Millions take to the streets in Egypt to demand Morsi resignation

UPDATED: July 02 - 2013 - 6:00 AM EST

Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi set off fireworks during a protest at Tahrir Square in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters)

Video Playlist Source

News Source: Russia Today

Huge crowds have gathered across Egypt to demand the resignation of President Mohammed Morsi on the first anniversary of his inauguration. But Morsi loyalists are staging counter-demonstrations, saying they will defend the leader with all means available.

Seven people have been killed and hundreds were injured on Sunday as millions took to the streets. Five dead were shot in Nile Valley towns south of Cairo and two were killed in violence outside the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in the capital.

"It is the biggest protest in Egypt's history," a military source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The opposition released a statement early on Monday demanding President Mohammed Morsi step down by Tuesday at 5pm. The movement also called on “police, army and judiciary” to support the people’s will. If Morsi fails to resign by Tuesday, civil disobedience will continue throughout the country.

From early on Sunday, throngs streamed towards Tahrir Square in Cairo – the birthplace of the protests that displaced former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 – under the rallying cry of “Leave, Morsi! Leave!”. The organizers, an activist movement called Tamarod, or Rebellion, asked demonstrators – who include pro-democratic secularists, religious minorities, and those suffering in Egypt’s stuttering economy – to leave their party allegiances at home, and bring only national flags to the rally.

“Morsi you have split the people!” chanted the crowd, with some holding placards saying “Freedom to Egypt!”. On the edges of the square banners declared “No Muslim Brotherhood members allowed beyond this point”.

Protesters wave Egyptian flags as demonstrators opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi shout slogans against him and Brotherhood members during a protest at Tahrir Square in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

Although, the organized demonstration was scheduled for the evening, even by mid-afternoon, several hundred thousand people squeezed into the increasingly tight space. Tamarod says it is expecting up to 7 million people to eventually join the long-planned protest, with large demonstrations scheduled in every significant population center.

Tamarod says that since April it has gathered more than 22 million signatures demanding Morsi’s resignation, far more than the 13 million votes the long-time Muslim Brotherhood member received in his narrow run-off victory a year ago. Organizers say the president must quit immediately and dissolve the Islamist-dominated Shura Council, the upper chamber of parliament that has been in charge of lawmaking for the past year.

Additionally, protesters are appealing for a re-start on the suspended drafting of a new constitution. Failure to agree on a new founding charter in the wake of Mubarak’s toppling has contributed to the gridlock that has paralyzed the country’s political institutions. A new parliamentary election is also on the list of demands, after the Supreme Court dismissed the pro-Morsi lower house of the legislative assembly last year immediately following the vote, for alleged procedural violations in the run-up to the balloting

An opponent of Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsi shouts slogans while waving his national flag during a protest calling for his ouster outside the presidential palace in Cairo on June 30, 2013 (AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki)

On Sunday night, anti-Morsi activists torched the office of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, in the city of Beni Suef, and one man was killed in a later street battle between pro and anti-Morsi activists in the same city.

Anti-Morsi protesters also tried to storm the heavily-fortified headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood on Sunday evening, using shotguns, rocks and firebombs, but were repelled.

At least five other offices of the FJP and the Brotherhood have been set on fire in the past week, with seven dead and more than 600 injured, according to local newspapers

Photo from Twitter/@gelhaddad

Opposition activists have successfully blocked off several highways and railroads between major urban centers. At some sites state media reported that police officers joined in chanting anti-Morsi slogans with the protesters. Senior interior security force officers have openly clashed with Morsi, and the police has said that it “lacks manpower” to protect Muslim Brotherhood properties around the country, despite repeated attacks.

Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi waves Egyptian flags during a protest in front of the presidential palace in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters/Suhaib Salem)

Despite rising tension, Morsi has decisively rejected the protesters’ calls.

"If we changed someone in office who was elected according to constitutional legitimacy – well, there will be people opposing the new president too, and a week or a month later they will ask him to step down,” the president told the Guardian newspaper on the eve of the demonstrations.

He has also dismissed the crowd as “remnants of the old regime”, and the protesters as “paid-up thugs.”

“Any revolution has its enemies and there are some people who are trying to obstruct the path of the Egyptian people towards democracy,” Morsi summed up.

This is unlikely to pacify those in Tahrir Square crying out for a “second revolution”.

Opposition figures say Morsi has mishandled the mandate handed to him a year ago by attempting to monopolize power, sidelining all those who do not share his religious and political vision. They cite the insertion of divisive Islamic articles into the proposed text of the new constitution, en-masse appointment of Muslim Brotherhood officials to key posts, and a decree that removed the Supreme Court’s authority to challenge the president’s decisions as some of the major missteps

Thousands of opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi pray during a protest calling for his ouster at Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square on June 30, 2013 (AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki)

They also say that the president has failed to revive the economy. Despite GDP growth of 2.2 percent last year, the country has been plagued by electricity and fuel shortages that have seen huge queues form outside petrol stations. Income in tourist areas has also plummeted after two years of instability and anti-Western pronouncements by Morsi-supporting radical clerics.

