Opposition dragging nation into civil war, says President Saleh

SANA’A, April 23 (Saba)- A speech was delivered on Saturday by President Ali Abdullah Saleh addressing military personnel. I will speak to the leaders of the future, the students of the military academies, on the situation and developments on the Yemeni arena. This situation began in 2006 and it gradually developed with the Joint Meeting Parties [JMP] who lost the elections in 2006. They lost the elections through the ballots and they realized their true size. The great Yemeni people have spoken. This crisis has escalated until it reached the point of acts of riot and sabotage and attacks against the police stations in Abyan, Shabwa, Hadramout, Lahj and Habilayn carried out by the JMP, who want to circumvent reality, step over democracy and seek political and partisan double-standards. The JMP violates the constitution and law, rejecting elections and people’s choice. It chooses sabotage and coup and the violation of law and order. We have sacrificed to establish the rule of law and order and respect for the constitution, and we have sacrificed our finest youth at various stages, beginning with the dawn of revolution until today. Our sacrifices were crowned on 22 May after the two parts of Yemen were unified and the Republic of Yemen was announced. It is not an accomplishment for the Yemeni people alone, but for the Arab and Islamic world as well. We realized a unified nation, rather than a sultanate, or sheikhdom. The Yemeni people have spoken in the referendum on constitution and said yes to the Yemeni unity and to the Republic of Yemen. The 22 May revolution triumphed and was crowned by the great victory in 1994, when the secessionists announced that they want to take the southern part of the country back to the pre-22-May era. We were able to overcome the cultural, economic, social, and political challenges. And here we are steadfast and facing up to the challenges. No to coup, no to circumventing reality, no to sabotage; yes to stability, security, and development. With those demagogic and chaotic practices, the wheel of development has ground to a halt. Who is responsible for that? It is the Joint Meeting Parties. It wants to shed blood, but we are against the shedding of the Yemeni blood, which is valuable to us, very valuable to us. It wants to drag the arena into a civil war and we refuse to be dragged into a civil war. It is not in the interest of Yemen or the interest of the region. Security and stability are in the interest of Yemenis. It is also in the interest of the region that we have security and stability, because if we do not it will have negative repercussions on the security of the entire region. Yes, they are aware of the number of people present in Al-Jami’ah square and how many people they are capable of recruiting from all the governorates to attend the Friday prayers. At the protests, they keep a two-meter space between the first row and the second row so that they could magnify the number of people attending. In our rallies, they come in millions to the Al-Sab’in Square, Al-Tahrir Square, and to various Yemeni cities across the governorates. They are aware of their worth, in the same way they were aware in 2006. Regarding those who changed their stance during the crisis, they chose to submit their resignations and joined the youth revolution. These do not have an agenda; however, they are preparing themselves for the future in case the rebels triumph. They do not have any agendas or plans, but they were unable to stand their ground and withstand the crisis. Most of them are elements of corruption, whether they are ministers or military officials in other institutions; they are the symbols of corruption, land looters. The land looters smuggle gas and petrol to Africa; they spread corruption and deception. They claim to be pure while they are actually the pillars of corruption. This is what is taking place. Those people, whether they are civilians or military personnel, have no reformist, economic, cultural, social, or developmental agendas or programmes. They believe in the culture of money, greed, and the looting of the wealth of this nation, and now they claim that they are pure because they are afraid; they are cowards and they want to continue looting. We praise the youth, the pure independent youth. We have welcomed them and continue to welcome them and are ready to listen to their demands within the framework of the constitution and law. It is acceptable if they decide to establish a political party according to the constitution; however, I am positive that some of them are from the Joint Meeting Parties and are working under the youth revolution – we welcome only the youth. They are attempting to mimic what took place in Tunisia and Egypt, which are both different from Yemen. The difference lies in the democratic aspects; I will not discuss other nations’ matters, but in Yemen we have political pluralism, democracy, freedom of press, and respect for human rights that allow citizens to express their opinions at all times. The government does not prohibit anyone from expressing their views, the peaceful expression of views democratically. They are also copying other satellite channels. Some individuals present in different areas and regions are