Dialogue cannot solve Yemen crisis

The conference on national dialogue in Yemen will not yield the results hoped for by the Yemenis because elements of internal discord are enormous and transcend the capacity of the conference to deal with the prevailing unrest, a political analyst and adviser to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh has said.
The absence of equal representation of all parties and factions in Yemen will denote a major weakness of its role to tackle the Yemeni crisis, Ahmed Al-Sufi told Arab News.
He said prospects of a solution are possible if intentions are sincere but that those who have real interests are not equally represented in the conference.
He affirmed that ethnic differences do not exist in the history of Yemen, yet some people continue to try to foment such differences. Those responsible for the unrest do not have a long-term plan and will thus be ousted, he added.
The former presidential adviser said global standards of democracy and freedom will not prevail because the level of general education in Yemen is much lower than those systems.
There was no mention of basic necessities including security, stability, living, food, medicine, housing, political management and corruption, he said.
He stressed that Yemen is experiencing a regional and international game and there are different agendas, coupled with poor administrative and political efficiency.
He said dialogue needs proper ground and realistic principles to ensure the success of the conference, in addition to the importance of bringing all factions and parties to the negotiating table with no exceptions which, altogether, gives hope for progress toward political development and the well-being of the community.
“Yemen is experiencing rehearsals for regional and international problems which will lead to an explosion if the scene is deprived of wise people”, he said. In this context, he appreciated the ability of the Yemeni people in foiling foreign plots.
He said the absence of real representation has weakened the strength of the conference, adding that solutions based on force will ultimately fail. He attributed the current crisis to the weakness of immunity inherent in some political parties in the county.
The former presidential adviser has said Yemen is living in a wait-and-see status as tanks are kept at bay for peace, dialogue and civil tranquility. However, if this fails, then the language of war will prevail, he said. He expressed hope Yemen will not be dragged into war.
He affirmed that international pressure on political parties in the conference will not lead to the realization of their objectives. He added that he would not be joining the conference.