“We gave Morsi the permit to drive; he doesn't know how to drive. The country is decaying and is failing, this is not Egypt and this is not the revolution,” Mohammed ElBaradei, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and opposition politician said ahead of the rallies.

With strident language on both sides, the stand-off is unlikely to resolve neatly.

Since Friday, Morsi supporters have camped outside a mosque in Nasr City, on the other side of Cairo. Brandishing green Islamic flags, some were wearing home-made armor, and most told journalists they would be ready to physically fight for the “legitimate” president

Supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi shout slogans during a protest around the Raba El-Adwyia mosque square in Nasr City, a suburb of Cairo, June 30, 2013 (Reuters)

“If there is treason, we are here,” warned Ahmed Abdel Azeez, a Brotherhood member, in an interview with New York Times.

The army, which stepped in to temporarily assume power following the clashes that followed Mubarak’s unseating, said it will not tolerate an “attack on the will of the people” or allow Egypt to enter “a dark tunnel of conflict”. The ambiguous remarks, uttered by defense minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, have been taken to mean by local media that the army will not interfere in the course of the protests, unless direct confrontation between the conflicting factions takes place.

On Sunday, army helicopters flew over the Cairo skyline and heavier than usual army cordons were deployed around key sites, including government buildings and the Suez Canal. Mechanized infantry units have been placed around Tahrir Square itself, and all hospitals in major cities are on standby.

The country’s land borders have also been sealed.

US, Qatar and Belgium are amongst states that have officially revealed that they are withdrawing their diplomats for the duration of the showdown. On Sunday Cairo airport was crowded with foreign nationals and wealthy Egyptians attempting to leave the country on predominantly fully-booked flights

Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi shout slogans against him and Brotherhood members during a protest at Tahrir Square in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Update: July 01 – 2013 – 2:45 PM EST

People’s demands must be met: Egypt military chief

Opponents of Egypt President Mohamed Morsi shout slogans during a protest calling for his ouster in the northern city of Alexandria on June 30, 2013

News Source: Press TV

The Egyptian army has given politicians 48 hours to meet the demands of the people and resolve the ongoing political crisis in the African country.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a Monday statement that if political forces fail to agree to the popular demands, the military will offer its own road map to end the crisis.

“If the demands of the people are not realized within the defined period, it will be incumbent upon (the armed forces) ... to announce a road map for the future,” said the statement by al-Sisi.

He further said the Egyptian people have expressed their will with “unprecedented” clarity in their nationwide protests, adding, “Wasting more time will lead only to more division ... which we have warned and continue to warn against.”

The military also said it will supervise the execution of its roadmap “with the participation of all factions and national parties, including young people.” However, al-Sisi rejected the army’s direct involvement in politics or government.

The military warning comes after the opposition set July 2 as a deadline for President Mohamed Morsi to step down.

“We give Mohamed Morsi until 5:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Tuesday, July 2, to leave power, allowing state institutions to prepare for early presidential elections,” said a Monday statement by Egypt’s opposition movement of Tamarod.

The massive protests on Sunday came on the first anniversary of Morsi’s inauguration as president following the 2011 revolution that toppled the Western-backed regime of Hosni Mubarak.

The demonstrators are angry at Morsi's handling of the economy and failure to fulfill his electoral promises .

-------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Egyptian opposition politician welcomes army statement

News Source: Press TV

Leading Egyptian opposition figure Amr Moussa has welcomed a statement by the country’s army which gave politicians 48 hours to resolve the ongoing political crisis in Egypt.

“Wasting more time will make things worse. The invitation to meet the demands of the people within the next few hours is a historical opportunity which should not be lost,” Moussa said in a Monday statement.

Earlier in the day, the Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a statement that “if the demands of the people are not realized within the defined period, it will be incumbent upon (the armed forces) ... to announce a road map for the future.”

The military’s statement further said the Egyptian people have expressed their will with “unprecedented” clarity in their nationwide protests, adding, “Wasting more time will lead only to more division ... which we have warned and continue to warn against.”

In reaction to the military’s statement, Mahmud Ghozlan who is a senior leader of Muslim Brotherhood said that it is “studying” the statement, adding that their political bureau will meet to “decide on its position.”

On Sunday, anti-government protesters flooded the streets across Egypt, calling for the resignation of President Mohamed Morsi.

On Monday, the Egyptian Health Ministry said 16 people had lost their lives the day before, including eight people who were killed in clashes between supporters and opponents of Morsi outside the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in the capital, Cairo.

On Monday morning, the protesters attacked the headquarters in the eastern Moqattam District and looted it. The six-story building was also set on fire.

Meanwhile, reports say that Egyptian security forces have arrested 15 bodyguards of top Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat El-Shater on Monday .

--------------------------------------------------------------

Update: July 02 – 2013 – 6:00 AM EST

Morsi's office rejects army ultimatum

Opponents of Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi protest outside the presidential palace in Cairo on June 30, 2013

News Source: Press TV

The office of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi says it rejects the army’s ultimatum, which gave the government 48 hours to resolve the current national crisis.

In a statement issued on Monday, the office said that some phrases in the ultimatum could create confusion, AFP reported.

It said it denounces "any declaration that would deepen division" and "threaten the social peace" in the country.

