Yemen opposition slams outcome of London conference

Jan 28, 2010, 22:52 GMT

Sana'a, Yemen - Yemen's main opposition parties on Thursday criticized the outcome of the London international conference on Yemen, saying it helped 'save' the Sana'a government and not the country.

Wednesday's conference concluded that the Yemeni government would have to carry out sweeping reforms to its economy and its political system in order to create long-term stability, and concluded that international actors would have to provide aid for many years to help it do so.

Five major Yemeni opposition parties said in a joint statement that the conference 'tended to save the political regime in Yemen rather than the state which is exposed to a serious deterioration due to the policies of this same regime.'

The parties, led by the main Islamist party, Islah, said the government used the conference to gain foreign support 'in the face of the dangerously deteriorating internal situation and the democratic life.'

They said the conference's support for the Sana'a government have 'depleted the last remaining hopes of Yemen and Yemeni people for a serious and real help from the international community.'

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for the meeting in response to the failed bomb attack on an airliner over Detroit on December 25. The alleged bomber was reportedly trained in Yemen.

'The meeting ended with ambiguous decisions that did not affect the essence of the Yemeni crisis in their manifestations except the security aspect,' the statement said.

By supporting the government, the conference supported 'instability and corruption,' it added.