Yemeni Legitimacy Backs UN Efforts to Restore Stability

Vice President Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar speaks to journalists in Sanaa, Yemen, Oct. 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
Vice President Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar speaks to journalists in Sanaa, Yemen, Oct. 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
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Yemeni Legitimacy Backs UN Efforts to Restore Stability

Vice President Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar speaks to journalists in Sanaa, Yemen, Oct. 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
Vice President Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar speaks to journalists in Sanaa, Yemen, Oct. 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Vice President Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar has affirmed that the legitimacy in Yemen, led by President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backs the UN efforts to reach a sustainable peace that ends Houthi militias coup, based on the three agreed upon references.

Ahmar’s statements were made as he met UN chief Antonio Guterres in Madrid to discuss UN efforts and updates, on the sidelines of the 2019 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Official sources revealed that Ahmar briefed Guterres on the updates in Yemen and the efforts exerted by the government and the countries of the Saudi-led Arab coalition to establish peace in Yemen despite Houthi violations and disrespect for agreements.

Saba News Agency noted that the Ahmar informed Guterres that the legitimacy supports the UN peace efforts made by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, based on the three references represented by the Gulf initiative, its executive mechanism, outcomes of the national dialogue, and relevant UN resolutions, mainly resolution 2216.

Ahmar highlighted the humanitarian suffering of Yemenis, saying that the situation is deteriorating because of the Houthis criminal violations and continuous offensives as well as the threat for international security and peace.

For his part, Guterres renewed keenness on achieving permanent peace in Yemen and ending the agony.

On his Twitter account, Griffiths tweeted: “In another meeting today, Griffiths met with Amb. Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Sabah where they discussed the prospects of peace in Yemen. Griffiths further expressed his appreciation of Kuwait's role as a peace advocate in the region.”



Syria Arrests Officer Linked to Notorious ‘Death Checkpoint’ Near Damascus

Maj. Gen. Mowaffaq Nazeer Haidar, a former commander of the Syrian army’s Third Armoured Division (Interior Ministry) 
Maj. Gen. Mowaffaq Nazeer Haidar, a former commander of the Syrian army’s Third Armoured Division (Interior Ministry) 
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Syria Arrests Officer Linked to Notorious ‘Death Checkpoint’ Near Damascus

Maj. Gen. Mowaffaq Nazeer Haidar, a former commander of the Syrian army’s Third Armoured Division (Interior Ministry) 
Maj. Gen. Mowaffaq Nazeer Haidar, a former commander of the Syrian army’s Third Armoured Division (Interior Ministry) 

Syrian authorities said on Tuesday they had arrested Maj. Gen. Mowaffaq Nazeer Haidar, a former commander of the Syrian army’s Third Armored Division, over allegations of war crimes and abuses committed at a notorious checkpoint near Damascus.

Haidar, who oversaw the Qutayfah checkpoint along the Damascus-Homs highway north of the capital, is accused of playing a direct role in the disappearance of thousands of Syrians during the country's civil war.

The checkpoint, located near the Third Division’s headquarters, one of Syria's most powerful military units, was widely known among Syrians as a site of torture and arbitrary detention.

In a statement, the Internal Security Directorate in the coastal city of Latakia said Haidar had been detained and described him as a “criminal responsible for the so-called ‘death checkpoint’ at Qutayfah,” and a leading figure in raids carried out by pro-government forces across various parts of the country.

He has been referred to the counter-terrorism unit for interrogation on charges including war crimes and grave violations against civilians, the statement added.

The Qutayfah checkpoint, located at the northern entrance to Damascus, was one of the most notorious and feared military checkpoints during Syria’s civil war, widely associated with the regime’s crackdown on dissidents and army deserters.

Once operated by the Syrian army’s powerful Third Armored Division, the checkpoint was known by Syrians under grim monikers such as the “Death Checkpoint,” the “Checkpoint of Fear,” the “Checkpoint of Horror,” and the “Checkpoint of Arrests and Executions.”

It became a symbol of terror, particularly for residents of the Qalamoun region, but also for Syrians across the country.

According to earlier media reports, thousands of Syrians vanished at the Qutayfah checkpoint during the height of the conflict, many detained without formal charges or due process, often on mere suspicion of opposition sympathies or draft evasion.