'No need for demonstration and marches' as Yemeni president calls for unity

Sana'a: President Ali Abdullah Saleh urged all Yemenis to protect the national unity and stand up against any activities harmful to it.

In a speech on the occasion of Ramadan, Saleh said "fabricated crisis" would never harm the unity.

He said that the recent demonstrations are similar to the crisis that preceded the civil war in 1994.

"Fabrication of crisis similar to those of 1993 and 1994, with the same trend, mechanism and strength, do not serve the national interest and social tranquillity and national unity. The nation belongs to all of us and we all are responsible for it," said Saleh in reference to protests in the south where demonstrators demanded better living conditions.

Saleh said the demonstrations were only "tempest in a teapot".

"There is no need for demonstrations and marches which are not more than than a meaningless tempest in a teapot.

"There is no worry from them especially after the problem of retired people was solved and after issuance of instructions to treat unsolved problems of the 1994 war with regard to the retired people," Saleh said.

Development

The continuation of such demonstrations would create an atmosphere that negatively affects the development and investment in the country, he warned.

He called for rejecting all kinds of "malice, hatred, and extremism".

On the rise of prices, which also caused demonstrations all over the country, Saleh repeatedly welcomed any solution from the opposition for the issue.

"We welcome any objective and serious solution either from our brothers in opposition parties or from others, that the government may benefit from for treating the rise of prices or the unemployment or any other economic and social issues," he said.

But treatment of the economic issues, he said, should not go beyond the facts of reality, and the solutions should be objective and help achieve the aspirations of the citizens and meet their needs with the available resources.

"The dialogue should always be the most civilised method for closing the doors against all sectarian divisions," he said.