Pubdate: Sat, 26 May 2007 Source: Yemen Observer (Yemen) Copyright: 2007 Yemen Observer Contact: http://www.yobserver.com/contactus/contactus.php?issue=86 Website: http://www.yobserver.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3136 Author: Abdul-Aziz Oudah DRUGS FUNDING REBELS,SAYS AL-ALIMI There may be a relationship between the rebel movement in Sa'ada and drug traffickers, said Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Rashad al-Alimi on Thursday. Therefore, a part of the proceeds produced by the drug trade in Yemen, which has been active in the past few years, may be going to finance the terrorist operations of the rebels in Sa'ada, he said.It is pretty much impossible to get response from any of the rebels about these claims, as a total media blackout around the area has prevented the press from going to Sa'ada or doing any reporting there. Armed followers of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi have been battling with government forces in the north since January, and hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting. "The security agencies have definite information that has confirmed that the rebels in Sa'ada take quantities of drugs during fighting with the governmental forces," said al-Alimi at a press conference held in Thursday, May 24. The Minister said that the reason for the increasing drug trade in Yemen and the smuggling of such things to the neighboring countries in the last few months is that the rebels control some border areas with Saudi Arabia. Therefore, they do not find difficulties in smuggling and trafficking these drugs to the neighboring countries. Al-Alimi claimed that the security situation in Sa'ada was completely under the governmental forces' control, except in three districts: Ghamer, Qataber and Razeh. However, the army could break into these districts and dominate them, except for one fortress, where some rebels are. Those rebels have taken hundreds of unarmed citizens and deployed them as human shields around the fortress. He also said that the rebels include no more than 1,600 people, including 880 people who were recently released according to orders by President Ali Abdullah Saleh as part of the general amnesty for those involved in the first war with these rebels. The minister said that military operations in Sa'ada were suspended to celebrate the Day of Yemeni Unification and to give religious scholars the chance to discuss this issue with the rebels. The government awaits the rebels' reaction.In related news, al-Alimi said that the security forces defused five bombs planted by some the elements of the rebels in Sana'a on May 21 after the explosion of one bomb in the sailah in Old Sana'a. These explosives were found in cardboard boxes in places frequented by children, women and the public, he said.As for the rumored external interference in these events, al-Alimi said that one of the most important pieces of evidence of Iranian involvement in support of the rebel movement in the Sa'ada is that one rebel possessed a document from the Iranian embassy regarding the establishment of an Islamic state in Yemen on the Iranian model. The rebel, Mohammad al-Dailami, was carrying the document when he was arrested in Sana'a and subsequently sentenced to death. This document shows al-Dailami's agreement with the Charge D'affaires of the Iranian ambassador in Sana'a.The agreement also says that the cooperation will begin by establishing private associations that will receive the Iranian support. Al-Alimi said that a group of Iranians has been arrested for their alleged involvement in the drug trade, and that it is likely that they have links to the leadership of the rebellion.He said that Yemen told Iran that their official media, such as al-Alam Channel and Tehran Radio, have been supporting the al-Houthi rebels. Also, some of the leaders of the rebels are guests of religious groups in Iran. He accused the Iranian intelligence services of arranging demonstrations against Yemen in front of the Yemeni embassy in Tehran, while the Yemeni government refused to allow civic organizations to do demonstrations against the Iranian interference in Yemen for the sake of the relations with Iran as an Islamic state. Al-Alimi asked Iran to clarify its position publicly and explicitly toward the rebels of Sa'ada as Libya has done. Libya has sent an envoy with a message condemning the rebel movement. Al-Alimi said that large numbers of Yemenis went to Libya and received monetary sums under various names, and Yahya al-Houthi received financial support from Libya, which was used to support the insurgency in Sa'ada. He called upon Libya to harness these moneys in the service of development in Yemen. Al-Alimi said that the Yemeni government appreciates Libya's stance of refusing to interfere in the internal affairs of Yemen and has demanded that practical steps necessary to prove this commitment be taken. He denied the existence of any Arab mediation in the conflict in Sa'ada, and also he denied the involvement of any other Yemeni elements in this conflict. But he added that he had information about the presence of non-Yemeni doctors and nurses working to treat rebels in al-Naq'ah near the Yemeni-Saudi border. Al-Alimi said that the government has closed the weapons markets nationwide, and collected a large quantity of weapons. This project costs tens of billions of rials, and has received the support of some Gulf States.Field committees have been formed to collect weapons from traders and sheiks, and local communities. He said that after six months the government will have confiscated all weapons. The government is inviting the members of the Shura Council and the Parliament to cooperate to end this scourge on Yemeni society. Al-Alimi said that next July the Interior Ministry would begin implementation of the last stage of the security plan, which will ensure security along the highways. In other news, he said that 750,000 refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania are currently living in Yemen. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman