Levant News – London

Levant News met Dr. Wissam Basnouda, a professor of international relations, to talk about the latest events in the Yemen crisis and the Riyadh agreement. Which was mediated by Saudi Arabia, With the participation of the Alliance for the Support of Legitimacy in Yemen, between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council under the auspices of King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, and the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, and President of the Southern Transitional Council Aidroos al-Zubaidi, also to discuss the possibility of implementing the Riyadh agreement on the ground and the role of women in the new Yemeni government as well as their demands.

How do you evaluate the role of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Yemen?

First of all, I would like to mention that the Yemeni people and even the elites are counting a lot after Allah Almighty on the Saudi guarantor under his wise leadership.

What has emerged from the Saudi approach since the first day of the crisis shows that His Majesty the King and his Crown Prince and Deputy Minister of Defense and the high guidance of Saudi diplomacy that any internal side conflict between the Yemenis is a red line, and that the Kingdom and its leadership are doing everything in order to restore stability and construction and stabilize security in Yemen.

This will be the next stage in the field of construction and reconstruction through the Saudi program for the rebuilding of Yemen as it has always been, in addition to harnessing the economic, diplomatic, and political tools of Saudi Arabia to facilitate everything that would bring peace to Yemen.

The speech of His Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the signing ceremony of the Riyadh agreement was a secure, specific, and brief, containing many messages that summarized all stages of the historical relationship and the organic link between the Kingdom and Yemen, and then the Saudi role in addressing the attempts to take over of the Yemeni state and attempts to spread strife and discrimination and fighting Internal, right up to the future vision reflected in what he said at the end of the speech.

He said that this agreement will be the gateway to a comprehensive cooperation between the various Yemeni political components, that such an approach enhances the confidence of the Yemenis that the guarantor of the agreement this time is different and therefore can actually achieve the goal, and that the new government will be able to meet the challenges as the country and people and the situation can no longer tolerate more.

Riyadh Agreement: Will the Riyadh Agreement succeed in ending the war in Yemen?

Although previous governments were mindful that their ministers were from different northern and southern regions, the fundamental difference that the Riyadh agreement made in this regard was the recognition that they had entered the government as southerners.

This is an acknowledgment of the establishment of identity, and the elimination of the idea that there are attempts to obliterate and dissolve and so on, especially since the southerners are very sensitive to their identity, which is natural as a result of past experience.

Also, the idea of ​​taking into account the diversity in the ministries of both sections, both north and south, so as to give representation to the various political forces and components. And the composition of the ministries of the competent, who have experience and competence in the ministries they will assume.

What are the demands and role of women at this stage?

Emphasis should be placed on the role of women in this formation. According to the outcome of the national dialogue, women's representation should not be less than one-third. One-third is the minimum, which has not been achieved in the various governments formed since the coup.

Of our meetings, we women, our future demands include not less than fifty percent, including two sovereign ministries. The third that was not fulfilled was our demand several years ago from 2011 to 2014 and today we are at the gates of 2020, the world around us is changing concerning female representation.

Arab countries around us, like Lebanon, assigned the Ministry of Interior to a woman, and Sudan, where women were flogged if they wear pants, today women in Sudan preside over the Supreme Court of Justice and foreign and higher education and others.

And the Yemeni woman is no less capable, throughout this period, they have proved their competence, experience, and ability and have topped many ranks even before men in peace and war. Yemeni women historically and now have been the forefront in the world and their civilizations in Yemen are still witness.

It is not about the competition of women with men, but the inherent right of women to take their chance in partnership in building the country according to competence,

In 2020, the world will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of UN Resolution 1325, which calls on States to ensure the equal representation of women in decision-making and all peace consultations,

Also, that at least half of the female representation should be from outside the parties, contrary to the usual practice by selecting a limited number of women from certain parties, assigning limited ministries as mere decorative patchwork, and ignoring independent women and civil society.

Here we count heavily on the response of His Excellency President Hadi, whose vision really starts from supporting women. Efficiency and capacity are the tests of all candidates, men, and women, and the consumed faces that people have lost faith in must change.

What are the criteria for the success of the next government?

The adoption of the criteria of diversity and efficiency will prepare the government for the next stage, which is mined and challenged.

The people rely on it a lot in controlling security, restoring services, building and reconstruction, and above all that restoring the state and its image, which is the basis if we restore the image of the country we will gain the confidence of the citizen, especially since the Yemeni people are people with deep historical roots in civilization, known as politicized people.

Is it possible to implement the Riyadh agreement on the ground? What are the conditions to ensure its success?

Yes, we can implement this agreement on the ground with sincere intentions and serious work.

It seems through my recent meetings with the various political forces and elites on the sidelines and in the scenes of the agreement ceremony that everyone is optimistic and really willing to implement it, and everybody is exhausted and sick of war.

Moreover, the indicators and meetings that took place between President Hadi, the President of the Transitional Council and his delegation made clear that there are the real desire and sincere intention to transcend the wounds and political disagreement and proceed to respond to the needs of the people and their voices and the necessities of the phase.