President Ali Abdulla Saleh's Address - on the Sixth National Day - May 22, 1996

INTRODUCTION

Lieutenant General Ali Abdulla Saleh, President of The Republic, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, delivered an important political speech to the Yemeni people on the occasion of the 6th National Day, on which date the Yemeni Homeland we re-unified and the Republic of Yemen was proclaimed. The address contained several issues and development at the national, regional and global arenas Following is the full text of the address :

"In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful."

Praise be to Allah, The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Two Worlds.

"God Blessing and Peace be upon his Truthful and Devoted Messenger"

Sons of out Yemeni People

It pleases me, on this glorious day on which we celebrate the Sixth National Day of the Homeland Re-unification and the Proclamation of the Republic of Yemen, to greet you where ever you might be, inside or outside the Homeland, and to sincerely congratulate you on this precious national occasion. This occasion on which the dearest and greatest national objective for which our Yemeni people fought long, was achieved. Our people rendered legions of pious martyrs till the coming of the great triumph on May 22nd 1990. By then the flag of the Republic of Yemen rose fluttering all over the lands of the Homeland, hailed by the masses of our people who jubilated at this great historic achievement that received support and felicitation of all fraternal and friendly states as unified Yemen stand a vital element of security, stability and peace in the Region.

WEAVING THE PLOT

Since the beginning we perceived that the road will not be tiled with roses, even we were expecting to confront many hindrances, difficulties and conspiracies against this importuned national newcomer. Effectively since the second month of the Republic of Yemen the plot started to turn disclosed. But thanks to Allah and gallantery, stead-fastness and sacrifices of out armed and security forces, that great nationalist institution, a force in the hand of the nation and not in the hand of an individual, a party or a group of people, we were able to withstand and the secessionist conspiracy was confronted by mass assemblage and cohesion of out people with all their factions, Olamah, Sheikhs social dignitaries, politicians, farmers, workers, intellectuals, youths, elderlies, men and women. Victory was attained on July 7th, 1994 as a grand extension to triumphs of our people in their combat, defending the Yemeni Revolution (26th September and 14th October) against Imamism and colonialism.

RECONSTRUCTION

It was spontaneous that the crisis and the secessionist war flared up by the traitorous secessionists had to result in creation burdens and impacts on the national economy and the development course. It was also necessitated to defy them by adopting a national economic, financial and administrative reform program so as to rebuild what was ruined by the war, to halt deterioration of economic conditions, to combat corruption, to end administrative anarchy, to foster national currency rate and to ameliorate living conditions of the inhabitants. No doubt this program has toppled interests of many beneficiaries and corrupts, foremost being the traitorous and secessionist elements and those rancorous anti-Yemeni Revolution and anti unity elements who allied with them. They are two faces of a coin. They went on promotion the spread of corruption to exhaust the state of unity, to abort the great 22nd May achievement and to damage interest of citizens and the Homeland. Those perfidious secessionist elements in the inside and abroad did also attempt plundering our people and their pious martyrs their glorious 7th July victory in a desperate attempt to humstring construction and promotion course in the Homeland and to bring back eras of backwardness and dictatorial, Imamic and Marxist hegemony, but thanks to Allah all their attempts were doomed in a fiasco.

The economic and administrative reform program in general acquired support of our people's masses who consciously perceived that this program constitutes a national exigency and that it is the veracious means to tackle general economic and administrative conditions. Despite time-being difficulties encountered at the beginning of implementing the program, still positive indication to such implementation started to emerge through halting economic deterioration, realizing economic stability and revitalization, reducing volume of inflation and deficit in the general budget and acquiring confidence and support of the international community.

THE WHEEL OF DEVELOPMENT

Brother Citizens,

Our celebrations today on this precious national occasion gains privilege and significance through relevant inauguration of and laying foundation stones for a number of development and service projects in our Country, foremost being a number of roads, dams and blockades, water, health, electricity, industry and agricultural projects for low income manpower. These projects will generate jobs and assist in achieving comprehensive agricultural development. Our Country is an agricultural country in the first place and by such the development wheel will start to rotate anew following past period stumbling as a result of the crisis, war and the treacherous conspiracy which sought to deprive our people from the unity resource, lacerate the Homeland and to reinstate wheel of history.

SELF RESTRAINT

In spite of current challenges our Country faces as a result of the Eritrian aggression on the Yemeni "Al-Kobrah" Island, being an extension to the war and secession plot, we assert that any new conspiracy against our Country could not be more hazardous or worse than what our people have confronted solidly and firmly till achieving security, stability and tranquillity.; As you know our Country since the beginning of the crisis, which we did not expect to be committed by Eritria, adhered to self restraint and dealing with matters wisely, avoiding slide towards the use of force and adhering to the peaceful settlement. This emerges from its responsibilities toward the international community, and foiling any possibility of triggering up war and threatening security and stability, and safety of international navigation at this vital Region of the World. Our Country has welcomed all efforts and good offices exerted to pacifically resolve the dispute by a number of fraternal and friendly states, foremost being those made by the Republic of France and the Secretary General of United Nations which resulted in the signing of the Principles Accord, through which the dispute will be settled by resorting to international arbitration.

ECONOMIC STRUGGLE

Dear Fellow Citizens,

Our present struggle is that of the economy and development. It is the bet to make the citizen's better future. Upon Allah Will, as we have triumphed in both battles of defending the Revolution and Unity, we shall win in this new struggle. On this occasion we stress upon the Government to continue progress in implementation the economic, financial and administrative reform program, speeding-up development efforts and to get rid of corrupt elements who hinder the reform and construction process.

