Yemeni President calls for solving domestic conflicts to focus on al-Qaida

Source: Xinhua , 10/09/2010

Sana’a- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Thursday called on all political forces to solve internal conflicts to focus on fighting al-Qaida, state news agency Saba reported.

"Confronting al-Qaida, drying up its resources and dismantling its networks are everyone's responsibility," President Saleh said in his address to the nation, in which he tackled the country's main challenges of northern Shiite rebellion, southern separatist movement and al-Qaida's threats.

"We renew our call for all political parties to hold a general peace deal to bring a reconciliation in northern Saada province and other southern troubled provinces in order to consolidate the stability and peace of our nation," Saleh said in the address on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of holy fasting month of Ramadan.

"Our people are a strong backup to boost the national dialogue and reconciliation to be expanded among all various political forces," he said.

Yemen has witnessed sporadic battles since 2004 between government troops and the Shiite rebels, also known as Houthis, whom the government accused of seeking to re-establish the clerical rule overthrown by the 1962 Yemeni revolution which created the Yemeni republic.

Yemeni government and northern Shiite rebels signed a new agreement in the Qatari capital Doha on August 27, to cement a fragile ceasefire in northern Yemen and shore up previous truce deals.

However, both sides still traded accusations against each other over breaching the truce after the agreement.

Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries, also faced growing troubles in the south since 2007. Political Southern Movement publicly leads demands to secede southern Yemen from the north over complaining of discrimination against the south, the home of the country's most oil installations.

Northern and southern parts of Yemen were unified in 1990 according to a deal between the People's General Congress and the Yemeni Socialist Party. However, the deal fell apart, leading to a crisis between the two allies, which developed into a civil war in 1994.