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| Arabia |
| Yemen leader and Shiite militia 'strike deal' |
| 2015-01-22 |
| [FRANCE24] Yemen's president and Shiite militia reached a nine-point agreement Wednesday under which the militia are to withdraw from government buildings in return for concessions over a draft constitution, state media reported. The Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to Americaâ¢, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews... militia vowed to vacate the presidential palace, which it seized on Tuesday, and to free President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi's chief of staff as part of a deal also agreed by other factions, the Saba news agency, which published the text of the document, reported. In return, it will now be "possible to amend" a draft constitution stipulating the division of Yemen into six federal regions that the Houthis opposed, the agency said. "The draft constitution should be agreed upon by all factions," according to the deal, and Yemen "will be a federal state in accordance with the outcome of the national dialogue". National talks were held in Yemen as stipulated by a UN-backed agreement that eased former president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... from office in 2012 after a year of deadly protests. Turning the country into a federal state was one outcome of the national talks. The agreement also pledges to treat Houthis, known officially as Ansarullah, and other disgruntled factions equally in the allocation of public posts. "Ansarullah and peaceful Southern Movement and all other political factions deprived of equal representation in state institutions will have the right to be appointed in these institutions," the agreement said. "These measures will be implemented immediately," it added. The meeting with Hadi included his advisors who represent some of Yemen's factions, as well as Houthis. The Houthis, friendly to Iran, swept into the capital four months ago and have emerged as the dominant force in the country. For now at least they appear to have decided to stop short of overthrowing Hadi, possibly preferring to exert control over a weakened leader rather than take on the burden of power |
| Posted by:Fred |