Saleh: Summit goes after previous ones

SANA'A, March 28 (Saba) - President Ali Abdullah Saleh has expected
the Arab summit, to be held on 29-30 March in Qatar's capital, Doha,
will go after previous summits without effective decisions, urging
Arab leaders to put an end to their rift.

In an interview with the London-based Alhayat newspaper, Saleh
called on his Arab counterparts to have a united voice to narrow
choices for foreign interventions, saying the current situation in
the Arab World prompts Israel's arrogance and the surge in foreign
role at the expense of Arab states.

Internally, and particularly regarding the most crucial issue in the
democratic history in the country, Saleh said he wanted this year
parliamentary elections to be delayed for only sixty days but, he
said, the ruling party and opposition preferred a two-year delay to
solve all differences.

Saleh, however, pointed out that Yemeni figures living abroad help
ignite turbulence in Yemen particularly in south.

In reply to a question on a surge in terrorist attacks in Yemen,
Saleh said al-Qaeda finds Yemen as a good operating location due to
its geographic nature where there are suitable desert and
mountainous places to recruit, plan and commit attacks.

Among other reasons, he said, are that the organization takes
advantage of young failure to wash their brains and that it uses
poverty and bad living conditions to employ needy people.

Another factor is that Yemen was one of regional countries who sent
citizens to fight soviet troops in Afghanistan and when they
returned to their homeland they used to attract those young who did
not complete their study and are poor.

Among al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen are Saudis, he said, affirming
coordination between Yemen authorities and their Saudi counterparts
is good that the two countries are tightening border security to
thwart drug and weapon trafficking and wanted suspects' infiltration.

In reply to a question about Iran's influence in the region, Saleh
said the absence of Arab united voice towards all developments in
the Arab region is behind all disasters in many parts of the region,
mainly Somalia, Iraq, Sudan and Comoros. We welcome Iran as it is a
Muslim state but Arabs come first when solving their issues.

meddling in Arab affairs either from Muslim and foreign countries is
a direct result of Arab failure in dealing with their issues
seriously and with responsibility, he said, adding, commenting on a
question on Iranian and Libyan roles in the Houthi rebellion, that
Iranians and Arabs seek a mediation role in tackling the crisis in
north.

In this regard, President Saleh said the two sides had agreed to
cease fire with the government side proposing some terms that rebels
have to adhere and those the Houthi followers accepted.

Saleh said Hezbollah doesn't provide any aid for the rebels but some
Hezbollah affiliates may do so.

Regarding the handover of Gitmo's Yemeni detainees, Saleh said we
called for transferring them to homeland but the US asked to detain
the Yemeni Gitmo returnees.

"We can't jail innocent people and those who can be found guilty
will stand trial," he said.

And when we informed the US authorities we will establish a special
center to rehabilitate Yemeni Gitmo returnees, the US said they
doubt effectiveness of our rehabilitation programs.

The US wants to send the Yemeni Guantanamo detainees to Saudi Arabia
in a bid to ensure they will not regroup, affirming they talked to
Saudis about the matter and that Saudis had accepted to receive
Yemeni Gitmo returnees.

But we insist on receiving our nationals and that we can ensure
their reintegration into the society.

FR