Abdul Karim Ali Al-Iryani or Al-Eryani (; ar, عبد الكريم علي يحيى محمد عبد الله الإرياني; 12 October 1934 – 8November 2015) was the
Prime Minister of Yemen
The prime minister of the Republic of Yemen is the head of government of Yemen.
Under the Constitution of Yemen, the prime minister is appointed by the president, and the former, as well as their Cabinet, must enjoy confidence from the House o ...
from 29 April 1998 to 31March 2001. Al-Eryani, along with
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Ali Abdullah Saleh al-Ahmar (, ''ʿAlī ʿAbdullāh Ṣāliḥ al-Aḥmar;'' 21 March 1947There is a dispute as to Saleh's date of birth, some saying that it was on 21 March 1942. See: However, by Saleh's own confession, he was born in 1947 al ...
, was the Secretary General of the
General People's Congress (GPC).
Early life and education
Born in Iryan, a village in the central highlands of
Ibb, in 1934, Al-Iryani belonged to a prominent family that had held government posts in the region for centuries; many of his ancestors and relatives were judges.
He studied in the United States, receiving a Bachelor of Science in agriculture from the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
in 1962, a Master of Science in agriculture from the same institution in 1964, and a PhD in Biochemical Genetics from
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
in 1968.
Career
Before Yemen's unification, Al-Iryani served in the government of
North Yemen
North Yemen may refer to:
* Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen (1918–1962)
* Yemen Arab Republic
The Yemen Arab Republic (YAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية اليمنية '), also known simply as North Yemen or Yemen (Sanaʽa), was a ...
as Minister of Development (1974–1976), Minister of Education (1976–1978), Prime Minister (1980–1983), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1984–1990). Following unification in 1990, Al-Iryani continued to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs for the united
Republic of Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and sha ...
until 1993, when he became Minister of Development briefly before returning to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1994. Al-Iryani was appointed as Prime Minister after
Faraj Said Bin Ghanem abruptly resigned on 29 April 1998. He served in this capacity until 31 March 2001, when he was succeeded by
Abdul Qadir Bajamal
Abdul Qadir Bajamal ( ar, عبد القادر باجمال; February 18, 1946 – September 7, 2020) was a Yemeni politician who served as Prime Minister from March 31, 2001 to April 7, 2007. He was a member of the General People's Congress part ...
.
Main Accomplishments
- Banned imports of fruits and vegetables which resulted in a self-sufficient production of such commodities saving hard currency and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in agriculture and trade.
- Introduced tens of state-building laws including multi-party system and democracy.
- Played a major role in the negotiation during the reunification process of South and North Yemen. (and was named the architect of the Yemen reunification)
- Convinced the UN Security Council to abolish the scheme of seceding the southern governorates from the united Yemen during the 1994 civil war.
- Opposed an eminent armed conflict with Eritrea when the latter took over the Yemeni island of Hanish in the red sea. He then led the Yemen team in an international court which ruled for the return of the island to Yemen.
- Furiously fought against corruption and in support of women's and human rights.
Later life and death
Al-Iryani was a member of the
Global Leadership Foundation The Global Leadership Foundation (GLF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization consisting of a network of former heads of state/government and other distinguished leaders (GLF Members), who seek to assist developing countries in improving gov ...
, a non-profit organisation set up in 2004 by
FW de Klerk
Frederik Willem de Klerk (, , 18 March 1936 – 11 November 2021) was a South African politician who served as state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as deputy president from 1994 to 1996 in the democratic government. As South A ...
to support good governance and reduce conflict around the world. He has been credited with brokering the
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and econo ...
peace negotiations in 2012, resulting in a transition plan for President Saleh to resign.
Al-Iryani died on 8 November 2015 in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
. Mustapha Noman, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, called him "the last statesman Yemen had, and will have, for another generation."
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Iryani, Abdul Karim
1934 births
2015 deaths
Prime Ministers of Yemen
General People's Congress (Yemen) politicians
Leaders of North Yemen
Government ministers of Yemen
University of Georgia alumni
Yale University alumni
Center for Contemporary Arab Studies faculty
People from Ibb Governorate
20th-century Yemeni politicians
20th-century prime ministers of Yemen