Houthis Rule Out Occupation Of Sanaa

A leading member of the Shiite Houthi movement on Monday denied reports that his movement was mulling the occupation of capital Sanaa, adding that Yemen's current conditions weren't suitable for such a move.



Mohamed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi group's political council, stressed that his group would take escalatory – albeit peaceful – measures against the government only, asserting that Sanaa was a city for all Yemenis.



"But if any party monopolizes decision-making, this will not only threaten Yemen's stability, but its unity as well," al-Bukhaiti told Anadolu Agency.



He invited Yemenis to help bring down their country's entire political process, calling for a grassroots political process that satisfied the interests of the Yemeni people.



"When a political process is imposed from abroad, it only serves the interests of the people who imposed it," al-Bukhaiti said.



He added that certain foreign powers wanted to settle old scores with some of Yemen's political forces, which, he contended, contributed to instability in the country.



Al-Bukhaiti said his movement only wanted to bring the Yemeni government down – not the Yemeni president himself.



He noted that most of Yemen's political forces were not opposed to President ABD Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.



"But we still call on the president to preserve this position and not to take sides with anybody against the other," al-Bukhaiti said.



On Monday, Houthi activists blocked main roads across Sanaa in response to calls by group leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi to step up popular action against the government of Prime Minister Mohamed Basindawa.



The Houthis blocked Al-Adl, Al-Zaraa and Tahrir Square streets for one hour after protest organizers announced they had brought traffic in the capital to a complete halt, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter at the scene.



The Houthis demand the dismissal of Basindawa's government and the reversal of an earlier government decision to slash fuel subsidies.



Yemen has remained in turmoil since mid-August, when tens of thousands of Houthis began besieging Sanaa.



An earlier presidential mediation committee failed to persuade the Houthis to lift their siege on the capital and stop escalating.



Previous confrontations between Houthi militants and Yemeni army troops in the country's north have left hundreds of dead and injured on both sides.



Yemen has remained in the grip of instability ever since the 33-year rule of autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh ended in 2012 amid the "Arab Spring" uprisings that swept through the region.



By Ali Oweida



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Sana