Yemen PM supports ex-president in fight against Houthis

By Ali Oweida

MAARIB, Yemen (AA) – Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr on Monday voiced support for the General People's Congress (GPC), the political party of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the ongoing fight against Houthi rebels.

“Supporting the GPC in the battle against Houthis is a national interest,” bin Daghr said at a speech in the southern city of Aden marking the anniversary of independence from Britain.

Saleh’s loyalists and Houthi rebels have been battling in recent days for control in the capital Sanaa, which they jointly overran in 2014.

The Yemeni premier said President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi will offer amnesty to those who halt cooperation with Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

“We will turn a new page of brotherly relations based on tolerance,” he said. “As a legitimate authority, we will stand with whoever stands against Houthis.”

Last week, Saleh said he was open to talks with the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis to end the three-year conflict in Yemen.

The conflict has since claimed more than 10,000 lives and triggered what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.