22 January 2009

Yemeni Politicians Must Compromise for Sake of Elections

U.S. envoy says parliamentary vote is for citizens, not political parties

Elections for Yemen’s parliament are snagged due to procedural disputes between the country’s political factions.

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington — With uncertainty surrounding Yemen’s proposed April parliamentary elections, the U.S. ambassador in Sana’a urges the governing and opposition parties to make compromises to allow the vote to proceed and give Yemen’s people the opportunity to express their will “freely and fairly.”

Yemen’s political parties are engaged in a “protracted dispute” over elements of the election such as voter registration, membership on the country’s Supreme Council for Elections and Referenda (SCER) and other procedural disagreements.

“This is disappointing to everyone who has watched Yemen in recent years,” U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Stephen Seche told America.gov. Until recently, the country had been building “a pretty good track record in terms of its commitment to democratic processes, including elections,” he said. He urged politicians to “look beyond narrowly defined party interests and make the necessary compromises, so that the people of this country have the opportunity to go to the polls and participate in a process that they can be proud of.”

As with all countries holding elections, the process “is not an issue of ownership by either party that participates, but it’s owned by the citizens of the country and the parties need to bear that in mind as they go forward,” Seche said.

Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States has trained technical and research staff at the SCER, which is conducting voter registration and making other practical preparations for the elections. USAID also supported the establishment and training of the local monitoring network for observation of the parliamentary elections.

Along with promoting democracy, USAID provides educational and economic assistance, as well as health care targeted to maternal and child services and toward underserved areas of the country.

SECURITY SITUATION “SOMEWHAT PRECARIOUS”

Ambassador Seche called upon Yemen’s security forces to step up their efforts against al-Qaida and Yemeni terrorist cells. He praised an August 2008 operation in eastern Yemen, but said that “the government needs to do more to take the fight to the terrorists and put them on the defensive in a meaningful way.”

The security situation in Yemen remains “somewhat precarious,” U.S. Ambassador Stephen Seche says.

The security situation in the country following the September 17, 2008, attack on the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a, which killed 17 Yemenis and one American, is still “somewhat precarious,” he said.

The Yemeni government legitimately can cite capacity issues that hinder its effectiveness against terrorists and the difficulty of conducting operations in mountainous, tribal areas resistant to authority, but it is receiving assistance from the United States and other nations, he said.

“We work to the extent we can with the government to provide it with the tools it needs,” such as counterterrorism training, information and intelligence sharing to help the authorities conduct successful operations.

REINTEGRATION FOR YEMENI DETAINEES AT GUANTANAMO

With the Obama administration pledging to close the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the United States is in “constant conversation” with authorities in Sana’a on the issue because many of the detainees are Yemeni citizens, Ambassador Seche said.

“We are going to have to find a way to relocate them at some point. Certainly we would like to be able to bring them back to Yemen and have them integrate themselves back into their own society with their families and make a future for themselves here,” he said. But he acknowledged “inherent risks” that could threaten Yemen, the region and the United States unless job training, counseling and other rehabilitation programs are undertaken to mitigate those risks.

“Except in the case perhaps of some very hard-core elements, we believe that the majority of these detainees can be put productively into a … reintegration program with the goal over time of enabling them to find a way back into Yemeni society without posing a security risk,” he said.

Seche said that, like many around the world, Yemenis are excited by Barack Obama’s presidential election victory, but he indicated that he did not foresee a “dramatic day-to-night shift” in U.S. foreign policy. Seche expects that the Obama administration will move “cautiously and carefully towards implementing its foreign policy goals.”

He added that Yemen has benefited recently from increased interest on the part of Washington policymakers. From his standpoint as ambassador, Seche said he will be encouraging a greater commitment of U.S. resources for Yemen.

“I think that this investment is an important one to make and it will yield dividends in the future if it’s made properly and sensibly,” he said.