The statement added that the presidency would continue on its own path towards national reconciliation.

President Morsi was consulting "with all national forces to secure the path of democratic change and the protection of the popular will," according to the statement.

"The civil democratic Egyptian state is one of the most important achievements of the January 25 revolution," it pointed out, nothing that "Egypt will absolutely not permit any step backward whatever the circumstances," it said.

Earlier in the day, Egypt's army said it would intervene if Morsi and his opponents fail to resolve the crisis in the country in 48 hours.

On Sunday, millions of Egyptians demonstrated in cities nationwide to demand Morsi's resignation and early presidential elections.

The country’s Health Ministry said 16 people were killed in Sunday’s demonstrations.

The massive protests on Sunday came on the first anniversary of Morsi’s inauguration as president following the 2011 revolution that toppled the Western-backed regime of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

The protests continued on Monday. The opposition movement behind the protests -- Tamarod (Arabic for Rebellion) -- has given Morsi until 5:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Tuesday to step down and call fresh presidential elections, or else face a campaign of civil disobedience.

Several political groups say the government is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood. The opposition also accuses Morsi of deviating from the 2011 revolution

Egypt FM tenders resignation

Foreign Minister Kamel Amr (File photo)

News Source: Press TV

Egyptian Foreign Minister Kamel Amr has tendered his resignation, as massive protests continue against the country’s President Mohamed Morsi.

The ministers of tourism, environment, communication and legal affairs also submitted their letters of resignation to Prime Minister Hisham Qandil on Monday, a day after widespread pro and anti-government demonstrations all across the country, in which at least 16 people were killed and hundreds more were wounded.

On July 1, the Egyptian army gave President Morsi a 48-hour ultimatum to resolve the political crisis in the African country, which followed the opposition movement’s resignation deadline for Morsi.

However, the Egyptian president dismissed the army’s statement as an attempt to “deepen divisions and threaten the social peace.”

Morsi also announced in a statement issued on Tuesday that he would continue with his own plans for national reconciliation.

The massive protests came on the first anniversary of Morsi’s inauguration as president following the 2011 revolution that toppled the Western-backed regime of Hosni Mubarak.

In a televised address on June 26, Morsi said the polarization of the country’s political life is “threatening to paralyze” Egypt.

He also acknowledged that he had made some mistakes during his first year in office but called for national reconciliation, saying that he was open to cooperating with the opposition on constitutional reform.

On June 27, Egypt’s main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front (NSF), rejected the offer, demanding the ouster of the incumbent president .

-------------------------------------------------------------

Egypt’s Revolution Archive News (2011 – 2012)

Archived News Reports

Yemenis hold demo, demand dismissal of Saleh loyalists

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/229986.html

Yemenis have staged massive protest rallies across the country, demanding the expulsion of the deposed dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh’s loyalists from the Army, Press TV reports.

The huge demonstrations were held in the capital Sana’a and southern cities of Taizz and Ibb on Sunday.

Members of the military joined the protest rallies, calling on the new President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to purge the military of the associates of Saleh's regime.

The protesters also condemned the government's decision to cut salaries of the military personnel.

Last week, Saleh formally stepped down following months of anti-regime protests in the country, and was replaced by Hadi, his vice president, in a single-candidate election backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Hadi was sworn in following the election on February 21, which pundits described as a mockery of democracy.

Yemenis have been protesting against the United States and Saudi Arabia since then, blaming them for keeping the former regime remnants in power.

Many powerful military units still remain under the control of Saleh's relatives.

Yemeni people have also been calling for the prosecution of the former ruler and his aides over the killing of protesters in a deadly crackdown against popular anti-regime protests that emerged early in 2011.

Crude hits 10-month high after Saudi pipelines blast

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/229508.html

Oil prices have soared to their highest level in the past ten months following reports of an explosion of pipelines in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province.

Brent North Sea crude is trading at nearly $ 127 per barrel while West Texas Intermediate is trading above $ 109 a barrel.

Meanwhile, light, sweet crude for April delivery soared to as high as $110.55 a barrel after it settled for Thursday at $108.84 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up $1.77 from Wednesday's closing level. Brent crude on the ICE Futures Europe exchange also rose to $128.40 a barrel.

On Thursday evening, an explosion in Saudi Arabian city of Awamiyah in the east of the kingdom destroyed the pipelines feeding one of the most important oil hubs in the world.

The major pipeline starts in Abqaiq and ends at Ras Tanrua oil terminal carrying nearly six million barrels of oil every day.

Last week, oil prices rose to a nine-month high due to Iran's cutting of crude exports to certain European Union states in response to the EU oil sanctions imposed against Iran.

Yemeni soldiers want corrupted military chiefs out

Yemeni air force soldiers demand the ouster of corrupted military chiefs during a protest rally in Sana’a, March 1, 2012.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/229487.html

Yemeni soldiers have staged protests in the capital, Sana’a, demanding the departure of the country’s military chiefs whom they accuse of corruption, Press TV reports.

The soldiers took to the streets of Sana’a on Thursday to call for the ouster of Brigadier General Hussein Khairan and Air Force Commander Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar-- a half brother of former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Meanwhile, people held demonstrations in the southern cities of Taizz and al-Bayda, demanding the immediate restructuring of the army and the ouster of Saleh's relatives from power.

