Aidros al-Naqib, the Socialist bloc leader, ensured that the JMP would continue boycotting the parliament sessions.

The JMP blocs will not return to the sessions unless they receive a reply to the message that they sent to the parliament’s presidency regarding the implementation of the February agreement, Aidros announced, pointing out that the parliament has not responded to the message.

He ensured that they will only return when they receive a response or by an order from their JMP leadership.

The JMP message to the parliament has demanded the annulment of all procedures contrary to the February 2009 agreement, ensuring that the non-implementation of the February deal undermines the legality of the institutions, and questions the objectives for which the parliament has been extended.

The JMP blocs hope to live up to their commitments, ensuring that they will do their best for the implementation of the February agreement, which is regarded as a basis for legitimacy of the parliament extension.

They called for the commencement on the necessary measures that pave the way for arranging the political climate, for stopping the military and security dealings in Sa’adah and the south. They proposed the release of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. They also proposed the stoppage of crackdown on journalists and to stop the media instigative campaigns.

They called for agreement on resolving the southern and Sa’adah issues, as well as the approval of political reform. The JMP blocs demanded the discussion and adoption of political reforms and constitutional amendments. The legal and electoral reforms, in JMP message should include the proportional representation in elections, the election law amendments, as well as the formation of the supreme elections committee.

 They pointed out to the necessity of the unanimity by political forces on national issues. On top of these forces comes the GPC, the JMP parties, and the national dialogue committee, in addition to the effective social figures. They called the internal and external parties involved in the southern question and Sa’adah to live to their responsibilities and sit on a round table for resolving all the country’s problems in as a short time as possible, suggesting constitutional and legal amendments for guarantee of the accomplishment of the national dialogue tasks, for holding the next elections in their scheduled time in April 2011.

The parliament started its current sessions amid wide MPs absence. The session was postponed until noon for lack of quorum.

Parliament Speaker, Yahia al-Rai’ criticized the MPs’ poor attendance and expressed regret that the council is resuming its work this year with the spirit of irresponsibility.

The session was preceded with informal discussions, with a proposal by the parliament speaker to deduct the financial allowances of the absentees for Sa’adah displaced people. He also proposed disciplinary actions, draw the attention of the absent members in addition to the publishing their names and the measures that the parliament takes against them in the official media.

MP Ahmed al-Rokaihi confirmed the proposal of his colleague Yahia al-Wajih in not taking any measures against the absentees to avoid escalating the dispute with the opposition blocs who are boycotting the sessions for several months in protest against not holding complementary elections in vacant constituencies.

MP Mohammed Naji al-Shaif suggested that the parliamentary blocks should be called to a meeting aiming at the resumption of the sessions because the MPs represent the people rather than their parties.

The Parliament speaker said that the opposition leaders came last year with a petition that shows extremism, however he considered their attendance to be a positive gesture, and a session is scheduled to discuss the message.

Nabil Basha considered the boycott to be a political decision by leaders from outside the parliament. MP Sahkr al-Wajih said that the absence problem is a persistent one since 2003, pointing out that a parliamentary committee had recommended that the names of absent members should be publish in the official Gazette but none of that happened.

Abdul-Aziz Jubari said that the JMP has the right to boycott the sessions, however this does not prevent taking actions against absentees.

It should be noted that the draft law for amending the law of carrying and possession of arms tops the parliament agenda at the beginning of the New Year. According to the agenda the parliament should review a supplementary report demanding that the Defense and Security Committee should reconsider definitions in a paragraph that enters possession and carrying of arms within the arms law. The new definition has aroused an over six years long controversy.