London hosted late last month an international summit on Yemen in which Yemen’s allies reiterated commitment to continuing aid to the country and Yemen reiterated commitment to reforms and the fight on terrorism.
Unlike the 2006 London Donor Conference, the two-hours January 27 Meeting saw Yemen’s allies placing conditions for giving aid to Yemen, urging the government to guarantee further reforms and that the aid goes to the public and not stolen.
In this regard, Germany urged Yemen to implement more political and economic reforms, with an official at the Foreign Ministry saying that the German aid to Yemen would not be directed in one way.
Germany is waiting for decisive reforms by the Yemeni government including its performance, the official said.
For their part, the U.S. said that their country’s aid to Yemen is now conditional, asking for guarantees by the government that the aid goes to the public and not stolen.
Ahead of the meeting, an unnamed U.S. official told AFP that the U.S. message to the meeting was about joint responsibility between the Yemeni government and the international community.
Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton will push during the meeting that the international community takes concrete steps towards meeting its past and future pledges to support Yemen, the official said. But that should be in return for promoting the Yemeni government’s efforts of transparency, governance and control, the U.S. official said.
Clinton’s insistence on transparency before giving aid to Yemen was basically aimed at ensuring that the aid goes to the Yemeni people and is not taken away.
Donors pledged in 2006 in a conference in London to provide $ 4.7 billion to Yemen. UK statements coincided with the recent London conference on Yemen said that 80 percent of the pledges were allocated by the GCC, but only 7 percent of that was spent on the public.
Nonetheless, economic development remains a government pressing priority amid Sana’a drive to root out extremists.

Clinton: Military Action Is not a Solution to Yemen’s Problems:
Yemen should implement robust reforms to deal with the reasons of poverty and instability …two major factors for extremism in the country, the U.S. urged.
It is time for Yemen to do what was already pledged….that is to help the Yemeni people, and start right now to implement its economic plan and reform program, Clinton urged.
World countries should not stay tied-hands while Yemen, where almost half of the population live on less than two dollars a day, is going deeply in mess and lawlessness, Clinton said.
Before the meeting, Clinton said in a London meeting that gathered western and Gulf Foreign Ministers: we expect Yemen to implement reforms, fight corruption and improve its investment climate.
If conflict and violence go without salutations, they will undermine the most important factors for development of Yemen…. the political reform and reconciliation, she added.
Yemen’s problems are enormous and the country is facing a Shiite rebellion in the far north, a secessionist movement in the south, dwindling water, a sharp decline in oil revenues and increasing extremist groups, Clinton said.
‘But we realize that the problems can’t be faced with only military options, she said, adding that: what we aim is to make progress in the fight on extremists as well as helping provide a better future for the Yemeni people, with the people enjoying suitable healthcare, education and positive public institutions.’
For his part, General David Howell Petraeus, Commander of U.S. Central Command, said that a military intervention in Yemen must be upon Yemen’s request.
On the U.S.-Yemeni military and intelligence cooperation, reports surfaced before the January 27 meeting noting that the two countries shared satellite photos and communications as well as sensitive information in an attempt to help Yemen to accurately beat Al Qaeda.
Pentagon’s spokesman Jeff Morrell said Washington supports Yemen financially and trains its counter terror forces as well as advising the country.
If Yemen thinks this is useful, we will find ways to expand this…the issue remains sensitive and it is up to the Yemeni government because we must take into account Yemen’s sovereignty, he said.
Other U.S. officials said satellites and intelligence are basic components to root out Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula because Yemen’s capabilities remain short, with no control of the government apart from populated areas.
UK’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that the security of the Arabian Gulf concerns them and that the upcoming conference on Yemen in Riyadh will aim to share analyses about giving aid to Yemen appropriately.
To tackle Yemen’s problems, we should not start with security problems and the country’s counterterrorism strategy, Miliband said.
Tackling terror requires tackling its reasons radically, but in case of Yemen, the reasons vary, he added.
The conference on February 22 will also aim to hold a dialog with Yemen to discuss the reform priorities of the country’s government, he said.
In this regard, official spokesman for the British Foreign Office denied the conference, approved during the January 27 Conference, will focus on military or political intervention in Yemen’s own affairs.
The Yemeni government needs support from the international community and its neighbors such as Saudi Arabia to face its problems mainly blamed on rapid population growth, a sharp decline in oil production, threats of the Houthi rebels in the far north, the secessionist movement in the south and Al Qaeda, he said.
On the financial aid to Yemen, the British official told Saudi Al-Watan newspaper that the January Yemen meeting was not aimed to rally financial aid to Yemen; however, the main goal of it was to discuss how to support Yemen and help it tackle major developmental and security challenges.
In 2006, donors pledged during a London Conference funds to support Yemen, about $ 5 billion, he said.
But the funds have not been released because of widespread corruption at public institutions and underperformance of the institutions, he said, adding that reforms Yemen has implemented were worthy to be praised, he said.
Ivan Lewis, UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, said in an audio tape: Yemen is not a failed state; however, it is a fragile state to an unbelievable level.
Aid to the country must be offered very early before it becomes too late and Yemen becomes a failed state, he said.

Al Attiyah: Resolving Yemen’s Problems is the Responsibility of All Yemenis
Secretary General of the GCC Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah, for his part, said that bringing solutions to Yemen’s issues is the responsibility of all Yemeni people. In a speech distributed on the margins of the January 27 meeting, he said that it is inevitable that Yemen finds solutions to its problems based on two elements: dialog and development, transparently and within the constitution.
The upcoming Riyadh conference will review progress on implementing donor-funded projects as well as holding an honest dialog to ease all roadblocks to developmental projects in Yemen, he said.
The meeting will also discuss the developmental needs in Yemen over 2011-2015, he added.
Locally, Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Mujawar said that Al Qaeda was exaggerated.
In an interview with Al Sharq Al Awsat, he said that Yemen needs about $ 40 billion to stand stable. He also touched upon the issue of laborers and the possibility of absorbing them by Gulf markets. He said that Yemeni laborers are skilled and loyal and they deserve to be employed by Gulf States.
Yemen is suffering from high unemployment rates, poverty and a rapid population growth, he said.
Al Qirbi said foreign aid for development in Yemen are insufficient, with Yemen being the last among the countries receiving international aid.
If we take account the population in Yemen, we will find that Yemen deserves more support and that it now receives half of what it really needs, Al Qirbi made clear.
Big powers announced in 2010 London Conference on Yemen to continue to support Yemen against Al Qaeda and to deal with various development and economic problems.
At the meeting, Yemen said it would continue talks with the World Bank on its anti-poverty program.
According to the WB, 42 percent of Yemen’s populace, about 23 million, live on less than two dollars a day, with expectations of population growth amid less job opportunities and water scarcity.
Former President of the Yemen Democratic Republic in the south Ali Nasser Muhammad said that a dialog under Arab and international sponsorship is the best way to help Yemen.
Economic solutions without political ones can’t work in Yemen, because the political impasse in Yemen is the major obstacle and without resolving it, the country will not be developed, he said.
The Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa said that Arab countries are concerned about Yemen. We discuss Yemen as Yemen but not because there is Al Qaeda in it, he said.
An Arab position on Yemen must emerge during discussions by Arab states in their upcoming summit, he assured, pointing to outcomes to be in the best of Yemen’s interest during the Riyadh Conference.