Al Houhti rebels violate Qatari-brokered deal, President Saleh says

By Nasser Arrabyee/12/01/2011

The Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Wednesday that Al Houth rebels are violating the Qatari-brokered deal that stopped the war between the rebels and government troops early last year.

“If they the rebels would not stop violating the agreement, the would be held responsible for the consequences,” the official news agency Saba quoted Saleh as saying in a phone conversation with the Qatari prince Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani who is leading mediation efforts to bring peace to Sa’ada.

“The rebels did not abide by the executive program signed in Doha, according to which Qatar has been exerting efforts to bring peace in the framework of the government’s six points accepted by the rebels to stop the military operations.”

“The rebels continue their attacks on the citizens, they refuse handing over the kidnapped people from Sa’ada and Harf Sufyan, refuse to hand over the plundered military equipments, refuse to remove the checkpoints that obstruct the movements of the people, and they still interfere in the affairs of the local authorities.”

Earlier this month, the government released about 600 rebels from prisons. Al Houthi rebels confirmed the release and they said they, in return, handed over 10 military equipments to the government.

Local people in Sa’ada, and Harf Sufyan, and Al Jawf, Al Houthi rebels are still controlling almost everything, their fighters are still in the maintains, and checkpoints.
Qatar is sponsoring a deal agreed by the Yemeni government and Al Houthi rebels to end six-year sporadic war between the two sides.