The protesters also chanted slogans against the United States and Saudi Arabia and blamed them for keeping the former regime remnants in power.

Washington and Riyadh pushed for a deal that transferred power from Ali Abdullah Saleh to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansur al-Hadi, in a US and Saudi-backed single-candidate election.

The deal also granted immunity from prosecution to Saleh and his close affiliates.

Yemeni people have been calling for the prosecution of the former ruler and his aides over the killing of protesters in a deadly crackdown against popular anti-regime protests that erupted in early 2011.

Polls open in Yemen with sole US-backed pres. candidate

Members of the Yemeni election committee prepare ballot boxes on the eve of Yemen’s presidential election at a polling station, Sana’a, February 20, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/227790.html

Voting has begun in Yemen’s presidential election with only one candidate on the ballot amid the opposition’s call for the downfall of the entire regime.

The polls opened Tuesday, with 12 million eligible voters, and the sole candidate Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The election is to put an end to Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule and formally transfer power to his assistant, Hadi.

However, the country’s major opposition groups, including the Southern Movement and the Southern Shia group have boycotted the election, demanding the removal of the regime that abounds with Saleh-era officials.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has thrown Washington’s weight behind Yemen’s election, offering his support to Hadi.

In a letter to the Yemeni vice president, Obama said Yemen could be an example of the peaceful transition of power in the Middle East.

This is while demonstrations are expected to continue in Yemen as protesters say their revolution will not end until Saleh and all corrupt government officials are put behind bars.

On Monday, several polling stations were the target of bomb attacks prior to the beginning of the polls in the southern province of Aden and the southern port city of al-Makla, with no reports of casualties. The protesters also blocked roads leading to five villages in Daleh province, making it impossible for poll organizers to send ballot boxes there.

Saleh is currently in the US for medical treatment. He left Yemen in mid-January, shortly after the country’s parliament passed a law which grants him full immunity from prosecution.

Saudi Arabia and the Rise of the Wahhabi Threat

The Al-Saud Kings
Source: Middle East Forum
http://www.meforum.org/535/saudi-arabia-and-the-rise-of-the-wahhabi-threat

A briefing by Stephen Schwartz

February 27, 2003

Stephen Schwartz is a senior policy analyst with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies based in Washington, DC. As a journalist, he covered the Balkans in the 1990s for the San Francisco Chronicle. His latest book is The Two Faces of Islam: The House of Sa'ud from Tradition to Terror (Doubleday, 2002). He spoke to the Middle East Forum in New York on February 27, 2003.


Al-Qaeda represents Wahhabism in its purest form – a violent fundamentalist doctrine that rejects all non-Wahhabi Islam, especially the spiritual forms of Islam. Wahhabism is an expansionist sect intolerant of Shi‘ite Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and Hinduism; in fact, Wahhabists seek to challenge and destroy these faiths. The Saudi-Wahhabi threat must not be underestimated; it requires our grave attention.

A History of Violence

Contrary to prevalent Western beliefs, Wahhabism is not an old Islamic tradition and the House of Saud does not enjoy a credible historic claim to rule over Arabia. Indeed, Wahhabism emerged only 250 years ago under the guidance of an obscure fanatic known as Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab who later formed an alliance with a group of desert bandits, the Sauds. From the time they established their covenant to the creation of the modern Saudi state, the Saudi-Wahhabi movement spread across the peninsula brutally defeating and enslaving non-Wahhabi elements.

A substantial body of nineteenth century scholarship does exist to confirm the bloody rise of the Saudi-Wahhabi state. Thomas Hope, a British author, wrote extensively about the Wahhabi spread from his travels throughout the Middle East. In his novel Anastasius, he described Wahhabi agents in words that will be strikingly familiar to modern readers: as extremist puritans bent on dominating the Muslim world by adopting tactics reminiscent of Al-Qaeda's calculated savagery.

The theological and political pact between the Saud clan and the Wahhabists resulted in the fall of Mecca for the second and last time in 1924, solidifying their grip on power. After the conquest of Mecca, the vast oil wealth of the kingdom would be used to export a radical Wahhabist ideology across the globe.

Nerve Center of Islamic Extremism

Even after September 11, the Wahhabi bureaucracy in Saudi Arabia continues to foster religious extremism. When bombs go off in Israel, Kenya, Indonesia, and elsewhere, Saudi Arabia is still the main source of the terrorist money. The kingdom is an unwavering nerve center of ideological indoctrination, incitement, and terrorist financing.

From time to time, the Saudi elite attempts to confuse Western opinion by claiming that it too is the target of Islamic terror, a rather hollow gesture to hide its complicity in terrorism. Saudi Arabia, being a police state, the monarchy long ago could have ridded itself of extremist elements. But the sobering reality is that international terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda are directly impelled by Saudi clerics. To recover their credibility in the eyes of more reactionary factions after years of excess, the Saudi family has embarked on an ambitious global campaign to support incubators of violence and extremism from Algeria to the Philippines. In sum, Al-Qaeda would not exist absent Saudi money and membership.

