The medical committee is just one of the several committees organized by youth protesters that are managing the demonstrations at Sana’a University. These youth movements are now issuing press releases and plans for a new government. Photo by Joshua Maricich

Nadia Al-Sakkaf

Published:14-03-2011

SANA’A, March 13 — The United States is concerned that there is no clear alternative or transition plan should Saleh’s regime collapse. It believes that his departure will lead to chaos and instability in Yemen.

This view was conveyed by US ambassador to Yemen Gerald M. Feierstein, who reiterated his country’s position on Yemeni affairs in a meeting with selective media outlets on Saturday.

“Our problem is that the [Yemeni] people are demanding [the ouster of Saleh] without any idea how they will manage the government and prevent a disaster for the Yemeni people,” said Feierstein.

He said that his office has not received any concrete proposals by either the opposition parties or the pro-democracy youth protesters at Sana’a University explaining how the country will be managed during a transition period and how the new president will come to power.

“The people in the streets need to give us something to work with,” said the ambassador.

Meanwhile, one day after Feierstein’s meeting with the media, a coordination council established by youth protestors at Sana’a University issued a list of seven conditions that must be met if the demonstrations are to be brought to a close. These seven demands are also meant to serve as the basis for a national political program in a post-Saleh era.

The first two conditions are the immediate removal of Saleh, his family, his close relatives and his subordinates from power, and the subsequent formation of a temporary presidential council made up of representatives drawn from Yemen’s four main political powers (as well as a fifth representative appointed by the national security and military establishment).

This council will oversee the implementation of the five remaining demands on the list, which include amending the constitution so as to transfer power to the parliament, approving the proportional list system as the means of forming executive power and a unity government, conducting free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections after reforming the voter registrar and electoral system, bringing to justice all those who have been involved in attacks against protestors – including those who planned, managed, facilitated or funded the violence – and finally, removing corrupt members of the former regime from government and administrative bodies.

A member of the coordination council who requested to remain anonymous said that the university protestors are currently putting together a full-fledged political program, to be submitted to the Friends of Yemen in the hopes of garnering international support for a new regime.

“They want to inform the Friends of Yemen that their planned meeting in Riyadh will be illegitimate, as the current regime does not represent the Yemeni people or their interests” said the source.

The proposal is still in draft form but there are efforts – assisted by activists, analysts and university professors – to finalize it soon. They are also working to resolve various disputes amongst the youth groups, such as who the four representatives in the transitional presidential council will be.

Speculation from “Change Square” in front of Sana’a University suggests that the four representatives will include one youth member, one tribal member, one JMP member and one GPC member. It is also rumoured that Ali Muhsin Al-Ahmar will be included as the military representative.

Although the coordination council is not the direct representative of all protestors at the university, many are represented by two sister entities: the Revolutionary Coalition of Youth for Peaceful Change (which includes 12 organizations under its umbrella) and the Organization of Liberal Yemeni Youth. All statements made thus far reflect a consensus amongst all three organizations over the seven-point plan. As such, the plan may be considered an accurate representation of the protestors’ collective opinion.

On the sidelines, there is also an ongoing public education campaign in Change Square whereby activists are explaining the rights guaranteed by the constitution to other protestors from various backgrounds, including tribesmen. Other topics of discussion include the importance and leverage of peaceful protests, and the different chemicals and attack tactics that may be used against protestors.

The education campaign is one of many activities taking place at the protest area which indicate a sense of coordination, organization and a united front by the protestors.

Moreover, on its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CCYRC), the coordination council clearly states that dialogue with President Saleh is out of the question, as the council’s main objective is to end the current regime.

The Yemeni Revolution Coalition is also active on Facebook and Twitter (www.facebook.com/Yemen.Revolution; www.twitter.com/YERevolutions), and is engaged with other media outlets including newspapers, websites, SMS news, and international email correspondence reflecting the youth’s messages, positions, and latest news.

However, the US ambassador continued to urge Yemenis to give Saleh another chance and to sit with him at the negotiating table. He claimed that street protests will not achieve anything, as they are blocking dialogue and causing the deaths of innocent Yemenis.

Realizing that many Yemenis question Saleh’s credibility on the basis of past experiences, Feierstein insisted that the situation today has changed. He urged the JMP opposition coalition to test Saleh’s sincerity at the negotiating table and to agree upon a plan of action that includes milestones to track the progress of proposed reforms

According to Gregory Johnsen, former Fulbright Fellow in Yemen and Ph.D. candidate at Princeton’s Near Eastern Studies Department, “The US is calling on the JMP to do something that it can’t possibly do at this moment in Yemen. It is impossible for the JMP to be seen as giving Saleh a lifeline. The JMP has little support as it is in Yemen and negotiating with Saleh would only destroy what little popular support it does have.”



Anticipating the worst

The US embassy has repeatedly called for its citizens in Yemen to leave the country. In its latest travel warning, dated March 6th, the State Department warned US citizens of the high threat to personal security in Yemen due to terrorist activities and civil unrest.

Although he admits that there is no immediate threat to US citizens today, the US ambassador said that this warning is a precautionary measure taken against the backdrop of potential disaster or even civil war, which may break out if the two parties – the GPC and the JMP – continue to maintain their hard line positions.

There are between 70,000 to 80,000 Americans in Yemen, most of whom are Yemenis with dual citizenship. However, the embassy has said that it would provide evacuation assistance to all those who request it.

Ambassador Feierstein believes that the potential for violence in Yemen is even worse than in Libya, considering that most Yemenis own weapons. Weak state institutions coupled with the risk of using arms is a significant concern.

However, in a recent interview with Yemen Times, Shiekh Hameed Al-Ahmar, member of the dialogue committee that includes the JMP and the GPC, contradicted this notion by stating that the presence of arms could be seen as a balancing factor that might possibly prevent a civil war from taking place.

Ambassador Feierstein also emphasized that Yemenis should worry about the economic situation in addition to escalating political instability.

“We do have security concerns, but we also have serious concerns on the direction of the Yemeni economy. While the government is focused on political issues, Yemen’s economy is going to face huge challenges,” he said.

He added that because political issues are not been properly addressed through dialogue at present, there will also be problems in addressing critical economic challenges, such as rising food and fuel prices, the budget deficit and continuing economic uncertainty.