Sakhr Al Wajih

Sakhr Al Wajih Sanaa - Khalid Alharoji      The leading activist and independent MP, Sakhr Al Wajih, said that Ali Abduallah Saleh believes that he will succeed over the Yemeni revolution and stay in power; however he will take back the Gulf initiative if he fails to do that. Wajih noted that" Saleh had experienced during his ruling period, but doesn’t want to believe in the reality , he is not aware that the logic based on history says that when people go down to the streets and revolt, they will never go back to their homes before they achieve at least the minimum of their demands. He revealed that Saleh had met the security and military leaders on Sunday, October 16th , and after the meeting he held on Wednesday with the remaining members of his party, Saleh decided to consider a military resolution, taking advantage of the regional and international community’s flexibility in dealing with the situation. However he will take back the Gulf initiative and the UN resolution if his plan doesn’t work.   Regarding the way that Libyan regime collapsed, the death of Gaddafi and his son Al Motasim, and the displacement of the rest of the family, Wajih thinks that Ali Abduallah Saleh doesn’t learn from Gaddafi’s lesson. He said: "according to my experience, tyrants and dictators do not learn their lessons from the fate of others like them, even if these experiences have taken place recently and so fast. Unfortunately they repeat the same scenario and in a very similar manner". He added: "Whoever heard the speech of the former Egyptian president Mubarak, and compares it with the last speech by Saleh, will see the similarities in their style, justifications, excuses, and fallacies. If president Saleh learns lessons, he would have taken the chance and accepted the Gulf initiative, which secured him an honorable way out of this impasse.” We asked Wajih about the escalation from the president side, his plans to use the military force, his refusal to sign the Gulf initiative to reach peaceful settlement, and the options before the National Council for Youthful Revolution Forces. Wajih explained that "the Council chose its options from the beginning, and draw two paths to follow in parallel and simultaneously; the first is to escalate the peaceful struggle, and the second is to focus on international politics and relations through seeking the international community, in order to accomplish the goals of the Yemeni peaceful revolution. Wajih added: "only the other party will determine our option, and it seems to me that this party determined his option from the beginning, by depending on political prevarication, to gain time. Saleh decided for the time being to rely on the military option, and we in the National Council see that peaceful option does not mean that people do not have the right to defend themselves, their families, and their properties. And we stress that this does not apply that the revolution will become violent, because we will not use violence to achieve our goals.”   Wajih thinks that the Gulf initiative could be implemented, if it does not include guarantees or legal or judicial immunities for those who committed the killing of the peaceful protestors in Yemen, in this case the initiative could be accepted, and that what the head of the regime understand, so he put impossible conditions in his recent speech in front of the Standing Committee’s members, when he said he was ready himself to sign the initiative, subject to the safeguards from USA, Gulf, and Europe, yet the American response came quickly in the words of the spokesman for the US state department, who pointed out that there is no need to give guarantees to Saleh to implement the Gulf initiative, what is needed is his signature on the initiative and start to implement it". Wajih said: “Yemeni people and young revolutionaries in all n God and the areas and squares of change are counting oYemeni people. They have been steadfast for 9  determination ofmonths.” portance of Wajih added: “Of course, we understand the iminternational situation. Furthermore, it will be considered as an element of strength, in case of assuming its moral responsibility. at the required and  ’tasnwBut, if the international situation et, it will not will be negative. Y it , certainlylevelexpected    their goals.” achieving prevent the revolutionaries from