepping up drone attacks.[President Saleh] This is absolutely baseless. There is no US presence either on the Yemeni land or on Yemeni waters. We have no treaty or agreement on US presence. There is US-Yemeni cooperation in fighting terrorism.[Al Arabiya TV] Training?[President Saleh] Also in the field of training on combating terrorism. There are only a few dozens. The US mission in Yemen does not exceed 40 or 50 persons.[Al Arabiya TV] Information exchanges also?[President Saleh] Information exchanges in the field of combating terrorism.[Al Arabiya TV] How do you describe the US-Yemeni relationship in light of these developments?[President Saleh] In the field of counterterrorism relations and information exchanges are positive. There is excellent cooperation. The training of anti-terrorism forces and special units is positive.[Al Arabiya TV] What about the Houthists?[President Saleh] They do not interfere in the Houthists issue, even though the slogan that the Al-Houthi raises is: Death to the United States and Israel. The Americans do not pay any attention to it.[Al Arabiya TV] Concerning domestic conditions, Your Excellency, you said in an interview with Al-Hayat newspaper that dialogue with the extremists has realized benefits by 60 per cent. What does this mean? [President Saleh] It truly realized positive results – 50 or 60 per cent of them became moderate – but we discovered that those who left prison and those with whom we held dialogue and whom we thought had taken the straight path were the ones who blew themselves up and were killed. The latest has been one named Al-Anbari; he was killed two or three days ago. They had been in jail. They are of the elements that declared repentance.[Al Arabiya TV] What about Al-Qaeda, the dialogue with Al-Qaeda?[President Saleh] These are Al-Qaeda. These belong to the Al-Qaeda Organization.[Al Arabiya TV] This should make you lose confidence in the dialogue plan.[President Saleh] You can say that we lost trust in certain individuals. Some other individuals were corrected. The 60 per cent ratio is good. Some of the ones that we no longer trust were blown up in Marib and Hadramout.[Al Arabiya TV] Do you not think that it is risky to hold dialogue with these and trust them once again?[President Saleh] We should not despair. We will continue the dialogue. Let us correct 20 or 40 per cent. The rest will remain incorrigible. Why should we leave them in a corner?[Al Arabiya TV] But one from the incorrigible 50 per cent might blew himself up in a Sana’a market?[President Saleh] They might blow themselves up among us.[Al Arabiya TV] Yes, they might blow us up.[President Saleh] They might blow us up, destroying our establishments, our interests, but our security forces have developed a distinguished skill to hit them before they do that sometimes.[Al Arabiya TV]You are called the father of Yemeni Unity. Does the unrest in the southern governorates cause you concern about unity?[President Saleh] I will tell you something. I am not worried about our unity. The Yemeni unity is there to stay. Any major project is certain to run into some difficulties. Am I worried about unity? No, I am not. What make me feel worried are the disruptions that obstruct development. There is a separatist culture. There is an unhealthy culture being promoted by elements that lost their power and interests after the inception of unity. These elements agreed to this unity but they bounced back against unity.[Al Arabiya TV] What motivates them?[President Saleh] They are motivated by interests.[Al Arabiya TV] Nothing external?[President Saleh] No, for instance in 1994 the conditions in the region were extraordinary – the Gulf war and such things. It was an extraordinary situation but now there are no external forces to activate them with the exception of the money that they amassed from the Gulf war from the 1994 war, from the southern region state’s possessions that they had nationalized before the unity on 22 May. They looted the treasury and they took the monies of state institutions in the south and they transferred the money outside the country and deposited them in banks abroad. They are now using the money to carry out their activities.[Al Arabiya TV] But are you not worried by the fact that the southern movement is coinciding with the Houthist movement?[President Saleh] We faced the southern movement and we faced the Houthists and we confronted the southern movement and we confronted the Houthists. This is because we have a project. Our project is a sound one. For instance, the Houthist project failed, why? It was because they carried up arms against the state and violated the law. The southern mobility movement – and I would not call it mobility movement; I would correct its name by calling it secessionist movement – was carried out by renegade secessionist forces. This also has failed. It will fail regardless of the coverage by certain media and satellite channels. These media inflame the situation more than it is already inflamed in reality.To give you an example. Some 50 or a 100 protesters come out to demonstrate but some satellite channels go to their archives and dig out a two or three years old demonstration of 2,000 or 3,000 and say that this protest was staged a week ago or today. Regrettably, certain satellite channels in the region have lost their credibility because they do not adhere to the principle of professionalism. They should be professional.[Al Arabiya TV] But what is your plan to tackle this problem as you have tackled the Houthist problem?[President Saleh] Our plan is as follows. Those who represent the sons of the southern governorates are leading state officials. They are in parliament, in the Shura Council, in the Executive Authority, and in local governments. These are the representatives of the south. Apart from these, all others are rejected. We will not accept them as representatives of the south or as speakers in the name of the south.