MP’s Visiting Saada
Well thats a good idea, considering the journos are excluded, for the MP’s to go. Maybe finally we can have an independent (?) assessment of the humanitarian situation. From News Yemen:
The General People’s Congress’ (GPC) assistant secretary-general and head of the GPC parliamentary block, Sultan al-Barakani said that the MPs as members of a parliamentary delegation visiting Saada on Monday just want to get acquainted with the situation there….Yemen Observer newspaper website in Arabic has quoted al-Barakani as saying that the visit aims to be acquainted with the governorate and evaluate the security and developmental situation in it, adding that the visit will also include many of its districts, especially the remote ones that were scenes of military fighting between the government forces and the rebels. He has pointed out that the MPs will meet citizens and the local authorities to discuss with them the needs of the governorate and its problems and what could the parliament offer in this regard….
Abdulmalik al-Houthi said whom he described as his followers had ceased fire, indicating that they “are keen on the comprehensive peaceful solution and we use arms just for self-defense rather than achieving demands” He denied his signing of any agreement with the government, but said ceasefire was achieved by virtue of the good efforts and that he was feeling a positive official direction for solving the issue. Al-Shoura net has quoted him as saying that the dialogue is the ideal way to reach a solution sparing bloodshed and stopping daily losses. He added that there are some parties in the authority beneficiary from the war and they work for its continuation.
The residents sent out a pamphlet in April ‘05 that 65,000 residents had their homes destroyed, about 8000 homes presumably. I cant imagine that they’ve all been resettled or that things have improved in the last year. Its worrisome. So its good somebody is going in, considering its been closed off for the better part of two years. More on the new governor in the Yemen Times.
