Al Houthi rebels refuse mechanism for ending the war

By Nasser Arrabyee/08/02/2010

Al Houthi rebels refused a government mechanism for implementing the conditions they previously accepted for ending the war.

The mechanism cannot be implemented in the ground, said the mediator, Hassan Zaid late Monday after he handed over the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh a proposal from the rebels on how to implement the six conditions for ending the war.

Earlier this week, the government handed over a timetable and mechanism to the rebels on how to implement its six conditions for ending the 7-month
old sixth round of the 6-year old sporadic war.

The conditions include the rebels going down from the mountains, handing over the weapons and not attacking the territories of the neighboring Saudi Arabia.

The war in the ground is continuing. More than 10 soldiers and 15 rebels were killed on Monday in clashes between the two sides in the three main frontlines in the areas around Sa'ada city, Harf Sufyan, and Al Malahaid, according to independent and military sources.

Meanwhile, General Yahya Saleh, commander of the Yemen's Central Security, said the attempts to end the war with the rebels would fail expecting a new round of war with them.

The General Yahaya Saleh , who is the nephew of President Saleh, said Monday that the six conditions accepted by the rebels represent the weaknesses of the government and not the strengths.

"The government must have set only one condition asking the rebels to surrender themselves and hand over all weapons they have, and then the rebels leaders must be put on trial," Said Yahya Saleh, in a press conference held Monday in Sana'a after he sent food and medical assistance caravan worth 40 million YR to the displaced people from the war in Sa'ada.

The caravan which includes hundreds of cars laden food and shelter stuffs, was sent in the name of the Kanan organization for Palestine, a Yemeni NGO concerned with the Palestinian issue headed by General Yahya Saleh.