The central control and account apparatus, the public prosecution and public funds courts should perform their role in safeguarding public funds and putting the corrupt to account who ever they might be. Security and judicial authorities should firmly deal with all those who breach security or stand against the law, to speedily take action on cases one after the other and to execute judicial decisions against those who try to cause harm to the Homeland and the inhabitants or aggress against public or private properties. All state officials in legislative, executive or judicial authorities should be a good example in respecting rules and regulations.

ENCOURAGING INVESTMENT

The Government has to speed up drafting and effectuation the First Five Year Development Plan so as to contain development needs in various regions of the Republic, to encourage investment and eliminate all administrative complications before local and foreign investors, rendering all needed facilities based on the investment law. We stress on the Government and the Legislative authority to accelerate drawing the local administration law, in embodiment of financial and administrative decentralization so as to hold local councils elections in the Republic coinciding with the parliamentary election scheduled to take place on 27th April 97.

No doubt implementing same represents an advancing step in building the modern Yemeni state and incarnating the principle of popular participation and the people's self rule.

CONSOLIDATION OF DEMOCRACY

Dear Fellow Citizens,

Since its great proclamation, the Republic of Yemen is established coupled and reinforced by democracy, which is now the strong reserve of unity and construction option. It is presently deep-rooted through its effective practice in daily subsistence. What so ever the wrongs of democracy and challenges imposed, might be, it is through further democracy, mistakes and difficulties could be overcome. Today in our Country and under commitment to democracy and respect of human rights, we feel proud that there is no political opinion prisoner on the Land of Yemen. It is spontaneous under democracy and party and political multiplicity, opinions and view point may turn dissimilar and manifold. This is an acceptable and a normal thing as long as it comes within the context of national principles and the Yemeni Revolution fundamentals and not harming national unity, safety and independence of the Republic of Yemen. Democracy and political multiplicity are national adherence and programmed fair competition to acquire people's confidence. Any democracy and political pluralism practices based on foreign allegiance and causing harm to the Homeland and its supreme interests, are considered a national treason that should not be left free.

COOPERATION AND MUTUAL RESPECT

Domestic construction should not be isolated from the foreign policy of our Country. The Republic of Yemen's policy was erected on cooperation mutual respect, non interference in our internal affairs or to interfere in other states affairs. This is what we pursue since a long time. Our Country sought to foster its relations with all fraternal and friendly states, foremost being neighboring states in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa Region. We in the Republic of Yemen have but all cordiality and esteem for all our brethren and neighbors and verily are concerned to act on strengthening security, stability and peace in the Region and World for the welfare and prosperity of all. Amenatingly our Country has proclaimed its support to the peace process, but based on achieving equitable and balanced peace and not imperfect peace. We see just and comprehensive peace shall not be achieved but only upon restoration of Arab legitimate rights, ending Israeli occupation of Arab lands in Palestine, the Golan Heights and South Lebanon, and erection the State of Palestine with its capital Jerusalem. Arrogance and terrorism exercised by Israel today against the peace efforts, global will and stability in the Region. It is deplorable that under conditions of dispersion, discord and dissension, frailty and impotence were suffered by our Arab and Muslim Nation during the past years as a result of conspiracies targeting their resources and wealths. Such condition encouraged Israel's stubbornness and offensiveness.

We seize it an opportunity to appeal to all sons of our Arab Nation to seriously stand in assessing the past events, to infer lessons and examples and to find means of overcoming this painful situation. Today Arab solidarity and unification of ranks pause a requisite and a demand more than at any time before, under challenges and threats facing the Nation.

SURMOUNTING THE PAST

We call upon all Arab brethren to overcome the past with all its passivities and impacts, to act on elimination all declines and languor, and to open a new chapter of brotherliness and cooperation in the interest of Arab Unity and the consolidation of the role of the irreplaceable Arab League being the Home of all Arabs and the parasol which all come to shelter under. We should all work on fostering its role in the service of common Arab action, while simultaneously affirming the significance of strengthening the roll of the Islamic Conference Organization, thus interpreting objectives, and interest of our Islamic Nation, and surmounting the state of frustration and despondency suffered by our Muslim peoples as a result of challenges and plots, they encounter.

FORCES OF THE PEOPLE

Esteemed Fellow Citizens,

While celebrating this precious occasion we remember with much gratitude and redemption, remember with much gratitude and redemption, those gross sacrifices and everlasting valiant feats of our armed and security forces in their struggle for the victory of the people's will, the revolution, freedom, independence, unity and democracy. We eiterate that we shall avail this great national institution of all care and attention and shall continue the course of construction and modernization to strengthen its defense capability and stamina, enabling it to perform its role in defending the Homeland and its independence. They are the forces of the nation to safeguard their security and stability and to protect their security and stability and to protect their achievements and gains. They shall perform their role also in maintaining democracy and constitutional legitimacy. They are not for expansionism, aggressing to appropriate lands of others or to threaten their interests.

On this glorious day we do not forget our pious martyrs, our radiant suns, who with their righteous blood illuminated the torches of freedom and unity. To them from us all redemption and pledge to continue the march on the same path.

May peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be fallen upon you. (Typed by Seong Jo Hong)