Yemen opposition parties refuse previous calls for violence

By Nasser Arrabyee/05/09/2011

The Yemen opposition parties retracted a call for violence and using weapons for ending the 33-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

“We refuse violence in all its forms, and any call for violence would not represent us,” said an official statement issued Monday by the Islamist-led opposition coalition, which locally known as Joint Meeting Parties (JMPs).

The step came few days after leaders of the JMPs threatened to use military force to help the opposition supporters who demand the ouster of Saleh and to defeat Saleh’s supporters who demand dialogue.

Last week, the defected general Ali Muhsen who supports the 8-month anti-Saleh protests, threatened to topple President Saleh by force. “We know that the revolution needs a military interference, and we will do that,” said Muhsen in press statements.

The chairman of the failed opposition council Mohammed Ba Sendaw described supporters of Saleh as “traitors and hypocrites”.

The tension remains high in the capital Sana’a as people fear of an explosion of the situation anytime because of irresponsible and fiery statements they hear in media.
The government troops still prevent most of the people from entering the capital Sana’a in an attempt to prevent tribesmen who may help opposition supporters in case war erupts inside the city.

Meanwhile, the top authority of the ruling party, General Committee, is to hold a meeting chaired by the vice President Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi, on Tuesday.
The meeting would discuss the authorization of President Saleh for the party to make dialogue with the opposition for reaching a mechanism for implementing the GCC deal for power transfer.

The protesters called for demonstrations on Tuesday to escalate the pressure on the defiant President Saleh to resign.