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| Arabia |
| Yemen rejects Houthi rebels' ceasefire offer |
| 2010-02-01 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] The Yemeni government has rejected an offer of a truce by northern Houthi rebels, stressing that it should also include a pledge not to attack neighboring Saudi Arabia, a government official said Sunday. The offer, made by the rebels' leader on Saturday, was further more rejected because rebels were demanding the government end its military operations first, the official said Despite the rebel truce offer, clashes also broke out overnight between Yemen's forces and northern Shiite rebels, prompting the government to announce another 24 Houthis killed. Government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said fighting broke out on three fronts near Saada, 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of the capital Sanaa, and that government jets were launching raids in the area. The defense ministry news website 26 September, meanwhile, said a rebel chief, identified as Qaed Abu Malik, was killed along with 20 other comrades in the Safia area of Saada province. It also claimed the killing of three other rebels while they tried to sneak to farms near al-Aqab, also in Saada, a stronghold of the rebels who are also known as Houthis. Prepared to accept conditions Rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said on Saturday he was prepared to accept government conditions for a truce, which include removal of rebel checkpoints and clarification on the fate of kidnapped foreigners "in order to stop the bloodshed and the genocide against civilians, and to end the catastrophic situation in the country." Houthi's statement came on the heels of an announcement from the rebels on Monday that they would withdraw from Saudi land. The world's top oil exporter was drawn into a conflict between Yemen's government and the rebels in November, when Riyadh launched a military assault against the insurgents after they seized some Saudi territory. Houthi, who said he was renewing his acceptance of the Yemeni government's conditions, had previously expressed willingness to end the fighting. But this was the first time he said directly that he would accept Sanaa's terms. The growing instability in Yemen is a worry to Western powers, who fear the country could become a failed state, allowing al Qaeda to strengthen its operations there. Britain hosted talks on Yemen in London last week after an attempt to bomb a plane on Dec. 25 on its way to Detroit drew the world's attention to al Qaeda in Yemen. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 DAILY TIMES.PK > STABILIZING YEMEN WILL TEST DONORS' STAMINA [ + $$$ deep pockets]. IMO prob fair to say DITTO FOR HAITI, espec as per US fears of ISLAMIST EXPLOITATION OF PERVASIVE, PERENNIAL LOCAL POVERTY + POLIT CORRUPTION-NEPOTISMS + ECON CHAOS. * Also from DAILY TIMES.PK > seems PAKISTAN is all but offcially joining the US, SAUDI fight agz the Houthis??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-02-01 19:37 |