Yemen's Houthis Reject Presidential İnitiative

Yemen's Shiite Houthi group on Tuesday rejected an initiative tabled by President ABD Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, which called for sacking the government and drawing up a new national unity government within one week.



In a statement on his official Facebook page, Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdel-Salam said Hadi's initiative was an attempt to "evade the Yemeni people's demands."



"We are still on the side of the people who took to the streets to call for their legitimate and just rights," Abdel-Salam asserted.



Earlier in the day, Hadi said he had decided to sack the government and reduce fuel prices – two core demands voiced by tens of thousands of Shiite Houthi demonstrators who have been staging countrywide rallies since last month.



Hadi's decisions were based on the recommendations of a committee formed by the president to mediate a solution to the political crisis that has gripped the country since mid-August.



According to the initiative, the president has the right to appoint the heads of "strategic" ministries, which include the ministries of interior, defense and foreign affairs.



The president also called on the Shiite Houthi group – along with southern separatist groups – to take part in a new government of national unity.



The initiative comes only one day after Houthi activists blocked main roads in capital Sanaa, vowing to further escalate their "revolutionary action."



The Houthis have taken to the streets since August 14 to demand the dismissal of the government and the reversal of a recent government decision to slash fuel subsidies.



In July, the government raised the price of gasoline by 75 percent and diesel fuel by 90 percent as part of a plan to reduce fuel subsidies.



Thousands of Houthis have been staging protests in Sanaa since mid-August to demand the dismissal of Prime Minister Mohamed Basindawa's government and the reversal of an earlier government decision to slash fuel subsidies.



Earlier confrontations in the country's north between the Houthis and Yemeni army troops have left hundreds dead and injured on both sides.



Yemen has been gripped by turmoil since the 33-year rule of autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh ended in 2012 following mass protests that came as part of the region's "Arab Spring" uprisings.



By Ali Oweida



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Sana