L’ex presidente dello Yemen, Saleh, ora sogna il Lario

The charm of Lake Como knows no bounds. And so it happens that those who led Yemen for 33 years, and risked big during the "Arab Spring", now dream of a golden exile on the Lario. It is Ali Abdullah Saleh, former president of Yemen, but still so powerful as to be able to suppress the revolt and then trade his "descent" from the throne for immunity. Saleh was seriously injured in an assault on his headquarters in Sana'a on June 3, 2011. He was hospitalized in Saudi Arabia and operated on in a military hospital while procedures for the handover of former vice president Abed Rabbo Mansour were initiated. Hadi. Now the former Yemeni president Saleh could choose a quiet convalescence right on Lake Como. Why precisely the Lario? Because Saleh has already been on the lake for a short vacation during which he met, away from prying eyes, the former Saudi Defense Minister Sultan bin Abdulaziz. The news was reported in recent days by the newspaper “La Repubblica”, while news of his imminent departure was launched by the Associated Press and France Presse news agencies. The former strongman of the state located at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula had also obtained a visa from Italy in recent days for medical treatment. Medical treatment or golden exile? The news immediately ricocheted in Arab newspapers. In fact, Rome immediately accepted the asylum request, a difference from other Western countries. Saleh's family, however, would favor Ali Abdullah's stay in Saudi Arabia. And it is not just any family, given that the son was, until a few months ago, the commander of the presidential guard, the half-brother commands the Yemeni armed forces and the Saleh clan is still the most powerful in the country. Precisely the Saleh clan fears that, during his stay on Lake Como, the former president could be indicted for violating human rights during the 2011 uprising. The game is still open, however. The arrival of the Arab in Italy could also mean excellent national business for the economy. In fact, Italian companies would like to participate in the construction of the new water desanilization plants that will quench the thirst of Yemen in the future.