Al-Houthi rebels ready to abide by the State's conditions

YEMEN - Al-Houthi rebels said Saturday that they would abide by all conditions set by the government if the military operations against them stopped.

"We are ready to comply with all conditions set by the government, if there is a fair and comprehensive solution that will guarantee the war will never erupt again," said Mohammed Abdul Salam, the spokesman of the rebels.

"The government should declare the cease-fire and sit with al-Houthis and look to their demands," said the spokesman in a response to a call by the country's highest security committee for the rebels to abide by the six conditions set by the government if they want to end the war.

If the rebels abided by the six conditions, and proved their seriousness to implement them, then ceasefire will happen and a mechanism and certain period of time for full implementation of these conditions will be immediately set, said a statement issued Saturday by the Supreme Security Committee (SSC) which supervises the ongoing 4-month war.

The statement said the war will stop if the rebels agree to the state's six conditions. The conditions are ceasefire, open roads, remove mines, go down from mountains, and end barricading; full withdrawal from districts (from government's buildings in the centers of the districts) and not interfere in the affairs of the local authorities; return the plundered military and civil equipments (heavy weapons etc); release the military and civil people held by them; abide by the constitution, law, and order, and not attack the lands of the fraternal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The call by the security committee comes after the President Ali Abdullah Saleh called al-Houthi rebels for peace on the New Year.

In an article written by him in the editorial of the official al-Thawrah daily entitled "Let 2010 Be the Year of Peace" President Saleh called the rebels to abide by the six conditions if they want the war to be over.

He also called the secessionist groups in the south for dialogue under the ceiling of unity and constitution.

In the same article, Saleh urged al-Qaeda operatives to put down weapons and renounce violence and extremism if they want to save their lives.

"Those elements used to take advantage of that to prepare themselves and pile weapons and supplies, building barricades, planting mine son roads, taking hold of government centers and attacking the citizens and their possessions and public institutors and preparing for a fresh round of confrontations," said Saleh.

Moreover, he called on all Yemeni political and social forces to put the interest of the country ahead of other interests and come together through the previously called national dialog to address crucial issues and answer the questions of the public.

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