False Arguments

Washington needs to end its delusion that the Saudi royal family is a moderating force within Saudi politics when the realty is that it has produced a well-funded launch pad for a fascist ideology. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of Saudi apologists. The so-called specialists and academics continue to argue that Islamic terror is the consequence of Islam enduring Western humiliation. But in fact, Saudi Arabia has never been subjugated by the West, instead it has only been cuddled and bribed to ridiculous extremes. And in turn the West has received a torrent of violence and hateful venom.

Equally as erroneous is the contention that an accommodation of non-Wahhabi religions is somehow a break with traditional Islam. This absurd notion is blatantly untrue. Qatar, another Wahhabi state, has actually authorized the establishment of churches. Also, neighboring Bahrain contains thriving Christian, Jewish, and Hindu communities. One can even find a Hindu temple in Oman.

The Future

After decades of theocratic oppression, the vast majority of the Saudi people are restive for the following reasons: 1.) The Shiite minority in the southern and eastern provinces are tired of the violent persecution they have suffered at the hands of the Wahhabist clergy. 2.) The young people of Saudi Arabia want to live in a modern society where they can utilize their enterprising talents and energies to build a prosperous future. 3.) Lastly, non-Wahhabi scholars are already calling on the royal family to reject the officially sanctioned intolerant state religion and replace it with pluralistic Ottoman-Islamic traditions. Remarkably, thousands of young people are turning to Sufism as an expression of protest against the entrenched religious establishment.

The transition to a reasonably open Malaysian parliamentary model from its current medieval state need not be catastrophic. The Saudi monarchy could remain as a symbolic body with power concentrated in a representative legislature. Indeed, the position that a more strict Islamic system might emerge if the House of Saud is brushed aside is ludicrous. Proponents of this view often cite the emergence of an Iranian-style regime as a possible consequence. However, this is a specious historical analogy since the Iranian people never experienced the harsh strictures of Islamic law prior to the ascension of the Islamic Republic. The people of Saudi Arabia know this repression all too well and they are dead tired of it.

Conclusion

Saudi Arabia and its militant Islamic doctrines constitute a clear and present danger to the United States and the international community. The U.S. should demand a full accounting of Saudi complicity in the September 11th terrorist attacks. We should no longer accept the status quo and forcefully pressure the kingdom to cut its ties to terrorism.

* This summary account was written by Zachary Constantino, a research assistant at the Middle East Forum.

Saudis face 'hidden energy crisis'

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/225438.html

Saudi Arabia is facing a “hidden energy crisis” and its vast domestic fuel consumption threatens its place in the world oil market, a report says.

According to a December 2011 report published by the British Chatham House non-governmental organization based in London, the “unrestrained” fuel consumption in Saudi Arabia shows that the current patterns of energy demand in the country are “wasting valuable resources.”

The patterns of energy demand in Saudi Arabia are also causing excessive pollution and making the country “vulnerable to economic and social crises,” the report adds.

Although Saudi Arabia is a member state of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G20) and the G20 members agreed in September 2009 to phase out “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” in the medium term, Riyadh does not have an “overarching policy on energy consumption and claims it has no inefficient fossil fuel subsidies,” according to the Chatham House report.

The British organization also said in its report that the domestic energy consumption in Saudi Arabia could “limit its exports of oil within a decade.”

The Chatham House report added that the limitation in the Saudi oil exports would have “a severe effect on government spending, over 80 percent of which is dependent on oil revenues.”

'US, safe haven for world dictators'

Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Salehi (shown) left Yemen to travel to the US on January 22, 2012, amid a growing popular uprising in the Middle Eastern country.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222596.html

An American political activist has lashed out at Washington for accepting Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, saying the US has long been a safe haven for authoritarian rulers across the world, Press TV reports.

“I think it is wrong for the US government to accept Saleh coming from Yemen, as the people of Yemen should be the ones to determine his future,” Medea Benjamin, co-founder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization Global Exchange, told Press TV on Sunday.

“The US unfortunately has a history of taking in dictators from other countries, which goes against the principles that people who commit crime should be held in judgment through legal processes by the constituency of their own country and this should be the case for Yemen,” she added.

“The US has been supporting Saleh dictatorship both with weapons and with other logistical kinds of support," the activist pointed out.

Benjamin also criticized the US officials for attaching more importance to their so-called war on terror than the democratic rights of the Yemeni people.

Saleh left Yemen's capital, Sana'a, on Sunday and will visit Oman en route to the US.

In a televised farewell speech on Sunday, Saleh said, “I will go to the United States for treatment and will then return as the head of the General People's Congress party,” Yemeni state media reported.

On Saturday, Yemen's parliament approved a law that grants complete immunity from prosecution to Saleh for the crimes committed during his 33-year-long rule.

Yemeni anti-regime protesters reject the immunity law and say that Saleh and his aides must face prosecution for the killing of hundreds of demonstrators during the popular uprising that began in January 2011.

'Saleh leaves Yemen for US'

File photo of Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222499.html

Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh has left the capital, Sana'a, for the United States to receive medical treatment, an official says.

The official from Saleh's office said the Yemeni dictator left the capital on Sunday but did not specify Saleh's destination.

