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2nd LD: Yemen's Houthi, Saleh declare formation of "presidential council"

Xinhua, July 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

Yemen's Shiite Houthi group and its ally former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's party on Thursday declared formation of a presidential council to run the country, in a joint statement carried by the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency.

"Due to the arrogance of Saudi aggression and its allies, their continuing killing of our people and the destruction of public and private property on daily basis before the eyes of the international community and the United Nations in particular," they said.

"We decide to form a supreme political council from the General People's Congress (Saleh's party) and Ansarullah (Houthi group) to run the country in all it's affairs of politics, economy, military and security, to confront the Saudi aggression, and planning the public policy of Yemen in accordance with the constitution," they said.

As consequently, the Houthi-run Supreme Revolutionary Committee is abolished.

In the statement, they expressed frustration with the ongoing UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait, accusing Saudi Arabia of buying the United Nations to issue resolutions on behalf of its (Saudi) coalition.

According to Saba, the agreement between the Houthi group and Saleh's party was singed on Thursday in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.

They agreed on a rotating leadership to the presidential council that includes a president and a vice president from both sides.

The move came as the Houthi armed group and its ally party of former President Saleh have been engaging in UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait since April that have so far failed to achieve progress.

The move signals the end of peace talks.

Houthi and Saleh have refused to obey the UN Security Council Resolution 2216 that orders Houthi and Saleh to withdraw from the capital Sanaa and other cities, hand over weapons back to the legitimate government and end their rebellion.

Instead, they insist to form a joint presidential council and transitional government and to be included in both leaderships.

Saudi Arabia has been leading a military coalition against Houthis and Saleh's forces in Yemen since March 26, in support of the elected government of a country torn by civil war since three years ago.

The Iranian-allied Houthis, who are based in the far north border province of Saada and backed by forces loyal to former President Saleh, stormed the capital Sanaa and forced internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi with his government into exile in 2014 over charges of corruption.

The civil war and airstrikes have killed more than 6,400 people, half of them civilians, injured more than 35,000 others and displaced over two millions, according to humanitarian aid agencies. Endit