YEMEN: Crossed Wires

Yemen's Major General Hassan Amri had long been noted for his sulfurous temper, and his desk-pounding rages frequently sent aides fleeing from his office in terror. But despite his reputation for hotheadedness, the gruff general, 48, had managed to become Premier of the primitive Arab nation no fewer than seven times since 1962, when nationalist forces supported by Egyptian troops overthrew the conservative Moslem imamate.* Now, however, Amri's temper has apparently cost a young Yemeni shopkeeper his life and Amri his job as Premier and commander in chief of the armed forces. It is unlikely that he will ever again hold high office in Yemen.

Fatal Mistake. The bizarre string of events that led to the general's downfall began one afternoon late last month when he picked up his phone and dialed his guards commander. Somehow the wires got crossed, and Amri broke into a conversation between Mohsen Harazi, who owned a small camera shop in the capital, San'a, and a friend. Thinking that he was talking to his military subordinate, Amri identified himself as the Premier. Harazi, thinking that his friend was playing a joke, laughed. One thing led to another, and soon the two were trading insults.

Amri, enraged by such impertinence, demanded identification, and Harazi made the fatal mistake of giving his name and address. Minutes later, soldiers poured into his shop and dragged him to general military headquarters. There, as Amri watched, guardsmen beat him with iron rods. Harazi pleaded for mercy to no avail. When the guardsmen refused Amri's order to kill Harazi, said reports from San'a, the Premier picked up a gun himself and shot the shopkeeper in the head.

Word of the summary execution quickly spread throughout Yemen. Harazi's family refused to bury him unless action were taken. President Abdul Rahman Iryani, a frequent rival of General Amri, reportedly wanted to try the general for murder. So did many members of Yemen's first elected legislature, the 159-member Shoura Council, which was installed last April. "Killing people like animals cannot be tolerated," declared Councillor Ali Saif Kholi. Many of the legislators were still angered over Amri's strong-armed attempt to dissolve the legislature only the week before.

Flash of Temper. Amri's army friends succeeded in having him exiled instead, and a few days later the general turned up in Beirut with his twelve-year-old son. Sources who have seen him say that he seems subdued and regretful. But the old temper still flashes, and he was about to smash a Beirut photographer's camera at the mountain resort where he is staying when the Yemeni ambassador stepped in and cooled him off.

Though Amri insisted he was in Lebanon for "rest and medical treatment," President Iryani, whose own powers are greatly strengthened by the general's removal, promptly announced Amri's resignation as Premier and commander in chief. In the past, the wily strongman's usual tactic when opposed on one issue or another was to resign, repair to Beirut or Cairo for a few weeks, and await recall on his own terms. This time it looks doubtful that Amri will ever be invited back.