Saleh blasts parties for 'selling loyalty'

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday criticised political parties, saying they are "selling their loyalty to foreign bodies."

"We call upon political parties to stay away from foreign subordination. Their loyalty should be to the homeland and not to the foreign bodies," President Saleh said during a festival held at Sabeen Square to mark the 40th anniversary of the Yemeni Revolution.

"Stop loitering near the gates of the foreign embassies," the president said.

He urged them to hold competitions through their own platforms to gain the confidence of the voters in the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 27.

At the regional level, Saleh said though they are celebrating the Yemeni revolution their hearts bleed for what is going on in Palestine. He condemned Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people saying what is happening there is terrorism.

"We condemn the Zionist arrogance. This indeed is terrorism, and it is 50 years old," the president stressed.

"We wish," he added, "the resolutions of the international legitimacy be applied for once."

With regard to the Iraqi issue, President Saleh said: "We condemn any aggression against Iraq, and we thank it for its response to the resolutions of the international legitimacy concerning the return of inspectors to that country."

He said he favours national reconciliation in Somalia for the sake of security and stability there. According to reports there are hundreds of thousands of Somalis in Yemen.

Meanwhile, 40,000 students (male and female) took part in a youth parade. The students, who represented all 20 governorates, were divided into 40 groups symbolising 40 years of the revolution.

The president said the youth, the generation of the revolution, represent some 76 per cent of the Yemeni population which is 18 million. "They are the weapons in the face of the enemy of revolution, republic, unity, and democracy."

He pointed out that Yemen rejects intolerance, foreign affiliations and groupings. The celebrations will continue till October 14.

At the same time, the president and senior officials will launch more than 1,600 development projects with a total cost of 200 billion riyals very soon.

The Yemenis overthrew the royal rule in the north of the country on September 26, 1962, after it lasted for more than 40 years. The southern part of Yemen revolted against the British colonialism on October 14, 1963.