President Saleh says Houthi’s rebellion was “foreign conspiracy”

SANA’A, May 14 (Saba) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Saturday that a “foreign conspiracy” was behind the last year’s rebellion led Hussein Badruddin al-Houthi. Addressing a meeting of senior ulemas, MPs and members of the Shura Council, President Saleh said he had issued a general amnesty for followers of al-Houthi, who was killed in fighting with the security forces in the province of Saada last September. He said al-Houthi and his followers constituted the military wing of the opposition al-Haq and People’s Popular Forces parties. President Saleh asked the country’s leading religious scholars to launch a dialogue with detained supporters of al-Houthi to persuade them to shun there fundamentalist ideas. “I entrust you with persuading them,” President Saleh told clerics. “Then, they will be released. We do not want to keep any prisoner.” The president noted that al-Houthi’s aide, Abdullah Eydha al-Razami and al-Houthi’s brother Abdul-Malik had pledged to return to the straight bath and refrain from their extremist thoughts, but have not respect their pledge. He denied allegations that the authorities have dismissed teachers who hold al-Houthi thoughts, saying those who had been discharged from their gobs were only those who participated in the battles against the governmental forces. NA/KM SABA