In Yemen, Houthi Leader Pledges to Pursue Power-Sharing Accord

Rod Nordland and Shuaib Almosawa, New York Times

10 February 2015

SANA, Yemen — In his first interview since the Yemeni government collapsed, the leader of the Houthi militants in control of Sana, the capital, depicted his movement as eager to share power with its rivals and to reach out to the country’s traditional allies, including the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Saleh Ali al-Sammad, the senior Houthi official in Sana, made the remarks as a new round of United Nations-mediated talks among the Houthis and other major political parties to form a government entered a second day.Yemen has been without a leader since the president and his cabinet resigned on Jan. 22,citing Houthi pressure and attacks.

The seizure of the capital by the Houthis, who are believed to be financed by Iran, threatens to further destabilize Yemen, a significant American ally in the fight against Al Qaeda, and throws into question United States counterterrorism operations there. The previous government, led by Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, supported American drone strikes against Al Qaeda, while the Houthis oppose them, raising fears that Al Qaeda will take advantage of the political turmoil.

Mr. Sammad’s remarks, and his unusual willingness to be interviewed by an American news organization, suggested that the Houthis were anxious to climb down from the position they took on Friday, when they declared a unilateral plan for forming a new government and choosing a presidential council to rule in place of the ousted president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Mr. Sammad suggested that the constitutional declaration was not open for discussion, but said, referring to the Houthis’ governance plan, “All the details are open to negotiation.” . That plan called for their revolutionary committees to choose a national council to replace Parliament. The national council would then choose a five-member presidential council to govern the country.

“It is now being negotiated and most of the parties are ready to accept it,” he said. The 551-member national council could include current members of Parliament, who number about 300, with the balance going to the Houthis, the southern Herak movement, small parties and women’s groups, none of which are represented in the current Parliament, he said. His claim that other parties are ready to accept that formula was optimistic, given statements from other political groups.

“Ansar Allah does not want anything more than partnership, not control,” Mr. Sammad said, using the formal name of the Houthis’ movement. “This was not a coup.” He said the Houthis had no choice but to declare a governing formula to force the other parties to negotiate. “We felt the opposition wanted to waste time so that any problems could be blamed on us,” he said.

The Houthis took de facto control of Sana in September and went into protracted negotiations with the government over a greater share of power, and seats in the cabinet, for their followers. A political movement based in northern Yemen among the Zaydi minority, members of an offshoot of Shiite Islam, the Houthis fought wars with the central government over the past decade, which culminated in their move on the capital.

The Zaydis represent about a third of the population in a country that is otherwise Sunni Muslim.

Mr. Hadi had appointed Mr. Sammad as his presidential adviser when the Houthis seized the capital. He was explicitly charged with making sure that Mr. Hadi consulted with him on major decisions. Mr. Sammad is viewed as second in political importance to the Houthis’ top leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, who rarely leaves his northern stronghold of Saada.

The latest stage of the crisis came when the Houthis began besieging the presidential palace in January, demanding a greater share of power. Mr. Hadi said the attacks left him and his government with no choice but to resign, and the Houthis effectively took control of the government and the military, at least in the capital and areas where they predominate.

The talks between the Houthis and other parties got off to a rocky start on Monday, when two of the parties pulled out, complaining of threats from one of the Houthi negotiators if they did not accept Houthi terms. One of those, the important Islah party, a Sunni Islamist group, rejoined the talks on Tuesday, party officials confirmed.

Over the weekend, the United Nations secretary general called for Mr. Hadi’s return to office, and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, led by Saudi Arabia, called the Houthis’ declaration of a government plan a coup.

Mr. Sammad said Mr. Hadi could not be restored to power because he had resigned of his own will. “He no longer wants to be president,” he said. Aides to Mr. Hadi, as well as other government officials, have said that he remains under house arrest. Mr. Sammad said Houthi officials were simply guarding him for his own safety, including protecting him from militants of Al Qaeda who might want to retaliate against him because of his support for the United States.

“It is for his own protection,” Mr. Sammad said. “But he is free to receive visitors, and diplomats have been able to see him.”

Mr. Sammad said he did not believe that Saudi Arabia’s threats to cut off all financial aid were serious, because doing so would wreck Yemen’s economy. “It’s not in the interest of America and Saudi Arabia to see the economy in a crisis,” he said. “Yemen has long had a good relationship with Saudi Arabia and it’s not in their interests that any other power, including Iran, comes into Yemen.”

Mr. Sammad also said the Houthis wanted a Yemen with good relationships with the United States and other countries, provided that its sovereignty was respected. The militants’ slogan, which is chanted at all their rallies and painted on walls all over Sana, includes the phrase “Death to America.”

“We’re not against the people of America, we’re just against its policies,” Mr. Sammad said. “It’s not meant to suggest harming American people. This is just a slogan.”

Featured Image: Saleh Ali al-Sammad, the senior Houthi official in Sana, is viewed as second in political importance to the Houthis’ top leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Copyright: Tyler Hicks/The New York Times.

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