Although Saleh's family still place obstacles before the power transition to the newly elected President Hadi, the Yemen's friend conference will be held in the Saudi capital on its new date on Wednesday May 23, though the obstacles were among its postponement from March to April and finally to the new date.
The Yemen friends used to prefer holding the conference in a situation where all power is transferred to the new President and all harnesses are in his hand and the hands of his government, as well as his taking steps in several political procedures including the national dialogue.
The amount of control achieved by the new President over the army and security up to now is not enough, from the Yemeni friends perspective, but it is acceptable to begin considering the economic and investment revival in Yemen, especially after the strict sanctions decision that is passed by President Obama last Wednesday. The formation of the communication committee for preparation for the national dialogue is also considered to be the first step for beginning the national dialogue, which almost seems acceptable as a new beginning for the preparation for the national dialogue.
What is achieved in the two previous sides, is considered by the Gulf and international sponsors of the GCC initiative to be a barrier from setback or any possible coup from the former President's family against the changes that happened in Yemen since last February 21.
But despite that the sponsors still affirm the seriousness of their threats of taking international measures against this family in case it continued to disrupt the President's decisions which were met with welcome from the international community and the regional surroundings.
In the first meeting of Yemen friends in London, on late January 2010, the y sent to President Saleh, his regime and government, several messages which carry cautions and ultimatums as well as optimism and hopes.
However these messages, were not met particularly from him with due attention, despite the serious pressure that is excreted on him all through that year.
He used to consider Yemen's friends as a dairy cow that is sent to him by God so as to milk and blackmail it, and was sure of his political abilities to maneuver and cheat the international and regional Yemen friends' parties, thinking that they contain some whom he can neglect and others that he cannot do without.
His estimations were wrong, because the dairy cow was abstaining from giving him any amount of milk, and was even ready to change into a mad bull, unless he perceived the semi basic change requirements that are supposed to appear in his performance, his power formation and mechanisms. 
The Yemen's friends message was repeated in their second conference in September 2010 in New York, and again he did not understand, or rather his aides that were around him didn't turn his attention to the seriousness of the situation at that time, because they didn't dare to be frank with him and anyone who dares to do, though they were not more than five, would be accused of cowardice, submission to the outside influence or ignorant of foreign policy.
The affairs went on until the breakout of the popular revolution in 2011, which led to the reshuffle of the Yemeni political map. What the Yemeni President refused to do at his own will, he was forced to do coercively by the popular revolution. The obstacles that he tries to put in the face of the power transition represent a political suicide that will damage what is left of his clean political past.
I admired a special message sent by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abu Bakr al-Girbi to the former President on February 18, 2010, which has been recently disclosed and published in Akhbar al-Yom newspaper, where he sent good advices, including fighting corruption, recovering the state's prestige and the judiciary reform. In light of our knowledge to the course of events after the date of the message, we know for certain that Saleh was not convinced with its contents, as he had implemented none of them.
Yemen friends are meeting again in a primarily political conference, so as to bless the change that happened in Yemen, strengthen the trends for building a new Yemen, and stress the good intentions of the regional surrounding and the international community towards this poor country, and his luck to receive this international attention, because of its geo-political site and its strategic nature.
I don't know how the Reconciliation Government prepared for dealing with this conference, because they will commit a great mistake if they treat it as a dairy cow. I don't know if it has prepared strategic visions, regarding an entire building of a new state "the Second Republic," or are they going to go the conference with visions of a project here and there.
It will be a pity if this happens. The friends of Yemen want to feel a new approach in thinking and administration from the new era of President Hadi and the Reconciliation Government that is chaired by the veteran politician Mohammed Salem Ba Sandwa. They are the issues that Yemen had lacked through the years of post 1994 war, after matters became stable for President Saleh.
Will President Hadi and Prime Minister Ba Sandwa introduce a new model in thinking and administration that are fit for the greatness of the revolution that brought them to power, and that will repay the huge sacrifices of the martyrs, wounded and disabled? Will they perceive the fundamental and comprehensive change that is required from them locally, regionally and internationally in running the internal and external Yemeni policies.
We understand the size of the difficulties that face them and the obstacles before them. However they are expected together with their partners, foremost of them the JMP to present new, serious, factual, acceptable and stringent programs. They will be met with welcome and full political support from Yemen friends' conference, and it will be later on shifted by the donors conference to the donating organizations, so as to be converted into clear economic, financial and expertise support in all fields.