Interviewed by Saddam Al-Kamali - Translated by Mahmoud Al Sharaby

How do you look at UN-brokered negotiation rounds, and what how do you assess the role of the UN envoy to Yemen? 

The United Nations has sponsored Yemen’s transition process since before it took place officially, i.e. from the moment of preparation for the Gulf Initiative until after it was signed and then President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi took office and a consensus government was formed. The UN role was also extended to coincide with the national dialogue until the coup took place and set off the ongoing war. 

In the meanwhile, seven UN Resolutions and dozens of statements on Yemen were issued, some supporting the transitional process and others warning against any attempt to undermine it. Unfortunately, all of that has been undermined by the coup that trampled international resolutions underfoot despite the fact that some of these were adopted under Chapter VII. Nevertheless, United Nations, with all our respect to their efforts, was seemingly unable to make the putschists commit to signed agreements and respect international resolutions. All efforts done by the United Nations in this context have seemed to be only non-binding good offices.

 

In your view, does the so-called “UN inaction” towards compelling the parties to implement UN-resolutions has contributed to the complexity of the crisis?

This is said by those pinning their hopes on the United Nations and having no clear idea about the limits of the ability, shortcomings and deficits the UN performance suffers from. The UN work is governed by the consensus, and is greatly affected by any divide between its members and the multiple parties involved in decision-making process. 

These parties have conflicting positions on revolutions and other issues, and this robs the United Nations of the ability to make binding decisions, let alone to implement them. Personally, I’m not questioning the intention or the role of the United Nations, but what I’m saying is that it for many reasons is unable to enforce its decisions and compel those rebelling against its decisions to abide by agreements and decisions.

 

As revolutionary youth, will you accept a political agreement providing for stay of Saleh and his regime?

Not even what it is less than that. We will reject any settlement riding roughshod over justice, as there is no peace without justice. Justice also requires that criminals and those involved in the commission of massacres, topped by ousted president, shouldn’t go unpunished. 

We will be against any political agreement that does not lead to the extension of state control over the entire national territory, empowering the state to be the only body that has exclusive rights to have weapons and implementing the national dialogue outcomes, which had been agreed upon by all parties before Saleh-Houthi alliance spoiled everything."

 

Why did liberation of provinces from the coup’s alliance take all this time? 

In the end, the coup in all its details will collapse and we will see Yemen’s democratic federal state for which our revolution broke out. 

Many are afraid that there is a foreign conspiracy to divide Yemen. Do you share the same?  

I’m not worry about the future, as the horizon unlimitedly extends and is open to a free and dignified life for all Yemenis; this is the revolution’s promise and destiny. 

 

Does the revolutionary youth have a vision to resolve “South Issue”?

I believed, and still believe, that the solution for all national issues, including the south issue, lies in the revolution. For the south issue, I share the same vision adopted at the comprehensive national dialogue conference: a federal Yemen with multiple regions.

 

How do you assess the Arab military intervention of March 2015?

It took place as a result of the coup, undermining of the transition process and the invasion of Yemeni cities... I belong to a peaceful revolution glorifying non-violence in the face of violence, but we can say that the fascist coup has led to war and foreign intervention and caused all these disasters and destruction.

The sixth anniversary of February Revolution was marked days ago. Have you ever expected that Yemen would have reached to this point after six years of revolution?

The revolution from our view was a necessity, and achieving it requires sacrifices. Likewise, freedom is worth any price. Today, we certainly believe that The February Revolution will bring about a radical change and achieve all of its goals, as this is its destiny.

 

Some blame the youth revolution for what has done to Yemen so far? 

Everything positive Yemen has experienced or will experience is attributed to February Revolution that has never failed as your question hints, rather it has made many gains including, most notably, breaking the monopoly of power, wealth and influence the sect-, regionalism- and family-based ex-regime had had. It is really a crucial achievement for a country like Yemen, which had been suffering from this monopoly for centuries. It is now going ahead with overthrowing the counter-revolution and achieving the remaining goals. 

Of course, much pain, devastation and disasters have been left, but February Revolution is definitely not responsible for that as it was not the party that declared the war and invaded the cities out of revenge and lust for power, causing havoc everywhere.

It is also said that political parties have stolen the youth revolution. 

I disapprove such term as it has been associated with trying to undermine the revolution by targeting the political parties that participated in the revolution ... but the revolution is immunized against theft or seizure. It may stumble or face a counter-revolution, but it has the final say in the end. 

 

In the wave of the revolution, was the performance of political parties satisfactory to you?

This does not preclude from criticizing the performance of political parties, which were part of the revolution. Once the transition period began, these parties were largely preoccupied with conflict, quotas and sharing of the spoils. This was a key factor in the victory of the counter-revolution. However, the Yemeni parties have remained loyal to the revolution as a principle, which manifested itself in rejection of the coup and in participation in the resistance against it.

 

You, the youth of revolution, what is your ambitious project for Yemen?

Our project, our national program, is the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue in which we actively participated and a new constitution had been drafted based on its outcomes. There is a consensus among the various national forces, including the youth of the revolution, that holding a referendum on the draft constitution will the first step taken after ending the coup and the war.