Abdul Karim Ali Al-Iryani (; ‎; 12 October 1934 – 8November 2015; also spelled Al-Eryani) was a Yemeni politician who served as 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 must, like his cabinet, enjoy confidence from the House of Representatives ...

from 29 April 1998 to 31March 2001. Al-Iryani, 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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Ali Abdullah Saleh Ali Abdullah Saleh Affash (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 (an interview recorded in a YouTube video), he was born in 1947.4 Decembe ...

, 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 Ibb () is a city in Yemen, the capital of Ibb Governorate, located about northeast of Mocha and south of Sana'a. A market town and administrative centre developed during the Ottoman Empire, it is one of the most important medium-sized cities i ...

, 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 The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

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 university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1968.

Career

Before Yemen's unification, Al-Iryani served in the government of

North Yemen North Yemen () is a term used to describe the Kingdom of Yemen (1918-1962), the Yemen Arab Republic (1962-1990), and the regimes that preceded them and exercised sovereignty over that region of Yemen. Its capital was Sanaa from 1918 to 1948 an ...

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, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the northeast, the south-eastern part of the Arabian Sea to the east, the Gulf of Aden to the south ...

until 1993, when he became Minister of Development. In 1994 he served as deputy

and

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

until 1997. Al-Iryani was appointed as Prime Minister after

Faraj Said Bin Ghanem Faraj Said Bin Ghanem (; 1 December 1937 – 5 August 2007) was the prime minister of Yemen from 17 May 1997 to 29 April 1998. Early life and education Born in Ghail Bawazir, Hadramout Governorate, on December 1, 1937. He received his primary ...

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 (; 18 February 1946 – 7 September 2020) was a Yemeni politician who served as Prime Minister from 31 March 2001 to 7 April 2007. He was a member of the General People's Congress party and was appointed as Prime Minister by ...

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 the seventh and final state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as deputy president alongside Thabo Mbeki under Preside ...

to support good governance and reduce conflict around the world. He has been credited with brokering the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring () was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings, and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began Tunisian revolution, in Tunisia ...

peace negotiations in 2012, resulting in a transition plan for President Saleh to resign. Al-Iryani died on 8 November 2015 in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. Mustapha Noman, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, called him "the last statesman Yemen had, and will have, for another generation."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iryani, Abdul Karim 1934 births 2015 deaths Prime ministers of Yemen Foreign ministers of Yemen Education ministers of Yemen General People's Congress (Yemen) politicians University of Georgia alumni Yale University alumni Center for Contemporary Arab Studies faculty People from Ibb Governorate 20th-century prime ministers of Yemen Foreign ministers of North Yemen Planning and international cooperation ministers of Yemen Deputy prime ministers of Yemen 21st-century Yemeni politicians