President adds more mediators for Houthi surrender

SANA’A, July 27 (Saba) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered on Tuesdaythat more members be added to the committee in charge of convincing rebelleader Hussein Badruddin al-Houthi to surrender. More clerics, religious scholars, high-profile political leaders are nowon the committee, an official source said. They include Yemen Association of Religious Scholars member Hamoud Abbasal-Mouayyad, Islah Secretary General Abdul-Wahab al-Anisi, GPC SecretaryGeneral Mohammed Hussein, Minister of Justice Adnan al-Jafri, Presidentof al-Haq party Hamoud al-Shami, Secretary General of the Socialist partMohammed Ghaleb and Assistant Secretary General of Popular Forces UnionMohammed Abdul-Malik al-Moutawakil. President Saleh asked Sheikhs of Saada to select five of them to representthem in the mediation with al-Houthi “whose diehard sedition has bredmisery” for the people of Marran where he has been leading rebellion againstthe government since June 18, the source said. The inclusion of more members, a demand of the Joint Meeting parties,is meant to mitigate the impact of the fighting there. AA/KM