[Al Arabiya TV] Then with whom are you seeking dialogue? You wanted dialogue. With whom do you want to talk?[President Saleh] With whom will we hold dialogue? If there is a dialogue with the unionist elements and they have legitimate demands, we will hold dialogue with them. But we will not hold dialogue with secessionist and renegade elements. Let this be very clear. We will not hold talks with secessionist elements but we will hold dialogue with elements who demonstrate understating, who have certain grievances about certain issues. We will hold dialogue with them and we will reach understanding with them. This has to be done through the representatives of the local authorities in the southern governorates.[Al Arabiya TV] You mean through political channels.[Al Arabiya TV] Two days ago, you said that reaching the presidency will be done through the ballot boxes.[President Saleh] Yes.[Al Arabiya TV] Then why should the unity or secession not be through the ballot boxes? While coming to the Presidential palace, I saw a huge slogan: Unity or death. I would call this a difficult choice.[President Saleh] It was a slogan that was raised at certain circumstances in the war during the summer of 1994. It was necessary to urge the people and speak in their language: unity or death.[Al Arabiya TV] But the slogan continues to be displayed in Sana’a. I have seen it a short while ago.[President Saleh] They forgot it. The municipality is responsible.[President Saleh] The separatists forgot it. It is raised sort of retroactively, but the unity is firm.[Al Arabiya TV] What about a referendum on unity?[President Saleh] Dear brother. A referendum on unity was held. This happened in 1991. There was a direct referendum and the Yemeni people in the southern part of the homeland said: Yes to unity. Then there was another referendum through parliamentary elections in 2003. The Yemeni people voted for unity in the 2007 elections. The Yemeni people voted for it in the latest parliamentary and presidential elections, as well as in the local elections. All these are referendums. Those who lost power, those who are now raising the slogan of secession, lost power and left voluntarily. We did not force them to leave. They left voluntarily and took with them the price of the chaste blood that was shed in the war during the summer of 1994. They ran away. Now they are raising slogans. They had an arsenal of weapons, aircraft, and missiles. But our political and unionist project, the project of the Yemeni people, says: Yes to unity; no to secession. Unity triumphed. Now they are raising the slogan of secession once again…[Al Arabiya TV] But just before the time runs out, there are two questions. The first question is about the donors states. Saudi Arabia offered 1 billion [currency not mentioned] and the others made promises. What happened to these donations?[President Saleh] Saudi Arabia offered $ 1 billion, Kuwait offered $ 200 million, Qatar $ 500 million, the Emirates more than $ 500 million. London offered $ 500 million but the Emirates offered more than $ 1 billion in direct payment for various purposes. The UAE met more than its obligations at the London Conference.[Al Arabiya TV] This means that only the Arabs paid; the foreigners did not.[President Saleh] No foreigner would contribute. No one. [Al Arabiya TV] Could it be that they objected to corruption?[President Saleh] They did not say. Only the World Bank and the IMF were participating in the project. The others were not.[Al Arabiya TV] But the donors would certainly raise the issue of the government performance and fighting corruption. I asked a Yemeni youth: What should I ask the president? He replied: Ask the president about the corruption and about those around the president who should…[President Saleh] Who should account for what they did.[Al Arabiya TV] Who should face accountability? This is a question by a Yemeni youth.[President Saleh] Very well. There is no place in the world where you do not see slogans raised about corruption. This is in vogue now. In all countries of the world – from the United States down to the smallest nation in the world – you hear charges of corruption. All right. We have created a committee for fighting corruption and a number of cases were referred to courts concerned with public funds. The anticorruption commission is responsible for fighting corruption and prosecuting the corrupt.[Al Arabiya TV] But Mr. President, Commissions do not do anything. I have heard a joke by one of the Yemeni brothers in which he says: There is a commission to combat the practice of chewing qat but when this commission meets it chews qat. [President Saleh] That is right, that is right. First of all, judging by the available reports, the anticorruption commission realized excellent results in the field of combating corruption.[Al Arabiya TV] Was any senior official brought to account publicly? [President Saleh] I believe they do not catch major corrupt officials. They usually catch minor corrupt officials. This happens in the whole world. They have not caught any major corrupt officials.[Al Arabiya TV] time is up, but one question remains. A few months ago you said: I will not stand for the presidential post and I will not accept any nominations.[President Saleh] When was that?[Al Arabiya TV] A few months ago.[President Saleh] Did I say that?[Al Arabiya TV] You said in an interview with Al-Hayat newspaper that you would not stand for president nor would you accept any nomination. Is your stand still valid?[President Saleh] First of all, I have a specific constitutional term. It is over and I will adhere by the valid constitution now. It is only a presidential term. I will complete what is left of it and I will not stand for another term. Again I say: I will not stand once again.[Al Arabiya TV] Thank you, Your Excellency, for your patience and frankness. God willing, we will hold with you another interview in the future.Saba