Scott Horton Show - Just the Interviews - 9/20/22 Nasser Arrabyee on Why He’s Optimistic About the Yemen Ceasefire

Episode Date: September 24, 2022

Scott speaks to Yemeni journalist Nasser Arrabyee. From the ground in Sana’a, Arrabyee gives his account of how six months of ceasefire has changed life in Yemen. He walks Scott through some of the improvements he’s observed. Most notably, he explains how the overall tone has changed, with parties from all sides feeling that it’s pointless to continue fighting. Although the agreed end date for the ceasefire is nearly here, Arrabyee is optimistic that the truce will not only continue, but expand.  Discussed on the show: Scott’s recent interview with Hassan El-Tayyab Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He is the owner and director of yemen-now.com. You can follow him on Twitter @narrabyee. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All right, y'all, welcome to the Scott Horton Show. I'm the director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of anti-war.com, author of the book, Fool's Aaron, Time to End the War in Afghanistan, and The Brand New, Enough Already, Time to End the War on Terrorism. And I've recorded more than 5,500 interviews since 2004. almost all on foreign policy and all available for you at scothorton dot for you can sign up the podcast feed there and the full interview archive is also available at youtube.com slash scott horton show all right y'all introducing nasser arabi a reporter out of sena yemen and he runs yemen alon that's yemen now and uh he's been reporting on of course the war and But on this show for the entirety of the war since 2015, welcome back to the show, Nasser.

How are you doing, sir? Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you for having me. All right. Yeah, happy to have you again. So just give us an update. I guess start with the ceasefire of the negotiations, where things stand with the blockade and all the rest on the ground there in Yemen, if you could, please, sir. Well, the truce has been holding for about six months now, and this has never happened before.

The truce started in April for two months, and then it was renewed for two more months, and then it was renewed also for two months. Now, the last two months are about to end. It would expire on October 2, but I think it's going also, most likely, it's going to be extended and expanded for six months now. I think this is what everybody, a lot of people expect. Yesterday, Blinken was with the president in New York, with the Yemeni president, Rashad al-Alemy. And they talked about this, and the importance of extending and expanding the truth for six months.

And after that, for a permanent ceasefire and a permanent amistice. And this is something that is very, very expected to happen because, in my opinion, all bodies to this war and to this conflict, especially Saudi Arabia, now are willing, very willing to end this war after eight years of destruction and decay. killing without any point. So this is the summary of where things stand now. All right. Now, listen, so I was talking with Hassan Al-Tayeb, and he was telling me that the fuel shipments are still being held up by the Saudis to a great degree, and that that's still really hurting the humanitarian situation.

Is that right? No, this is not right. Yes, the Saudis are using the fuel as a bargaining chip. This is for sure, as it has been the case for the eight years. But now Saudi Arabia tried very quickly, very quickly, tried to stop. tried to stop the fuel for some time, for days, for a few days, but quickly it released them because Saudi Arabia does not want to come to the violence. It does not want to come back to the war.

It is very clear, and this is what I am observing. But of course, Houthi in Sana'a, he said this recently. He said that Saudi Arabia was holding up the fuel, and he said, okay, he said in a threatening way. But Saudi Arabia released them, and they just blamed Houthi for these things, and they denied this. So I want to say that Saudi Arabia is using the fuel as a bargaining chip, but it is not willing now anymore to hold up the fuel as it was in the bust. No. No, that's good to hear.

And then so overall, is the humanitarian situation really looking up in terms of, you know, food distribution and medical care and all that kind of thing? Yes, it's much, much better, much better than it was. Of course, the problem is still there, but it's much better. I'm saying it's much better than it was. Now, you can take your gas in any station easily. also the food staffs and also the commercial things and many things, yes, but it doesn't mean that everything is normal, of course, but it's much better.

If we talk about the amount that is being allowed in, that is entering Yemen, it's much more than it was and people get there what they need much easier than they used to be. The people who want to travel now, they can travel outside Yemen through the airport of Sana'a easier than it was, of course. I am not saying it's normal, but there are fly to Jordan still until now and also the movement in the the country all over the country is okay for the for the people the civilians and also the the AIDS are being distributed everywhere better than this was, and this is what the organizations are saying now, of course.