This comes while authorities in Sana'a said on Sunday that Saleh's son, who runs the Republican Guard, was “already in Oman” to prepare for his father's visit to the Arab country en route to the United States.

In a farewell speech earlier on Sunday, Saleh said, “I will go to the United States for treatment and will then return as the head of the General People's Congress (GPC) party,” Yemeni state media reported.

Last week, a senior official of Saleh's GPC party said Saleh will visit “Oman and then Ethiopia before travelling to New York for [the] treatment” of the wounds he sustained in an attack on the presidential palace in June 2011.

Saleh's departure from Sana'a comes one day after Yemen's parliament approved a law that grants complete immunity from prosecution to the dictator for the crimes committed during his 33-year-long rule.

The immunity law is part of a power transfer deal brokered by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council and supported by the United States. The legislation gives immunity to Saleh's aides only on “politically motivated” criminal acts and not on corruption charges.

“I ask for forgiveness from all my people, men and women, for any shortcomings during my 33-year-long rule,” Saleh said during his speech on Sunday.

However, Yemeni anti-regime protesters reject the immunity law and say that Saleh and his aides must face prosecution for the killing of hundreds of demonstrators during the popular uprising that began in January 2011.

The Yemeni parliament has also adopted a law that approves Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi as the “consensus candidate” in the upcoming presidential election of February 21.

Interim govt throws Saleh immunity

Yemen's outgoing dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220041.html

Yemen's interim government has endorsed a US-backed draft law granting the country's outgoing dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution.

The draft, which was approved by the Yemeni cabinet on Sunday, also applies to anyone, who has worked with Saleh, saving them from prosecution for any crimes they have committed during his 33-year-long rule.

According to the government, Saleh and his associates "including in civilian, military and security institutions during the period of his presidency” are thereby awarded 'legal and judicial immunity.'

Yemen's parliament will now have to ratify the draft, which paves the way for Saleh's departure.

The decision is in line with a power transfer deal brokered by the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC), which Saleh signed in the Saudi capital Riyadh on November 23.

The Saudi-backed deal grants him immunity from prosecution in return for his handing over the power to acting ruler Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The United States, which regarded Saleh as a pillar of its 'counter-terrorism' strategy for years, pushed through with the power transition deal, while Saudi Arabia has been supporting him by donating diesel and crude oil to the country.

The prospect of the immunity law comes as thousands of anti-regime demonstrators, calling their protest action the 'March of Dignity,' arrived from the western port city of Hudaydah to the capital Sana'a on Sunday to demand Saleh's prosecution.

The march, led by members of the north-based Yemeni Shia minority, known as Houthis, was welcomed in Sana'a by other anti-regime protesters, who also called for the trial of the outgoing Yemeni dictator.

Also, in late December 2011, tens of thousands of anti-regime protesters marched towards Sana'a from the southern city of Taizz, about 322 kilometers (200 miles) from the capital.

Yemeni demonstrators hold Saleh responsible for the killing of hundreds of protesters during the popular uprising against the regime that began in January 2011.

Protesters say the country's Republican Guards, led by Saleh's son Ahmed, are responsible for most of the deadly attacks on the anti-regime activists.

'Yemen amnesty against intl. law'

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219716.html

The United Nations human rights chief says any amnesty granted to those responsible for human rights abuses under Yemen's power transition deal would be a violation of international law.

"I have been closely following the events in Yemen, particularly the very contentious debate about an amnesty law to be presented to parliament shortly," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement issued on Friday.

The UNHCHR said anyone who had committed human rights violations during Yemen's mass protests must not be allowed to evade justice and should be prosecuted.

"International law and the UN policy are clear on the matter: amnesties are not permissible if they prevent the prosecution of individuals who may be criminally responsible for international crimes including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and gross violations of human rights," she added

The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has censured Yemen's security forces for using live ammunition against unarmed protesters and has said that outgoing ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh should not get amnesty in a deal to persuade him to leave power.

In November, Saleh signed a deal in Riyadh, brokered by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC), which granted him immunity from prosecution in return for stepping down from power after 33 years of iron-fisted rule in the impoverished state.

The United States, which regarded Saleh as a pillar of its "counter-terrorism" strategy for years, pushed the power transition deal through, while Saudi Arabia has supported Saleh by donating diesel and crude oil to the country.

Meanwhile, mass anti-regime demonstrations continue in the major cities, with protesters calling for the release of prisoners detained over the past year during the uprising.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more have been injured in Yemen since the beginning of the uprising against the Saleh regime in January 2011.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia orders arrest of 23 protesters

Saudi protesters rally to demand freedom and equality in the country. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219079.html

Saudi Arabia's interior ministry has ordered the arrest of 23 anti-regime Shia protesters in the kingdom's oil-reach Eastern Province over accusations of sparking an uprising in the Persian Gulf monarchy.

Saudi Interior Ministry declared the arrest order in a statement read on state television on Monday, accusing the 23 men of serving the agenda of a foreign power.

"We do have evidence of a relationship with somebody else abroad," Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour Turki told a news conference. "Now how much, or what kind of relationship and how strong that relationship, this still has to be investigated and that is what we want these people for," he added.

He further called on the Saudi people to inform the authorities of any other protesters, offering rewards.

