SANA'A: In a visit to Yemen's capital, Sana'a, John Brennan, United States Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, expressed his support for the presidential elections, congratulating Yemen on its victory over chaos and reminding all factions that their nation was the only one which had managed to operate a peaceful transition of power. But most importantly Brennan came to ensure that all parties were absolutely clear on the terms of the power-transfer agreement and would uphold its mechanisms to the end. Upon signing the initiative back in November 2011, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, not only agreed to leave the presidency and organize early elections, but he also solemnly committed to a restructuring of the armed forces, which in essence would put an end to his family's hold over the country's military. So far, the coalition government has failed to implement the clause, preferring to wait until after the presidential elections, hoping that popular legitimacy would give Field Marshal Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi more political weight. Most Yemenis actually fear that an attempt to dislodge Saleh's relatives from their key positions will actually trigger another wave of violence. Only last week Lieutenant Colonel Abdel-Kareem Safwani, the deputy commander of the Republican Guards warned that whoever would “dare ask Ahmed Ali Saleh's departure from the Republican Guard and Special Forces would face the wrath of the army.” The remark was challenged by Brennan himself as he said in a statement that the army restructuring “would begin with the Republican Guard.” Moreover, Brennan told the coalition government that all future American financial aid would be directly dependent on “how the state was handling the military and how swiftly it would implement the necessary changes. “We plan to step up [aid] if they meet our test,” he continued. “Brennan's visit to Sana'a was essentially to remind Hadi that he will have to honor his promises in regards to al-Qaeda and fully cooperate with the Pentagon,” one political analyst told Bikyamasr.com. For the past year, al-Qaeda operatives have launched several successful operations in the southern province of Abyan, having managed to establish a stronghold in Zinjibar, the regional capital. Despite the armed forces intervention, the region has yet to be freed from the Islamists, with alarming reports confirming an alliance between “Ansar al-Sharia,” and Somali al-Qaeda branch “al-Shabab.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/YIjOw Tags: Aid, featured, Military, Sanaa, United States Section: Latest News, North America, Yemen