controlling what people are watching on TV in their houses. They are forcing them to change from Yemen TV to Al-Jazeera Channel or the subversive Suhayl TV. It is the channel that lies excessively, distorts the truth, and stirs sedition and hatred among Yemenis. What is built on falsehood is false. Lies are short-lived. O leaders of the future, O students of the military academies and institutes, you represent a mature segment of the Yemeni society and the hope of this nation lies in its youth. We urge the youth – who claim to be independent to join the September, October, and 22 May revolutions; the revolutions of construction, love, and fraternity, not the revolution of hatred and sabotage. The so-called revolution of youth and change is hatred and sabotage and aims to establish the culture of hatred. If you follow their ramblings and political rhetoric on TV channels, you would find that they do not flow smoothly, but hostile towards the people. If they are hostile towards the people when they have still not assumed power, how would they be when they assume power? Yemeni people fear the unknown. They fear the unknown. O our sons; female and male students of the military academies, leaders, trainers, and professors at the academies and institutes, it is your duty to spread awareness among our sons, the sons of the future who are in the Security and Armed Forces. You have to be steadfast. Face challenge with challenge. This conspiracy will fail. This conspiracy will be defeated by the awareness of our great Yemeni people who willingly gathered from various governorates at Al-Sab’in Square to express their opinion. Yes to security, stability, legitimacy, development, and national unity, and No to sabotage, creative chaos, road blockades, and killing. This is what the Yemeni masses, not the minority that is gathering at Al-Jami’ah street, believe in. These are the masses. These are the people of Ibb, Dhamar, Lahj, Aden and Hadramout. These are the Yemeni people. Destruction is easy but construction is not. They are willing to destroy everything we have been building over the past years; including roads, facilities, and buildings. One of the imamate remnants said during a press conference: O youth, attack the foreign affairs and oil ministries and rob banks. That is only to be expected. What can you expect from a remnant element of the imamate? We have defeated the imamate remnants on 26 September and 14 October and we said “Imamate, leave the country.” This is our country. No one should talk about leaving. Yes, we can leave power, but through elections, not a coup. Come, be brave and hold early presidential and parliamentary elections. This is the Constitution of the Republic of Yemen which stipulates holding elections in a democratic way, not the democracy of the creative chaos. We say no to hatred. Their ramblings have shown us, amid this crisis, who are loyal and brave and who could not stand on their feet and ran away to the so-called Al-Taghyir Square. These were the corrupt people who robbed lands. They are the masters of corruption, thieves of lands, and murderers. All their officials and grassroots are rogues, for they lied in this crisis without feeling shame before the Yemeni people who have matured. The Yemeni youth were educated and were brought up in an atmosphere of revolution and democracy. They do not tolerate deception or falsehood; no one does. Lies are short-lived. My sons, commanders of the future at the military academies and institutes, I salute you as well as the heroic security and military men and commanders across all governorates. I salute their steadfastness, bravery, endurance, and precious sacrifices for the sake of the security and the stability of Yemen. They are watching over the security and safety of the dear country that they will defend to the last blood drop. No storms or winds shall weaken us, no matter what. We have witnessed nothing but victory since 26 September in 1962 until the present day. We were ready for martyrdom at any moment in Sufyan, Saada, Khawlan, Bani-Matar, Sanhan, and wherever the remnants of the imamate existed. We have waited and have withstood, and now we challenge them to withstand but they are gradually relenting. Our great Yemeni people have to strive and confront the challenge whether in villages, cities, or streets. Confront challenge with challenge! Yemen is precious and so is the blood that is being shed, but we will sacrifice our blood for the sake of Yemen, and for the sake of its unity. We will sacrifice for the sake of Yemen and will never accept any custody on our country. The financial aid granted to the elements of sabotage and rebellion in the Joint Meeting Parties is malicious and vile. They are offering money to the Yemeni people, but sooner or later all conspiracies will be destroyed and will be defeated by the will and steadfastness of our people and our the military institution. I salute all the sons of our people and each mother that gave birth to an honourable officer and soldier to defend this nation. I offer my salutations to your mothers who gave you birth. I salute the land and the military institutions and schools in which you were raised. I salute you as well as all the honourable leaders. Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you. Saba