Several villages and towns in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province have been the scene of protest rallies, with demonstrators calling for freedom and equality as well as the release of thousands of political prisoners.

Earlier in November, Saudi forces attacked thousands of demonstrators, killing five people and injured many others in the Eastern Province. The funerals for the victims usually turned to demonstrations, with protesters chanting slogans against the Al Saud regime.

Saudi activists say there are thousands of political prisoners in jails across the kingdom. According to human rights campaigners, most of the detained are being held without trial or legitimate charges and have been arrested on the grounds of mere suspicion.

Yemeni troops demand Saleh trial

Defected Yemeni soldiers supporting anti-government protesters (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/218707.html

Yemeni soldiers have rallied in the southern city of Taizz, calling for the trial of the outgoing dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The soldiers condemned Saleh and his regime for killing peaceful and unarmed protesters during the country's uprising.

“These people must leave their positions because they represent injustice and terror instead of security and peace,” one soldier said on Saturday, referring to the injustices committed by Saleh and his loyalists.

“They will have no upper hand on us anymore,” the soldier added.

A similar rally was also held in the port city of Aden.

Meanwhile, a military official said that Ahmad, the son of the outgoing ruler, is now in charge of leading the crackdown within the country's army to stop more officers from joining the mass protests.

The demonstrators also denounced a recent deal, brokered by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC), which granted Saleh immunity from prosecution in return for stepping down from power after 33 years of iron-fist rule in the impoverished state.

According to the (P)GCC agreement, newly appointed Prime Minister Mohamed Basindwa has been tasked with forming a unity government.

Under the new unity government, the ministries of defense, foreign affairs, and oil will be controlled by Saleh loyalists, while the ministries of information, the interior, and finance will be in the hands of the opposition.

Opponents of the deal have now formed a new organization called the Revolutionary Front of Salvation, uniting members of various political parties and groups.

The founders of the group say they want to recover the real goal of the revolution to achieve what they call real democracy.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more have been injured in Yemen since the beginning of the uprising against the Saleh regime in January 2011.

Yemenis hold demos, demand Saleh trial

Anti-government protesters perform Friday prayers during a rally in Sana'a on December 30, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/218585.html

Anti-regime protesters have taken to the streets of Yemen for “Friday of together to achieve our goals” demonstrations and demanded that outgoing ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh be put on trial.

Demonstrations were held in the capital Sana'a and the flashpoint city of Taizz on Friday.

The protesters carried placards criticizing the US ambassador to Yemen, Gerald Feierstein, who sparked controversy by describing last week's anti-regime march from Taizz to Sana'a as a provocative act.

The protesters say the US is trying to save Saleh's regime.

The demonstrators also denounced a recent deal, brokered by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC), which granted Saleh immunity from prosecution in return for stepping down from power after 33 years of iron-fist rule in the impoverished state.

According to the (P)GCC agreement, newly appointed Prime Minister Mohamed Basindwa has been tasked with forming a unity government.

Under the new unity government, the ministries of defense, foreign affairs, and oil will be controlled by Saleh loyalists, while the ministries of information, the interior, and finance will be in the hands of the opposition.

Opponents of the deal have now formed a new organization called the Revolutionary Front of Salvation, uniting members of various political parties and groups.

The founders of the group say they want to recover the real goal of the revolution to achieve what they call real democracy.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more have been injured in Yemen since the beginning of the uprising against the Saleh regime in January 2011.

Clashes, US airstrikes kill 30 Yemenis

A US Predator drone firing a missile (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197137.html

At least 30 people identified as al-Qaeda suspects by the Yemeni regime have been killed in the latest US airstrikes and clashes with Yemeni soldiers in the southern province of Abyan, Press TV reports.

The Yemeni military says 30 “al-Qaeda suspects” were killed in the US airstrikes and clashes with Yemeni soldiers on Wednesday and Thursday, but observers say most of the dead were civilians, the Press TV correspondent in Sana'a reported on Friday.

The Yemeni military claims that the airstrikes helped rescue a Yemeni military unit that had been besieged by al-Qaeda militants in Abyan province for several weeks.

Yemeni officials deny that the US is carrying out operations in the war against al-Qaeda in the country, but the United States has confirmed that its forces have been conducting anti-terrorism operations in Yemen since June 2010.

Militants linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist organization were believed to have been in control of Zinjibar, the largest city in Abyan province, until recently.

The Yemeni opposition says the government handed the city over to al-Qaeda militants in order to gain military and political support from the West, which would help the regime stay in power.

Hundreds of thousands of people have turned out for regular demonstrations in Yemen's major cities since January, calling for an end to corruption and unemployment and demanding the ouster of Ali Abdullah Saleh, who took office in 1978.

Yemenis march favoring National Council

Yemeni army soldiers participate with anti-regime protestors calling for the resignation of Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, August 18, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194632.html

Thousands of Yemenis across the country have marched in celebration of the recently formed National Council that will lead toward the removal of Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime.

People in the city of Taizz and the Yemeni capital of Sana'a on Thursday chanted slogans in support of the revolution and the 143-member National Council, Press TV reported.

