President: Yemen celebrating unity and democracy

SANA’A, May 20, (Saba)- President Ali Abdullah Saleh delivered on Friday an address to the nation on the 14th anniversary of the National Day May 22. He said that Yemen celebrates not only the unification of its lands but also “the adoption of democracy, and participatory politics.” The political reforms in Yemen are reflected by the peaceful succession in power, free legislative polls, and presidential and local elections, said the president. As for the post-unification dramatic conversion to democratic liberties including freedom of participation in decision-making, opinion expression, and press, he said the adoption of democracy “emanated from our satisfaction that democracy is the option of today”. President Saleh cited Yemen’s hosting of several democratic events, including the Emerging Democracies Conference, the Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Democracy, the Conference of the Association of Senates and Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab World. He said those activities have changed Yemen’s international image to an unprecedented good extent. Recalling intrusive pushes for “reforms” in the region, Saleh said “we, the people of the Republic of Yemen, welcome reforms that ensure more democracy and public participation in decision making”. “Reforms should emerge from within the peoples themselves so that the venerating of their characteristics and meeting of their ambitions are guaranteed.” The president called for confronting all bad practises which hamper the efforts of development and expressed “appreciation for the positive response” of tribes to his call for pan-tribe reconciliations and once-and-for-all end to the cycle of revenges and counter-revenges.” AA/AASABA