The Saudi prisoners to be handed over today

By Nasser Arrabyee/14/02/2010

The five Saudi prisoners, held by Al Houthi rebels during the war, will be handed over to the Yemeni government, who will hand them to the Saudi authorities, said sources close the mediation Sunday.

Sheikh Nasser Kersha, the tribal sheikh from Sa'ada, who is leading the mediation between the Yemeni government and Al Houthi rebels, will hand the five Saudi prisoners to the Yemeni government today Sunday, the sources said.

Handing over the Saudi prisoners was the first condition by the Saudi government. The Saudi authorities want also the Yemeni troops to deploy in the border areas where Al Houthi rebels position as the second condition by the Saudis.

The spokesman of Al Houthi rebels, Mohammed Abdul Al Salam, said the Saudi prisoners would be handed to the mediator Nasser Kersha on Saturday.

The Saudi army liberated about 25 prisoners after Al Houthi rebels arrested about 30 Saudi soldiers during the battles with the Saudi forces, which erupted early Novmber after the rebels attacked the Saudi territories.

Meanwhile, Al Houthi rebels said Sunday they have opened the roads in the areas around Sa'ada city, ended the barricades and lifted the checkpoints, as the first step for implementing the government's six conditions they previously accepted for ending the war.


"We have completed the withdrawal from the areas around the airport of Sa'ada, where the airplane can now land, and we opened the roads in Al Okab and the areas around Sa'ada city, where there is no more barricades and check points, " said the rebels spokesman.

However, the committee in charge of supervising the implementation of the six conditions, said the first thing the rebels should do is to open the strategic high way, Sa'ada-Bakem, the road which passes through the most important strongholds of the rebels, to the far north of Sa'ada province.

Despite of the cease-fire, the security sources said that snipers of Al Houthi injured five soldiers Saturday in different places.

Three soldiers were injured with Al Houthi bullets in the checkpoints of Al Ain, and one in the old city of Sa'ada, and the fiveth in Al Safra district east of Sa'ada, the security sources said. The security agencies urged Al Houthi rebels to take the chance of peace and stop violating the cease-fire.