Yemen Gov't Adopts Measures to Deal with Houthis’ Terrorist Designation

The Yemeni Cabinet meets in Aden on Thursday and approves procedural measures against Houthi militias (Saba news agency)
The Yemeni Cabinet meets in Aden on Thursday and approves procedural measures against Houthi militias (Saba news agency)
TT

Yemen Gov't Adopts Measures to Deal with Houthis’ Terrorist Designation

The Yemeni Cabinet meets in Aden on Thursday and approves procedural measures against Houthi militias (Saba news agency)
The Yemeni Cabinet meets in Aden on Thursday and approves procedural measures against Houthi militias (Saba news agency)

The Yemeni cabinet has adopted several executive procedures and programs for rebuilding ministerial plans to deal with new changes considering the decision to classify the Houthi coup militia as a terrorist group.

According to the official Saba news agency, the new executive procedures and programs include rebuilding ministerial plans to meet the needs of the phase and its political, military, security, economic and humanitarian entitlements.

Moreover, the approved host of measures will take into consideration recent developments, the implementation of the reform track, and improving the level of services provided to citizens.

The cabinet also approved the preparation of a strategy according to well-studied mechanisms to ensure that the decision to classify the Houthi militia as a terrorist group does not affect commercial activity, the national private sector, and the smooth flow of foodstuffs and commodities.

This will be done in a manner that preserves the lives of citizens in Houthi-run areas.

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik directed the immediate start of implementing the ministerial plans. He urged focusing on restoring the state and ending the Iran-backed Houthi coup.

He also briefed the cabinet on the results of his meeting with the EU mission and the ambassadors of several EU countries accredited to Yemen.

Abdulmalik pointed to the clear vision that the international community has on the intransigence of the Houthi militias and their rejection of all efforts to extend the humanitarian truce and find a political solution.

“The ongoing Houthi threats to national economic facilities and civilian infrastructure in Yemen and neighboring countries will be dealt with firmly to protect the capabilities of the Yemeni people, international navigation, and global energy stability,” he said.

Abdulmalik renewed calls for the international community to prevent Iranian interference in Yemen's internal affairs.

The prime minister also called for forcing Tehran to implement international resolutions prohibiting the support of terrorist militias in Yemen.



Syria's al-Sharaa Says Holding Elections Can Take Up to 4 Years

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa walks in the presidential palace in Damascus, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa walks in the presidential palace in Damascus, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
TT

Syria's al-Sharaa Says Holding Elections Can Take Up to 4 Years

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa walks in the presidential palace in Damascus, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa walks in the presidential palace in Damascus, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Holding elections in Syria can take up to four years, Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa told Al Arabiya in an interview on Sunday.

Al-Sharaa also hoped the Trump administration will lift the sanctions on Syria.

The Biden administration said earlier this month that it has decided not to pursue a $10 million reward it had offered for al-Sharaa, whose group, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led fighters that ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between al-Sharaa and the top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, who led the first US diplomatic delegation into Syria since Assad’s ouster on Dec. 8.

HTS remains designated a foreign terrorist organization, and Leaf would not say if sanctions stemming from that designation would be eased.