Yemen rebels sue for peace

Source: arab news Agencies

SANAA: The leader of Yemen’s rebels has declared the war with Saudi Arabia over and says he will pull his fighters out of Saudi territory. In an audio recording posted on the Internet, the rebel leader, Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi, said this was a “real chance” for peace between the two sides and called on the Kingdom to accept his unilateral cease-fire. There was no official Saudi response to Al-Houthi’s statement, but Prince Khaled bin Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation, said Yemeni intruders would think several times before launching another attack on the Kingdom. Speaking to reporters after opening a medical conference in Riyadh on Monday, Prince Khaled said: “All border regions (in the south) are under our full control for more than a month.” The minister added that the Interior Ministry’s forces would deal with drug and weapons smugglers and other infiltrators. He said both Saudi and Yemeni forces are doing their job in protecting the border between the two neighbors. “What had happened was a group of intruders attacked our people. By the Grace of God, we have driven them away. There are still some more and we have surrounded them,” he explained. Turki Al-Sudairy, editor in chief of Al-Riyadh Arabic daily, said Al-Houthi’s statement reflected the weakness of his group, especially after Saudi forces launched a massive campaign to drive them out of the country. Another Saudi writer Jasser Al-Jasser said there is nothing exciting in Houthi initiative after Saudi forces have taken control of the region. Yemen’s government has been fighting the rebels on and off since 2004, but the conflict intensified last summer when Sanaa launched Operation Scorched Earth to quash the latest upsurge in violence. Saudi Arabia was forced into the fray in November when rebels intruded into Saudi territory, killing two Saudi border guards. At least 133 Saudi soldiers have died in the fighting since then in the rugged border region. Al-Houthi said that if Saudi Arabia did not end its hostilities in return, the rebels would wage an “open war” on the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia has said that the rebels have links with Al-Qaeda. When reporters asked Prince Khaled about this on Saturday, he said: “We have confirmed information ... that there is communication and coordination between the two groups.” Yemen’s Interior Ministry said on its website on Monday that around 30 suspected Al-Qaeda militants were killed recently in a campaign against the group, but did not say when the deaths took place. Al-Qaeda also killed three soldiers in the south of the country in an attack on Sunday, while six people including three soldiers were wounded in clashes with separatists, according to a local official. Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr Al-Qirbi told an Arabic newspaper on Monday that the country was asking for help in facing Al-Qaeda, but not against rebels or southern secessionists. “We are asking for help when it comes to Al-Qaeda and development, but in interior issues we look to treat them as interior issues,” he said. Kuwaiti Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Muhammad Al-Sabah on Monday reiterated the support of his country and other GCC states to Saudi Arabia in its fight against Yemeni infiltrators and terrorists.