LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) – The Taliban must deny sanctuary to Osama bin Laden before Saudi Arabia will agree to act as a mediator in any Afghan peace deal, the kingdom’s foreign minister said on Thursday.

Prince Saud al-Faisal was responding to Afghan President Hamid Karzai who had called on Saudi Arabia, which has hosted talks between Afghan government and Taliban representatives in the past, to help bring peace to Afghanistan.

“Unless the Taliban give up the issue of sanctuary (to bin Laden) I don’t think the negotiations with them will be possible or feasible to achieve anything,” Prince Saud told reporters on the sidelines of a London conference.

“We have two conditions for Saudi Arabia’s involvement: that the request comes officially from Afghanistan and the Taliban has to prove its intentions in coming to the negotiations by cutting their relations with the terrorists and proving it,” he said.

LONDON (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia will only take part in Afghan peace efforts if the Taliban denies sanctuary to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and cuts ties with militant networks, the kingdom’s foreign minister said on Thursday.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai had called on Saudi Arabia, which has hosted talks between Afghan government and Taliban representatives in the past, to help bring peace to Afghanistan.

“Unless the Taliban give up the issue of sanctuary (to bin Laden) I don’t think the negotiations with them will be possible or feasible to achieve anything,” Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters on the sidelines of a London conference.

“We have two conditions: that the request comes officially from Afghanistan and the Taliban has to prove its intentions in coming to the negotiations by cutting their relations with the terrorists and proving it,” he said.

LONDON (Reuters) – Al Qaeda has capitalized on poverty, political splits and conflict in Yemen but the outside world has shown a commitment to tackling these problems through economic support, the prime minister said.

Major powers rallied behind Yemen in talks in London on Wednesday in a drive to resolve the economic and social problems which are creating a breeding ground for al Qaeda, Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Megawar told Reuters.

“This conference has given a great momentum to the Yemeni problem. The whole world is now conscious about the importance of supporting Yemen,” Megawar said in an interview.

“We have presented a detailed diagnosis of the problems facing Yemen that are boosting terrorism and extremism,” the premier said. “We have stated clearly that Yemen is in dire need of economic support.”

LONDON (Reuters) – Yemen must act to push through reforms to tackle the root causes of poverty and instability fuelling militancy in the country, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an international conference on Wednesday.

After the conference on Yemen in London, the foreign ministers of Yemen, Britain and the United States told a joint news conference Yemen’s problems required a broader range of solutions than a simple crackdown on al Qaeda affiliates.

“Now is the moment for the Yemeni government to step up and do what it has said it will do. It has an economic plan, it has a reform agenda, and it is time for them to implement that,” Clinton said.

In a bold message that raised the stakes as international concerns gather about Yemen, Clinton said that Yemen and the rest of the world cannot stand idle as the nation where almost half of its 23 million people live on less than $2 a day slides further into lawlessness.

LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Yemen must act to push through reforms to tackle the root causes of poverty and instability fuelling militancy in the country, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an international conference on Wednesday.

After the conference on Yemen in London, the foreign ministers of Yemen, Britain and the United States told a joint news conference Yemen’s problems required a broader range of solutions than a simple crackdown on al Qaeda affiliates.

“Now is the moment for the Yemeni government to step up and do what it has said it will do. It has an economic plan, it has a reform agenda, and it is time for them to implement that,” Clinton said.

In a bold message that raised the stakes as international concerns gather about Yemen, Clinton said that Yemen and the rest of the world cannot stand idle as the nation where almost half of its 23 million people live on less than $2 a day slides further into lawlessness.

LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – International talks to stop Yemen from joining the club of failed states and becoming the regional command for al Qaeda marked the start of a broader and more comprehensive strategy to fight militancy by major powers. The London talks galvanised global support for Yemen and its government recognised the urgent need for economic and political reforms to help fight al Qaeda militancy which could threaten regional stability. Prime Minister Gordon Brown called the meeting after a Yemen-based al Qaeda affiliate said it was behind a failed Dec. 25 bid to blow up a U.S.-bound plane with 300 people aboard. IS THERE ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO ACHIEVE A YEMEN SOLUTION? * The botched Christmas bomb attack was a wake-up call to the United States, its Western and Sunni Arab allies that Yemen’s lawlessness has reached an alarming level that could no longer be ignored in the oil-producing region. * It drove home how al Qaeda could threaten Western interests from Yemen, compounding security challenges already posed by lawless Somalia just across the Gulf of Aden. "This is a step in the right direction but a global solution and broader approach will have to follow. It is a very complicated situation," London-based Yemen expert Khairallah Khairallah said of the strategy for Yemen. "But it is the first time that all these countries are really concerned about Yemen, that it could turn into another Afghanistan or Somalia," he said. Fawaz Gerges, professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics, said: "Al Qaeda is one of the least of Yemen’s challenges but the deepening socio-economic crisis, coupled with political and tribal divisions, is pushing the country to the brink of all-out civil war. "While al Qaeda is very dangerous to Yemen, any solution that the international community adopts must take into account the complexities of Yemen. "What you are seeing now is a wake-up call about Yemen as a result of the failed Christmas Day bombing." WHAT DIFFERENTIATES THIS NEW APPROACH TO RADICALISM? * The meeting underlined a broader approach to tackling radicalisation in Yemen by targeting reforms, infrastructure, corruption, building institutions and most importantly addressing poverty, a breeding ground for militancy. "This meeting has shown a greater level of international involvement, a much greater level of engagement from Yemen’s immediate neighbours on how to provide aid and how to foresee the implementation of this aid," London-based Yemen expert Henry Thompson told Reuters. WHAT IS THE TIMEFRAME, WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? * Nobody expects a quick fix in a country beset by a Shi’ite Muslim insurgency in the north, separatist unrest in the south, al Qaeda militancy, a weak state, corruption and a dire economy with 42 percent of Yemen’s 23 million people living on $2 a day. * Donors say it would take a while to gear up and provide assistance mainly because they would need to set up the mechanisms to oversee the distribution of funds. * One clear outcome of the meeting is that donors all agree that just pumping in more unregulated money or providing more military assistance as they did in the past was not enough. Any more aid will be closely scrutinised and conditioned with the Yemeni government enacting reforms. WHAT YEMEN NEEDS TO DO IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST AL QAEDA "There is an international commitment now to oversee the development of Yemen but donors won’t just give money to the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh. They would want to see action on implementation and a serious approach in dealing with al Qaeda," one Arab delegate said. * One Western demand in Yemen’s fight against al Qaeda is for the Yemeni authorities to screen the security forces for possible penetration by al Qaeda, who Saleh had used in the past to fight his own enemies in the south and north. WORST CASE SCENARIO * Some Yemen watchers fear that if the separatist movement in the south gathers strength and seeks outside alliances this could lead to a new civil war that could become the regional frontline between Shi’ite Iran and Sunni powers led by Saudi Arabia, which regards Yemen as its backyard. Yemen last fought a civil war in 1994. "There is real concern now. Nobody wants to see the disintegration of Yemen," one analyst said. (Reporting by Samia Nakhoul; Editing by Charles Dick)

LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – International talks to stop Yemen from joining the club of failed states and becoming the regional command for al Qaeda marked the start of a broader and more comprehensive strategy to fight militancy by major powers. The London talks galvanised global support for Yemen and its government recognised the urgent need for economic and political reforms to help fight al Qaeda militancy which could threaten regional stability. Prime Minister Gordon Brown called the meeting after a Yemen-based al Qaeda affiliate said it was behind a failed Dec. 25 bid to blow up a U.S.-bound plane with 300 people aboard. IS THERE ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO ACHIEVE A YEMEN SOLUTION? * The botched Christmas bomb attack was a wake-up call to the United States, its Western and Sunni Arab allies that Yemen’s lawlessness has reached an alarming level that could no longer be ignored in the oil-producing region. * It drove home how al Qaeda could threaten Western interests from Yemen, compounding security challenges already posed by lawless Somalia just across the Gulf of Aden. "This is a step in the right direction but a global solution and broader approach will have to follow. It is a very complicated situation," London-based Yemen expert Khairallah Khairallah said of the strategy for Yemen. "But it is the first time that all these countries are really concerned about Yemen, that it could turn into another Afghanistan or Somalia," he said. Fawaz Gerges, professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics, said: "Al Qaeda is one of the least of Yemen’s challenges but the deepening socio-economic crisis, coupled with political and tribal divisions, is pushing the country to the brink of all-out civil war. "While al Qaeda is very dangerous to Yemen, any solution that the international community adopts must take into account the complexities of Yemen. "What you are seeing now is a wake-up call about Yemen as a result of the failed Christmas Day bombing." WHAT DIFFERENTIATES THIS NEW APPROACH TO RADICALISM? * The meeting underlined a broader approach to tackling radicalisation in Yemen by targeting reforms, infrastructure, corruption, building institutions and most importantly addressing poverty, a breeding ground for militancy. "This meeting has shown a greater level of international involvement, a much greater level of engagement from Yemen’s immediate neighbours on how to provide aid and how to foresee the implementation of this aid," London-based Yemen expert Henry Thompson told Reuters. WHAT IS THE TIMEFRAME, WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? * Nobody expects a quick fix in a country beset by a Shi’ite Muslim insurgency in the north, separatist unrest in the south, al Qaeda militancy, a weak state, corruption and a dire economy with 42 percent of Yemen’s 23 million people living on $2 a day. * Donors say it would take a while to gear up and provide assistance mainly because they would need to set up the mechanisms to oversee the distribution of funds. * One clear outcome of the meeting is that donors all agree that just pumping in more unregulated money or providing more military assistance as they did in the past was not enough. Any more aid will be closely scrutinised and conditioned with the Yemeni government enacting reforms. WHAT YEMEN NEEDS TO DO IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST AL QAEDA "There is an international commitment now to oversee the development of Yemen but donors won’t just give money to the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh. They would want to see action on implementation and a serious approach in dealing with al Qaeda," one Arab delegate said. * One Western demand in Yemen’s fight against al Qaeda is for the Yemeni authorities to screen the security forces for possible penetration by al Qaeda, who Saleh had used in the past to fight his own enemies in the south and north. WORST CASE SCENARIO * Some Yemen watchers fear that if the separatist movement in the south gathers strength and seeks outside alliances this could lead to a new civil war that could become the regional frontline between Shi’ite Iran and Sunni powers led by Saudi Arabia, which regards Yemen as its backyard. Yemen last fought a civil war in 1994. "There is real concern now. Nobody wants to see the disintegration of Yemen," one analyst said. (Reporting by Samia Nakhoul; Editing by Charles Dick)

LONDON (Reuters) – International talks to stop Yemen from joining the club of failed states and becoming the regional command for al Qaeda mark the start of a broader and more comprehensive strategy to fight militancy by major powers.

The London talks galvanized global support for Yemen and its government recognized the urgent need for economic and political reforms to help fight al Qaeda which risks threatening regional stability, according to a draft conference statement.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown called the meeting after a Yemen-based al Qaeda affiliate said it was behind a failed December 25 bid to blow up a U.S.-bound plane with 300 people aboard.

HAVE THE TALKS ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO ACHIEVE A YEMEN SOLUTION?

LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – The Yemeni government recognises the need for urgent economic and political reforms to help fight al Qaeda militancy which risks threatening regional stability, according to a draft document at an international conference.

In the statement, obtained by Reuters ahead of London talks, major powers committed to supporting the Yemeni government which agreed to pursue discussions with the International Monetary Fund to tackle the poverty which is conducive to radicalisation.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called the meeting after a Yemen-based al Qaeda affiliate said it was behind a failed attempt to blow up a U.S.-bound plane with 300 people on board.

“The challenges in Yemen are growing and, if not addressed, risk threatening the stability of the country and broader region,” the statement said.

LONDON (Reuters) – Yemen risks becoming a failed state unless the international community helps develop its economy to give young people alternatives to a path of Islamist radicalization, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Abubakr al-Qirbi made the remarks in an interview with Reuters ahead of a meeting on Wednesday in London where foreign ministers of Western powers, Gulf states, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey will discuss ways to stabilize Yemen.

“The actual fact is that the economic problem is the major cause of all the ills Yemen is facing now,” Qirbi said.

“I hope it (Yemen) will not become a failed state, there is a risk of course, but I think a component is how much the Yemenis will rise up to the challenges and really move away from political squabbling,” Qirbi said when asked whether the country has reached that level of danger.