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Arabia
Yemeni tribal chief: Saleh return could spark war
2011-06-22
SANAA, Yemen: The head of Yemen's most powerful tribal confederation warned Tuesday that Yemen could plunge into civil war if President Ali Abdullah Saleh is allowed to return home.
Then again, most everything could plunge Yemen into civil war...
Yemen is in at least two civil wars already: north vs. south, which goes back to the unification, Al Qaeda-linked tribes vs. the army...This powerful tribal confederation (PTC) would be the third, unless the PTC is the same tribes who are linked to Al Qaeda, in which case why is he threatening what's already been going on for a while?
How silly of me: they can't plunge into civil war, they're already there!
Saleh is currently in Saudi Arabia, where he is receiving treatment for serious injuries from a blast early this month at his palace in the Yemeni capital that left him with severe burns and chunks of wood in his chest.

In a letter to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Sadeq Al-Ahmar, the influential tribal chief who was an ally of Saleh before switching sides to join the opposition, appealed to the kingdom to prevent Saleh from returning to Yemen.

"His return will lead to sedition and civil war, not that you'd notice the difference" Al-Ahmar said, according to an aid to Al-Ahmar. Saudi Arabia is a key player in Yemen, and has pressed Saleh in the past to negotiate a settlement to Yemen's political turmoil.

Late Tuesday, Al-Ahmar had his first meeting with Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi since Saleh departed, a possible step toward resolving the conflict. Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, a general who defected to the opposition and deployed his units to defend protesters, took part in the meeting. Hadi is the acting president. He is under pressure to agree to a new government that effectively freeze Saleh out.

The tribal chief's aide said that they discussed steps to implement a cease-fire and withdraw forces from the streets. They also discussed "possible means to exit the current crisis," according to the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
Posted by:Steve White

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