Yemen and US Interests

Again, al Jazeera is ahead of the curve when it comes to reporting on Yemen. Yesterday, on "Inside Story," they interviewed Hakim Almasmari of the Yemen Post about the US posture on regime change in Sana'a. Hakim's answer? As soon as the opposition has given the US guarantees about prosecuting their "War on Terror" against AQAP, then the US will come out in favor of regime change unequivocally. Hakim's assertion is supported by Bloomberg reporting, which claims the Al-Qaeda fear in the U.S. "Buys Saleh Time as Yemen Violence Threatens Collapse."

Watch the "Inside Story" here:

The Gulf states are also in discussions about how the transitional government will take shape. As reported by Reuters,

"The talks in Saudi Arabia will discuss the modalities and mechanism for transition of power," another source close to the discussions told Reuters. "There are some names being circulated to head a transitional council."

These included Sheikh Hamid al-Ahmar, a leading figure among Yemen's powerful tribes, Abdulkarim al-Iryani, a U.S.-educated former prime minister and currently an adviser to Saleh, and another former premier Abdulaziz Abdul-Ghani.