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Houthis say political consultations are sterile

February 20, 2015 at 11:21 am

Houthi rebels in Yemen have described the ongoing political consultations in the country as “sterile” and announced that the group’s self-declared supreme revolutionary committee has started to form a government. The move is in accordance with the constitutional declaration issued by the Houthis earlier this month.

Yemen’s state news agency, Saba, which the Houthis control, said on Thursday that the supreme revolutionary committee held a meeting at the presidential palace in Sanaa to discuss a number of issues, including the mechanism to select new National Council members. In addition, discussions took place about Yemen’s economic situation, with the committee stressing its commitment to maintain stability at this stage. It also reviewed the ongoing preparations for the development of a comprehensive media policy.

The group’s announcement comes days after the UN Security Council called on the Houthis to withdraw from Sanaa and release President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and government officials.

Political sources who asked to remain anonymous told Anadolu agency that the Houthis will soon announce the formation of the National Council as a substitute for the parliament. According to the same sources, the group made an agreement with the General People’s Congress, led by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, to increase the number of MPs to 551, and the Shura Council to 220 members.

The Houthis have also been able to appoint their own people in the army, including the elite Brigade 310 Republican Guards and the Presidential Guards.