Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has left for Saudi Arabia for medical treatment after he sustained injuries in a mortar attack on his presidential compound.
Press TV talks with Peter Rushton, historian and political activist from London in which discussions center on tribal leader Sadeq al-Ahmar potential response to this new development and where the Saudi government fits in to the equation. Following is a transcript of the interview.
Press TV: How do you assess the situation now in Yemen - Is this what you had expected to see after the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) deal fell apart?
Rushton: Yes. It is exactly what I would have expected to see. Because regardless of the present state of health is of President Saleh we can say that he is now politically dead.
It's been clear that there was only one way that this was going to end and it's been clear for several weeks now: that he was not willing to enter into negotiations; that he was leading his country to further and further bloodshed and that ultimately once this power struggle had developed between himself and Sheikh al-Ahmar that there was no way out other than either his death or what's happened now, effecting his political death.
Press TV: According to reports, Saleh's deputy has now taken over as acting president. Regarding contingency plans in the case where Saleh fails to continue as president, what will happen with his regime? Is he a figurehead and will his regime essentially remain intact?
Rushton: Saleh has been ruling for 30 years and has built up a tremendous network of support; a tremendous network of corruption and torture to enforce his brutal rule. The deputy president who has now taken over is very much part of that network and we can assume that the Saudis would have been in close touch with him of some time as in at the very least an interim ruler.
The real question now is whether Sheikh al-Ahmar and his other key players are able to take the matter forward and take Yemen away from this era of cronyism; and also to avoid any medium to long term division of the country into tribal civil war.
It is now very much a matter of whether Sheikh al-Ahmar has the vision to step beyond representing only his own immediate factional interests, his own tribal groups and to make the necessary alliances to pursue long term peace in Yemen.
If that were to be the case then we can look forward to a peaceful and just solution. However, I fear that in the short term with the long arm of Saudi Arabia and the long arm of the American Empire continuing to play these factional games and continuing to try to rule by proxy we could see even more violence to come.
