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Emerging Democracies Forum
Managing the Twin Transitions
Opening Ceremonies
(11 of 29 pages)
These are the challenges we face in keeping on track our vision of addressing
the issues of twin transition. This meeting gains increased significance in light of the fact that it brings together
small democratic-minded countries which are normally sidelined even though they are playing a very important role
in promoting democracy. Small countries can be a source of democratic enlightenment and they can also be a source
of gross human rights violations. They should therefore not be ignored. This forum corrects this situation most
admirably. Just as we travel to make peace or war, we should travel thousands of miles to strengthen democracy.
All of us must have workshops and seminars of democracy at home so as to internalize it and live it as a part of
our culture. In this spirit I once again thank the President of Yemen, the Prime Minister, and indeed the entire
people of Yemen for their hospitality in hosting this very important forum. I thank you.
Kim Campbell: Thank you, Prime Minister. I'll introduce the three speakers who will be addressing the goals
of the session. And I'm delighted to introduce the man that you know was very crucial in the development of this
wonderful program, the Prime Minister of Yemen, Dr. Abdulkarim Al-Eryani. Mr. Prime Minister.
Abdulkarim Al-Eryani: In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, Excellency Mr. Ali Abdullah Saleh,
Mr. Ken Wollack, the head of the NDI, the head of delegations participating in Emerging Democracies Forum, Ladies
and Gentlemen, members of delegations, observers, donor countries, members of diplomatic core in Yemen, dear guests.
The convening of the Emerging Democracies Forum in Yemen in Sana'a and with this great audience, and with this
huge participation from donors, observers, and guests, is ample evidence of the ingrained democracy in our country.
And I'm not exaggerating if I say that the most optimistic and the most ambitious of the Yemenis would not have
imagined in 1989 the convening of such a forum in 1999. And you wouldn't even imagine that Yemen would take this
huge stride which would justify the coming of all those participants, observers, donors, who have transformed this
forum into an international event by all means. To all of you I would like to say that you are more than welcome
in Yemen. Mr. Kenneth Wollack, the Chair of the NDI, this international and historic event and its becoming a reality
is a result of your institute when we started to talk about it for more than a year. And this event now is a reality
today and the NDI is taking care of developing emerging democracies all over the world. I would say that you all
merit our thanks and our appreciation. The same would go to the donors and the organizers of this event.
Dear guests, you all know that the participating delegations will spend today and becoming two days in debates
and discussions and sometimes in very heated debates as to the obstacles facing each and every emerging democracy
in all its aspects - political, economical, and social. And this is within the framework which was chosen by the
NDI that is the managing of the twin transition to democracy and to development. Dear guests, we all know that
each democratic country is aspiring for pluralism and for free elections which has its characteristics which are
ingrained in the specificities of this country. But there are some major common factors that unify our paths, and
no matter what the private obstacles or the joint obstacles are I'm pretty sure that the thing that allowed us
to have this forum here is the trust in present and the hope in the future. And as the President of Chic (ph) said,
we should not be frightened of hoping and of aspiring what might seem impossible if we want this impossible to
become a reality. And stemming from the axis of this forum and because you are going to discuss the obstacles of
this forum, whether they are private or joint obstacles, for what you are aspiring for in our emerging democracies.
Please allow me to say what I think are the main obstacles of democracies in Yemen, leaving the floor for other
people to enrich this discussion or rule them out.
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