REBEL LEADER INJURED, NOT KILLED: SENIOR YEMENI OFFICIAL

SANA'A, Jan. 19 (Saba) – A Yemeni senior official has denied that
rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi had been killed, saying the
leader was seriously wounded and he is currently in his home village
in the district of Marran, Saada.

Deputy prime minister for Internal Affairs Sadiq Ameen Abu Ras said
that President Saleh has many times pointed to the injuries of al
Houthi.

The war against the Houthi insurgents in the far north will not be
stopped until militants start implementing the ceasefire conditions
announced by the government, he also said.


In interview with the UAE newspaper of Al Khaleej, Abu Ras also said
that dialog with former vice president who fled Yemen after the 1994
civil war Ali Salim al Beidh and the southern movement was welcome
but on condition it takes place under the roof of unity.

'Separation is an outdated matter and now thousands of Yemeni people
are ready to be devoted for defending national unity,' he said.

The state never deals with gangs, we have a constitution and
enforced laws, hence it is normal that the state places conditions
including that any dialog should be under national principles.

The government had put a timetable to end the insurgency, and now
about 60 percent of the project has been completed.

Anyway, the government is ready to set table and talk to anyone to
pull our country of all problems, he said.

In reply to a question about al Qaeda, Abu Ras said the organization
is operating in many places on the globe and we all experienced
terrorist attacks, particularly after the 9/11.

Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen are of those who came back from
Afghanistan but they returned with their minds being changed.

In regard of fighting terrorism, Abu Ras said Yemen never accepts
foreign troops on its soil, because the matter is related to Yemen's
sovereignty.

Yemen is able to tackle its problems first and foremost al Qaeda, he
said, adding other countries can only provide intelligence and
economic aid to us.

'Al Qaeda in Yemen is nothing and the world should learn from
invading Afghanistan and Iraq where the organization became stronger
only after foreign intervened in the two Muslim states.'

On a Britain-called conference on Yemen set for later this month in
London, he said the initiative was hailed and the meeting aims to
discuss how to support Yemen to face its economic and security
challenges.

FR