Yemen ready to talk to Al Qaida if they disarm
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh says his country is ready to talk to the terror group if they lay down their arms
Sana'a: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has offered to open talks with Al Qaida militants, with whom security forces have been fighting bloody battles, if they "lay down their arms."
"If Al Qaida [militants] lay down their arms, renounce violence and terrorism and return to wisdom, we are prepared to deal with them," he told Abu Dhabi TV in an interview carried on Sunday by Saba news agency.
Saleh said his government is "determined to stand up to the challenges" of Al Qaida and that his security forces will make every effort to catch as many terrorists as possible.
But the Yemeni president said he was open to negotiations.
Security forces and air force have achieved "impressive victories" against Al Qaida in the provinces of Abyan, Shabwa and Sana'a, the president said.
Mountain hideout
Dozens of Al Qaida militants are hiding out in a remote mountainous area of Yemen, a senior official said in comments published yesterday.
Al Qaida fighters, among them Saudis and Egyptians, have come from Afghanistan and have joined local members of the jihadist network in lairs carved out in the rugged Kour mountain in southern Shabwa Province, said the provincial governor, Ali Hassan Al Ahmadi.
Saleh is desperately trying to hold together his country as he faces rebellion in the north, and separatists in the south.
The Yemeni government says that their fight against Al Qaida has largely been a success, but many find it hard to distinguish Al Qaida members from the population.
Suspects held
Seven Al Qaida suspects, including three brothers, were arrested in Sawan neighbourhood, northeast of the capital Sana'a, relatives said.
Nabeel Al Huri said his brothers have been arrested and released many times, after one of their brothers was killed in Iraq three years ago.
"If my brothers are proved to be members of Al Qaida they should be put on trial, but the security should stop terrorising the family and relatives," Al Huri said.
"This will help Al Qaida to recruit more and more angry young people," he added.