The formation of the Council was announced late Wednesday, a day after Saleh claimed he would soon return to Yemen.

Some 800 representatives of different opposition groups had elected the members of the Council.

The Council includes members of the parliamentary opposition umbrella of the Common Forum, young protesters, and the north-based Shia minority, which has for long been repressed by Saleh's regime and Saudi Arabian forces.

Saleh is currently in Saudi Arabia, were he has been receiving medical treatment for injuries inflicted on him in a June 3 rocket attack against Yemen's presidential palace.

Moreover, the formation of the council serves as a notable blow to Saleh's unpopular 33-year-old regime, which has been facing regular nationwide protests since January.

It also signals an end to the power transition deal proposed by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC).

The leaders of the (P)GCC in late April proposed a power transfer plan that would grant Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution in exchange for his departure from the country and handover of power to his vice president in thirty days.

The Yemeni opposition, however, has repeatedly rejected the power transition deal.

Yemen opposition forms national council

File photo shows anti-government protesters saluting as they chant Yemen's national anthem during a rally to demand the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194379.html

The Yemeni opposition has formed a broad coalition tasked with leading the country's popular revolution towards the removal of Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime from power.

The 800 representatives of different opposition groups elected the 143-member National Council for the Forces of the Peaceful Revolution on Wednesday, AFP reported.

The move marked a notable blow to the unpopular 33-year-old government, which has been facing countrywide protests since January.

The development comes only one day after Saleh vowed to return to Yemen soon. He is currently being treated for injuries he received in a June 3 RPG attack on the presidential palace in Saudi Arabia.

"The National Council will lead the forces of the revolution, determined to stand strong until Ali Abdullah Saleh's departure," said a key opposition leader, Sultan al-Atwani.

The council includes members of the parliamentary opposition umbrella of the Common Forum, the young protesters, and the north-based Shia minority, which has for long been repressed by the government and Saudi Arabia.

The members will now vote for a 20-member executive committee.

Yemeni opposition groups reach accord

Yemen's Houthi fighters

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193848.html

Yemen's major opposition group, the Yemeni Congregation for Reform, has reached a consensus with Shia Houthis following months of armed clashes in the Middle Eastern country.

The Yemeni Congregation for Reform, also known as the Islamic Party of Reforms, signed a tribes-mediated deal with the Houthis and appointed Al-Hussein Al-Dhameen as the new governor of northeast Al-Jouf Province as part of an effort to put an end to armed struggle with the local Shia group, IRNA quoted Aljazeera news network as reporting on Saturday night.

The Islamic party is a member of Yemen's opposition coalition which plans to declare the formation of a national council in the coming days. The council is meant to rule Yemen during the transitional period once Ali Abdullah Saleh is ousted.

Al-Jouf Province is Yemen's second province, after northern province of Sa'ada, that has been out of the control and supervision of Saleh.

The armed clashes between the Houthi group and forces loyal to Yemeni Congregation for Reform in Al-Jouf region ended after tribesmen and opposition figures' mediation.

US to discuss power transfer in Yemen

US Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193187.html

The US Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein is to meet with the officials of Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime to discuss a power transition to his deputy.

Feierstein, who has urged Saleh to stay in Saudi Arabia where he was relocated for medical treatment, will negotiate with Yemeni authorities the possibility of transferring power to Vice President Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi.

“We believe … dealing with the political, economic and security problems in Yemen cannot happen without a transfer of power in the country, and the arrival of new leadership in the country,” he said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Saleh, who has been in office since 1978, has repeatedly rejected a plan proposed by the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) that offers him full immunity against any accountability in return for his resignation.

The US ambassador to Yemen also met with the country's Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi in the capital city of Sana'a last week.

However, his frequent meetings with the ruling Yemeni officials have infuriated the opposition groups and the Youth Revolution -- the key organizer of anti-regime marches -- who accuse Washington of interfering in the country to secure its own interests.

The Youth Revolution has called on mass protesters to urge the US and its ally, Saudi Arabia, to stop meddling in Yemen's internal affairs.

Saleh and five other high-ranking Yemeni officials were evacuated to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment following a rocket attack on the Yemeni presidential palace on June 3.

There are conflicting reports on Saleh's possible return, with some saying that he has vowed to come back to Yemen as soon as he recovers from his burns and injuries.

'Saleh will not return to Yemen'

Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/192906.html

Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh has decided not to return to the country due to fears of being prosecuted like Egypt's deposed ruler Hosni Mubarak.

Sources said the Yemeni dictator would not come back because of the pressure by the United States, a Press TV correspondent reported on Monday.

On Saturday, Saleh reportedly left a hospital in Saudi Arabia two months after he sustained serious injuries in an attack on his palace June 3.

Yemeni demonstrators have been calling for the creation of an interim council to prevent the return of Saleh.

On Sunday, thousands of anti-regime protesters held demonstrations in Yemen's southern city of Taizz to call on the army to protect their popular revolution.

Yemeni troops killed two people and injured three others when they opened fire on a car in the southern port city of Aden on Friday.

Hundreds of people have been killed and many more injured in the Middle Eastern country since the popular uprising began in late January as a result of the brutal crackdown on anti-government protests by military forces and bands of thugs loyal to Saleh.