10 - 16 January 2002
Issue No.568
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 10 - 16 January 2002 Issue No.568 |
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Slowly breaking the ice
Yemen welcomed the Gulf Cooperation Council's decision to permit the country partial membership in the regional organisation, reports Nasser Arrabyee from Sana'a
After more than five years of hesitation, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreed last week to allow Yemen to join a number of the GCC's non-political institutions, namely, those concerning labour, education, health and athletics.
The move was described by the Yemeni government as a step towards full membership.
"This decision returns a balance to Yemen's relations with Arabian peninsula and Gulf countries," Yemeni Prime Minister Abdel-Qader Bajamal said.
However, opposition parties and some political commentators were less enthusiastic about the GCC decision.
Yemen is the Arab peninsula's most populous nation. However, it is also the poorest. In contrast, the GCC, which is led by Saudi Arabia, comprises six oil- rich states. Yemen is also the only republic on the peninsula, although its opposition parties might question the extent of democracy they enjoy in light of the fact that President Ali Abdallah Saleh has been in power for over 20 years. Nonetheless, the country's political scene remains lively, and parliamentary elections take place on a regular basis.
The secretary-general of the opposition Nasserist Unionist Party, Abdel- Malik Al-Mekhlafee said, "The only positive thing about this decision is the GCC countries' recognition that Yemen is a part of the Gulf system." Yet, he added, "the step is much less than expected."
Secretary-General of the Popular Forces Party Mohamed Al-Rubae highlighted Yemen's own internal problems, saying that it would be unwise for his country to become a full member of the club of oil-rich Gulf nations just yet. "If Yemen reforms internally, it could then seek regional and international alliances," Al-Rubae suggested.
Arab observers, however, noted that the GCC leaders' decision, even if giving Yemen less than expected, marked a shift in the GCC's position since Sana'a decided to back Iraqi President Saddam Hussein following his 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Kuwaiti ambassador to Sana'a Youssef Al-Enaizee confirmed that his country accepted Yemen's participation in some GCC institutions. "Yemen's position on the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait is something of the past," Al-Enaizee said.
Yemeni commentators expressed hope that the GCC's move would pave the way for the re-opening of Gulf states to Yemeni labour. Several Gulf countries, led by Saudi Arabia, expelled Yemeni workers after President Saleh sided with Iraq's Hussein.
Yemen first requested full membership in the GCC in 1996, but the council turned it down. Border disputes between Yemen, on the one hand, and Saudi Arabia and Oman, on the other, were the main reason at that time for rejecting Yemen's bid. However, both disputes were settled following negotiations during the past two years.
Since the end of the civil war between the traditional north and the formerly socialist south in 1994, Yemen has suffered difficult economic circumstances. Yemeni officials estimate that the so- called "unity war" cost more than $11 billion dollars.
The unemployment rate has risen in recent years to 40 per cent. The average per capita monthly income in the oil- rich countries varies between $6,000 and $17,000 compared to a paltry $320 in Yemen.
Yemen, which produces 480,000 barrels of oil a day, has adopted a number of austerity measures in recent years in a bid to cut public spending with the aim of improving the economy.
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