(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Alwaght has arranged an interview with the economist and advisor of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council Professor Abdulaziz al-Tarb, covering a set of cases including the impacts of the economic blockade on Yemen, the potential role of the international and regional organizations in breaking the blockade to help the Yemeni people, and also discussing the countries taking part in the aggression against Yemen.
Alwaght: How does the economic blockade affect the Yemen people and particularly necessary imports like wheat and medicine and how have you dealt with the issue?
Al-Tarb: In fact, we have wheat reserves enough for some time, but we demanded from the international and regional organizations to pass our voice to the international community to help lift the siege and open the Yemen’s airports. On the strength of the resistance of the Yemeni people we can weather the crisis until the upcoming Ramadan and we can be determined to reduce our consumption and eat only one meal every day but we will never bow to the aggression, and with God’s help we will beat it. God is with the oppressed against the oppressors. We are facing two blockades, one by the Saudi-led aggressors and the other by Abedd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi's factions who promised that they will pay the government employees, including the army and security forces, and that never happened since relocation of the county's central bank to Aden.
Alwaght- Why did Saudi-led coalition impose siege on your country along with its military campaign?
Al-Tarb: They think that we are getting support from a couple of known governments, but the hostile countries are recreant and liars, and have no evidences for such claims. We more than once called on them to substantiate veracity of their allegations through television, or documents, or issue a warning to the officials of the alleged supporting countries. The hostile countries so far with this big size of weapons supply and spending declined to make any real gains. They could not enter any of the provinces' neighborhoods. So they resorted to the economic front. They think by blocking our economy they can press the nation to force us make concessions and bow to them. But they should know that the nation was never as united as the time of war. But this is the aggression's last breath. They have failed and are acting insanely. They do not want to accede to defeat in the fight with the army and its resistance against their military campaign. But in fact we are getting things organized in Yemen, and are trying to repair the economic aspects of the country.
Alwaght: What is the duty of the aid agencies, the human rights organizations, and the international as well as the regional institutions regarding the war-hit Yemeni people?
Al-Tarb: Well, so far we can understand that the continuation of aggression is a result of failure of the humanitarian agencies internationally and regionally. Even if we rely on the United Nations Security Council's resolution 2216, it does not allow them to shut down the airports and announce full-scale blockade. All they can do according to the resolution is inspecting the ships and cargos to make sure they are not carrying banned stuff. But they do not abide by the law.
Alwaght: The UN has warned that the Yemenis' living conditions are deteriorating. Why did not it present any final solution for the crisis? What were the results of this inaction?
Al-Tarb: The UN is showing a kind of negligence in the performance of duties and Saudi Arabia by its money has managed to buy voices of chiefs of economic, international, and regional organizations but we are resisting in front of them. We now can even cause for them sources of concern in any Arab capitals. If the world at the UN does not stop this hostility, the region will never settle down. Our missiles will reach the capitals of the Persian Gulf Arab states, and very soon the world will understand that we have demanded the world community to issue urgent resolutions in a bid to stop the aggression. Let them know that we can reach Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Manama. Let us not forget that they by sending messages claimed that they will seize control of our cities in 10 days or a month at worst but this did not happen. If it was not the awareness of the Yemeni people, we could not resist all this long time. We now are in a situation that enables us hit their positions, and not just defend ourselves. We can, additionally, make their nations live the life we lived in the past months.
Alwaght: What are the impacts of the Zio-Saudi war on the Saudi Arabian economy?
Al-Tarb: They did not officially acknowledge but any economic institute can analyze and conclude that the aggression on Yemen cost the Saudi Arabian economy heavily. They have now cut the ministries' budgets, and suspended many banks, and raised the taxes. Many firms began to go bankrupt and so they began selling off their stakes. The Saudis sold their sovereign bonds. On top of all these, the oil prices dropped and so the war costs have pushed down their national budget. Saudi Arabia is today looking for a way out of Yemen war but it does not want to admit defeat. We will win as so far we have won.
Alwaght: How do the Yemenis get their energy resources like petrol and gas oil and also other fuels to keep warm?
Al-Tarb: Petrol is available only in black markets and in the hands of war profiteers. For warming, the citizens have resorted to the solar power, and the state employees keep doing their job though they have not been paid for almost four months, namely since the central bank was repositioned to Aden.
Alwaght: What countries joined the war on Yemen?
Al-Tarb: I think when it comes to the leaders, the entire world is against the Yemeni people and the governments are all against Yemen excluding the Islamic Republic of Iran and Sultanate of Oman. But the nations rejected the aggression on Yemen. The war is not Saudi-Yemeni but Zionist-Yemeni. Without the US intervention, Saudi Arabia could not continue its hostilities. If the Americans end supporting Saudis, they could not persist for four hours. Certainly, Saudi Arabia does not want to see a victorious, strong, and resistant Yemen.
Alwaght: Do you back a peaceful solution in Yemen? Are you ready to sit with Saudi Arabia on the negotiating table?
Al-Tarb: Nobody rejects peace of course, but first we announce that we demand that the Security Council and the US stop intervention and the brutal hostility on Yemen first. We through an intra-Yemeni dialogue can achieve common points. At the same time we will not go to future negotiations unless the blockade is lifted and airports are unlocked. We will not talk to the hostile countries, headed by Saudi Arabia. This is my idea in a nutshell as a strategic analyst. And finally we ask Iran to supply this resistant nation with food and medical aids.
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source : ABNA
Tuesday
21 February 2017
10:22:55 AM
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The economist and advisor of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council Professor Abdulaziz al-Tarb answers questions during an interview such as the impacts of the economic blockade on Yemen and etc.