But there are still problems, of course, they want to, the most important problems now, for this, in particular, for this expansion and extension I told you about, that could happen nowadays, that could today, tomorrow, after tomorrow, because the end, the deadline, the deadline is to October so they are talking they are talking now. The Yemenis the Yemeni government, the international recognized government and

the Houthis are talking all the time now and the U.S. is very involved as I told you. Blinken was yesterday with the president in New York talking about this so they want to

expand it to expand it and for six months but on what basis of course on new basis that's that's on on on three things the most important of these things are the salaries this time salaries must be paid for the for every for everyone, because thousands and thousands of Yemenis have been working without being paid for eight years now. Now, the salary is going to be paid. Number one, and number two is the flights are going to be more, more destinations, more and more destinations, not only to Jordan and Cairo, but all the other.

countries and also the roads the roads in taiz and other cities inside yemen should be opened and must be opened this is the three things so roads must be opened and the flights must be more and also the salaries must be paid if these things are agreed upon I think it would be expanded and extended not only to six months but to a permanent ceasefire and this is what is likely, what is highly likely to happen. That's really great to hear. As I think. That's really great.

Now, so when the Saudis renounced their goal of reinstalling high, in power and instead appointed this ruling council. Who all is that made up of? And when you say the negotiations are going on between the former government and the Houthis and the Americans, what about this council of Saudi puppets? Are they part of it all too? No, the chairman of the council,

the chairman of the council is now in New York attending the UN General Assembly. He's the guy meeting with Lincoln. He met him. We met here at Lincoln yesterday, and they talked about it. And the U.S. State Department issued a statement on this saying that the extension and expansion of the truth is going to happen or must, at least, must happen. So, the United States is very concerned about Qaeda. KIDA is coming back.

So they know very well. Because, you know, 300, I mean, 30 soldiers were killed last week by al-Qaeda. And they know what it means not to extend and expand the truth. Because Kyta is coming back and Kyta is taking advantage of all these things, of the chaos in the South. Yeah, I was reading about the... Southern Transitional Council which is also supported by the UAE is now in a major

fight with al-Qaeda down there in the south, right? Is that UAE versus UAE? You know, it's they they yes, it's supported by UAE and it's

fighting the Islaj. And Islau is the you know, Salah is the main the main body that is fighting Houthi, the main body, but unfortunately, Salah is the brotherhood, I mean, is, you know, is being fought, is being disliked by Houthi, by U.A. and by Saudi Arabia. So, this is why it's the expansion and to agree with Houthi would settle things down. would solve a lot of problems and would let you know where you are and where are you standing at least.

But otherwise, Houthi is getting stronger and stronger and they are getting more divisive and more violence and chaos in the South and then no... they do nothing. This is what everybody knows about them. Well, you know, when the al-Qaeda guys grew up to be a powerful force in the second Iraq war, it turned out it was the locals who stabbed them in the back and got rid of them.

It wasn't the American effort. It was the local Sunnis, really, who stopped them. And I wonder whether you think if we had a real end to the war here, and a peace between all factions except al-Qaeda, whether they would remain a powerful faction? I guess they're the bulk of the Giants Brigade now, right? Are they going to be, you know, 10 times more powerful than they ever were before? Or are they going to end up fading away or back to where they were before?

It depends, you know. It depends on how they're going to agree. Because if they are serious about making peace and about letting Yemenis build up and

their country and reconstructed and I think Kaido is going to fade away because

nobody now I mean nobody wants to live in violence and in terrorism all the time

but Kaida is only whispering only when there is violence and chaos and there is no state. In lawlessness, it's only, it likes the lawlessness and the non-state, this is what Al-Qaeda wants. But if there is a good state, if there is a unified Yemen, I think Al-Qaeda will give weaker and weaker because now people are fed up of the wars and the violence and the devastation.

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gummies and the rest in your state the hemp spot dot com spell the t hc you guys my friend mike swanson has written such a great revisionist take on the early history of the post-world war two national security state and military industrial complex in the Truman Eisenhower in Kennedy years. It's called the war state. I have to say, it's the most convincing case I've read that Kennedy had truly decided to end the Cold War before he was killed. In any case, I know you'll love it, the war state by Mike Swanson. Yeah, well, it sure has been a lot of years of war. As, you know, we've talked about before, you covered the previous war. 2009 through 15 for the New York Times

and then as soon as America switch sides in the war they quit asking you about it but um so you know hopefully um you know this will be the end we won't just be switching sides back again and now having to fight a war against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula forever uh but instead you know can figure out a way to just negotiate peace there

after, what, 13 years of this? I think now it's, I think the key thing is in the hand of Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Bridge, he now realizes and he understands that he will not be safe environment or his country and his oil and his borders with Yemen will not be saved until he reconciles with the Houthis or in a way or another because and this is what is happening of course. They have been talking for three or four months now

in Oman Houthis and Saudis because Saudi Arabia will not rely on anyone except Houthi when it comes to its security and the security of its borders

and of course because the others can't do anything. Houthis now have shown their strength and they did two huge berets this week in Sana and in Houdaida. This week and last week. And next week they're going to make maybe the biggest, the grandest, one here in Sanja. And they're showing their strength. They're showing their weapons, their forces, whether Navy or Air Force or other troops. So everybody knows that Houthi has been taken advantage of this truth, and he's preparing to continue fighting, because it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a,

It's his field, a good field. He's what he's good. He's what he's best at. This is what Houthi is best at. If you want to come, if Saudis want to come back to fight, Houthi will be very happy. He has no problem with these things at all.

