28/01/2010 UNITED STATES/YEMEN
Washington imposes a ceasefire with the Houtis

The Obama administration has made its aid to Yemen conditional on a negociated truce with the Houtis. Operations against Al Qaeda are considered the priority.

The Yemen’s foreign affairs minister, Abou Bakr al Kourbi, was in meetings all last week in Washington with the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, former ambassador to Beirut. According to the tran****** of the discussions obtained by Intelligence Online, the American openly called into question the efficaciousness of the war led by Sanaa against the Houti in the north of the country, which has led to heavy military losses and is a distraction for Ali Abdallah Saleh’s administration, which the U.S. feels should be concentrating on the eradication of jihadist military camps in the south of the country. Recent attacks in the U.S. were organised in liaison with Yemen ****d groups (IOL 609). Al Kourbi vigorously defended Yemen's war against the Houti rebels, arguing that the movement is backed by Iran. That claim which is also made by Saudi Arabia has not been substantiated by any hard evidence so far. Another worry for Washington: the war against the Houtis is enhancing the stature of general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, in charge of operations in the north. American intelligence services suspect that he is linked to the jihadists and may have aided and protected Abdusalam al-Hile, the instigator of the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000 who is held in Guantanamo. Often described as the half-brother of president Saleh, the general is in fact only a distant cousin. A member of the al-Ahmar tribe as is the president, he is very popular figure in the Army and is considered a potential successor to the head of state, despite being 63. After three rounds of negotiations with Abou Bakr al Kourbi, Jeffrey Feltman laid down several conditions for extra military and financial aid to Sanaa from the U.S.: a negotiated ceasefire with the Houtis; the removal of Mohsen al-Ahmar; the destruction of jihadist and the stemming of the Islamist movement in Yemen, lead by the influential Sheik Abdul Majid al Zindani, director of Sanaa’s al-Iman Islamist university. On the ground, secret contacts have already been made with the Houtis through the Hached, one of Yemen’s most influential tribes. Saudi Arabia, which is backing Yemen's military against the Houtis, has also been speaking to the rebel movement to negotiate a ceasefire.The Yemen’s foreign affairs minister, Abou Bakr al Kourbi, was in meetings all last week in Washington with the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, former ambassador to Beirut. According to the tran****** of the discussions obtained by Intelligence Online, the American openly called into question the efficaciousness of the war led by Sanaa against the Houti in the north of the country, which has led to heavy military losses and is a distraction for Ali Abdallah Saleh’s administration, which the U.S. feels should be concentrating on the eradication of jihadist military camps in the south of the country. Recent attacks in the U.S. were organised in liaison with Yemen ****d groups (IOL 609). Al Kourbi vigorously defended Yemen's war against the Houti rebels, arguing that the movement is backed by Iran. That claim which is also made by Saudi Arabia has not been substantiated by any hard evidence so far. Another worry for Washington: the war against the Houtis is enhancing the stature of general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, in charge of operations in the north. American intelligence services suspect that he is linked to the jihadists and may have aided and protected Abdusalam al-Hile, the instigator of the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000 who is held in Guantanamo. Often described as the half-brother of president Saleh, the General is in fact only a distant cousin. A member of the al-Ahmar tribe as is the president, he is very popular figure in the Army and is considered a potential successor to the head of state, despite being 63. After three rounds of negotiations with Abou Bakr al Kourbi, Jeffrey Feltman laid down several conditions for extra military and financial aid to Sanaa from the U.S.: a negotiated ceasefire with the Houtis; the removal of Mohsen al-Ahmar; the destruction of jihadist and the stemming of the Islamist movement in Yemen, lead by the influential Sheik Abdul Majid al Zindani, director of Sanaa’s al-Iman Islamist university. On the ground, secret contacts have already been made with the Houtis through the Hached, one of Yemen’s most influential tribes. Saudi Arabia, which is backing Yemen's military against the Houtis, has also been speaking to the rebel movement to negotiate a ceasefire