Yemen: Dialogue of the Deaf

Yemeni tribesmen in the small and remote village of Haradh last week lopped off the heads of two oxen as sacrifices for peace. Yet the 55 delegates gathered for truce talks on a nearby plain seemed no closer to settling Yemen’s three-year civil war than they were when they first convened three weeks ago. Reported an Arab newsman: “It is the dialogue of the deaf. Both sides talk, but neither side listens.”

The conference to end the bloody (100,000 battle deaths) fighting between insurgent Republicans and Royalist mountain tribesmen was actually convened by the principal backers of the two factions. The Republicans are supported by 70,000 Egyptian troops; the Royalist forces of deposed Imam Badr are backed by arms and money from Saudi Arabia and Britain. In September after the war turned into a stalemate, Saudi Arabian King Feisal and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser negotiated an uneasy ceasefire. Nasser’s expeditionary force costs $500,000 a day to maintain; both he and Feisal seem more eager than the Yemenis for a firmer peace.

The two sides began quarreling over the first issue raised: what to call the transition state that is supposed to exist until a plebiscite can be held next year. The Royalists wanted the name to be Kingdom of Yemen but were willing to settle for a neutral title like State of Yemen. The Republicans insisted on having the word republic or republican in the title. In fact, about the only thing the two sides can agree on is to suspend the conference until after the month-long Islamic holy fast of Ramadan, which begins next week. Nothing doing, said both Feisal and Nasser from afar. The conferees were told to stay in session until an agreement is reached. Yemenis being Yemenis, that may be until Haradh (average daily temperature: 98°-plus) freezes over.