But if it comes now to end the war, end the war and come back to peace, and respect Yemenis and their government and their state I think it's easy and they can do it easily and

the security of Saudi Arabia the biggest concern will be good if they agreed with Houthi. This is very clear there is no need to exaggeration or overstating about these things

because Houthi can secure Saudi Arabia borders. The others can't. This is what should be clear. Nasser, what's this stuff I'm reading about the French Foreign Legion showing up to see some oil fields or oil wells or something? This is the French people have been working in a liquid gas. plant

and liquid gas harbor here in Yemen for a very long time before the war and when Al Qaeda came back to the south they came to stand yards to

to protect it and this is this is also something that that tells you very clearly that the people in the South can't do anything, can't protect anything. They can't protect just, they can't protect oil, they can. Kaida will come. Why? Because the South are very divided, people, very divided.

And very, you know, they have no heads. They have no someone who can bring them, who can unite them or who can bring them to unity or bring them together. They have no one. So in every district, in every city, in every province, you have factions here or there. They are fighting each other and killing each other. And Kaida is feeding this and supporting this. So this is why the French people came.

They came to protect their or their work. say, the jazz that the jazz that the French people want now because they were very worried about what's going on in Ukraine and in the world, and so they want to secure some oil and some gas from Yemen. And this is why they came to protect because they were afraid that al-Qaeda can take it.

Of course, the al-Qaeda can take it easily. this is why they came yeah well i guess we'll see you know how much of a monster this war has created if bomb and them only made them more powerful before then switching sides to outright backing them probably make them even more powerful than that so i'm afraid you're going to have a qap and it's all shoots

hooty now by the way Houthi now is showing helicopters in the sky of Sana'a for the first time for the first time of course and because Saudis

thought that they destroyed all the airplanes and all the helicopters but Houthi now while he is doing his berets here in Sana they are showing helicopters and maybe this week they are going to show more than helicopters.

Maybe fighter jets. Let's wait and see. Because they were able to hide them someplace. And now they're flying with them in the sky of Sana'a because there is a truth. And Saudi Arabia would not do anything because they know what it means. It means they would strike back. Houthis would strike back. And they kind of strike back now to the Saudi cities.

They know. Well, so on the American side of the equation here, there's war powers resolutions. Again, in both houses of Congress, as I'm sure you know. And there's a massive campaign by peace groups, left right and libertarian, to try to push these things through right now. And so I guess it's important that. the message is that we're supporting diplomatic efforts ongoing. It's really good to hear that the Biden administration is not obstructing this,

but they're really helping the UN and whoever else to negotiate here. Exactly, exactly, the organizations and Congress are doing very well, and they are deserting great efforts to help end the war, not only to extend and expand the truth. because they saw, they saw what it means to hold the, to stop the ceasefire and to stop the fighting. They saw a lot of results, they saw a lot of fruits. So they are supporting them. Of course, they've been supporting, especially the people in the Congress.

I mean, people from both Isle, from the two bodies, and they are supporting because they know that a continuation of the war is only in the favor of al-Qaeda. Right. Well, I got that right and has been this whole time. And that's, you know, an important message for people contacting Congress about this right now. This war really has benefited some extremely dangerous guys. And we've seen who they are in the past.

I'm sure not supporting war against them. I'm sure as hell ain't supporting war. four you know so god dang we got to wrap this thing up right now I think I think things are are going well now and I'm very optimistic now because I'm saying a lot of things happening on the ground and the people also people now Saudis in particular and the United Arab Emirates are very convinced that it's pointless and senseless war so they want to end it as soon as possible yeah all right well listen thank you so much for coming on the show and it's really great to hear some good news from

you for a change here so I really appreciate it NASA thank you very much for for having me and thank you very much for also your interest in Yemen thank you thank you very much really appreciate talk to the end soon The Scott Horton show, Anti-War Radio, can be heard on KPFK 90.7 FM in L.A. APSRadio.com, anti-war.com, scothorton.org, and Libertarian Institute.org.