LONDON, July 26 (UPI) -- The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi predicted a renewal of protests in Yemen where there has been unrest over the price increases in oil-derivatives.
The independent Palestinian-owned daily said while the direct cause for the unrest was because the government was forced to raise the prices of fuel, the indirect reasons were due to the spread of corruption, the deterioration of economic conditions, the escalation of social violence and the tribal struggles in the country.
It insisted the Yemeni government made a mistake by raising the prices at once without raising the people's income and without providing more job opportunities. The paper added President Ali Abdullah Saleh's earlier decision to set a precedent by declaring he would not seek re-election next year might now be affected by the new and difficult challenges, "making his last months in power a nightmare."
It warned that the continued corruption and mismanagement threatened not only the stability of Yemen, but its achievement in unity and democracy.
