The presidencies of ˓Abd al-Fattāḥ Ismā ˓īl and ˓Alī Nāṣir Muḥammad

The defeat of Sālim Rubiyya˓ ˓Alī and the establishment of the YSP seemed, at first sight, to introduce a new, more stable, phase in the postindependence evolution of South Yemen. With the transformation of the NLF into a centralised ‘scientific’ socialist party, on the Soviet model, and the resolution of the main division within the leadership itself, the transformation begun in the early 1970s appeared to be complete. South Yemen faced the second decade of independence with a clear leadership strategy, and a more structured and comprehensive relationship with its main ally, the USSR. These prospects were, however, to be subject to severe strain in the years ahead. While the overall alliance with the USSR survived, as did the YSP regime itself, the pressures of regional issues, intersecting with continued factionalism in Aden, were to subject the relationship with Moscow to considerable strain, and to place the future of the whole regime in jeopardy.

At first, this process of strengthening USSR-PDRY links seemed to be continuing successfully in the period after the YSP Congress. In June 1979 the PDRY acquired observer status with Comecon and in September 1979 Soviet Premier Kosygin visited Aden. In October President ˓Abd al-Fattāḥ Ismā˓īl visited Moscow and signed a Twenty- Year Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation with the USSR, as well as new agreements on economic and technical co-operation and on CPSUYSP relations.