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| Arabia | |
| Yemen's rebel leader ready for truce talks | |
| 2009-10-12 | |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Yemen's leader of the Zaidi Shiite rebels, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said on Saturday he is ready for a "dialogue" proposed by opposition leaders after two months of bloody battles with government troops in the northern province of Saada. "We are ready for dialogue, to respond positively to all national initiatives and to stand alongside all honorable people wanting to save the country from corruption and injustice," Houthi said in a statement aired on Al Arabiya TV. Last month an opposition alliance urged Sanaa to halt Operation Scorched Earth, launched against the rebels on Aug. 11, and to also promote development in Yemen's south in order to preserve the unity of the impoverished country. Houthi did not specifically mention the possibility of dialogue with the government, which accuses the rebels of being supported by Iran, a charge the Zaidis and Tehran deny. But rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdessalam told the AFP news agency: "We are ready for dialogue with all political parties in Yemen including the government." His group would accept "Yemeni or Arab" mediation aimed at a ceasefire. A government official who asked not to be named said the rebels should meet the six conditions the state has set for a ceasefire. "We are pleased the rebels are opening up to dialogue but they must fully comply with the six points set by the government at the start of the war," he told AFP.
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| Posted by:Fred |