During a United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
conference entitled "Reform and Transitions to Democracy," held in Beirut last Sunday, Al-Eryani said that Yemen change was internally produced.
"However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well...
the GCC states and other western countries played role in the occurrence of this change" added he.
According to the UN, this conference aimed to provide decision-makers in emerging democracies in the Middle East a chance to meet and interact with others who have encountered similar challenges during their own respective countries transition to democracy.
Al-Eryani who is a top official of the ruling party and the political advisor of the outgoing President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it...made clear that the Yemeni youth uprising entrenched a change that would not be declined.
"The latest thing I expected to happen in Yemen was the eruption of this revolution, as Yemen is among those latest developing and linking to electronic communication countries" added Al-Eryani.
According to a Yemeni analyst, Mustafa Alsabri, Al-Eryani who has good ties with the opposition stayed loyal to the regime, despite many Yemeni US-educated politicians defected from the Yemeni regime following the outbreak of wide-nation anti-regime protests.
Alsabri said that Yemeni opposition always dubs Al-Eryani as one of those officials of the ruling General People Congress party who exert efforts to defuse Yemen's problems and provide good advice to President.
Some 50 leading international figures, including dignitaries, academics and development experts from across the globe took part in this conference organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).