Houthis subjugating Yemenis at gunpoint not acceptable

It is not acceptable that coup militias hold on to heavy and medium weapons in order to enforce their views on fellow Yemenis, especially with strong and clear support from a regional power aiming to destabilize security in the region, said Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, Yemen’s prime minister, on Friday, in a meeting with Mathew Tueller, US ambassador to Yemen. 

Bin Daghr said the path to peace is clear and that no one can seize power using weapons. He stressed the need to end all aspects of the coup and factors that may prompt any future plots against the legitimate government. 
He said that any peace outside the terms of the Gulf Initiative, the resolutions of the UN Security Council, and the outputs of the national dialogue, will only be temporary peace and will not be in the interest of Yemen and the region. 
He noted that Houthi and Saleh militias have supported the coup despite all previous agreements reached, most recently the one signed under the UN auspices.
Bin Daghar noted, according to the official Yemeni news agency, the US support for the legitimate government, security, and stability, as well as the keenness of the legitimate government to find comprehensive and sustainable peace, is in accordance with a realistic vision based on the outputs of the three agreements. 
He called on the international community to take legal and moral responsibility to implement the UN decision until security and stability is achieved in Yemen and the region. 
He said the legitimate government, although it may accept the roadmap presented by the UN envoy, rejects it for its contradiction with the outputs based on the national dialogue and talks initiated with rebels. 
Deputy Premier and Minister of Civil Service Abdulaziz Jabbari said any talk about the presidency that doesn’t come through the ballot box and the popular will of the Yemeni people is unacceptable.
The remarks came in response to the roadmap presented by UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh, which has been rejected by the Yemeni government.
Jabbari stressed the importance of the return of state institutions, delivery of arms, and demonstration of respect for the will of the Yemeni people to choose a president through elections. 
He said the UN peace proposal’s rejection shows that the initiative is unfair and aims to legitimize the coup and its effects, which in turn is a clear violation of the stipulations of UN Security Council Resolution No. 2216, the Gulf initiative, and the outputs of the national dialogue in which various Yemeni political forces, social groups, and youth have participated. 
He said the legitimate government is working with honest intentions in order to achieve long lasting peace, not to plant seeds for future wars. 
For his part, the US ambassador lauded the efforts of the legitimate government to combat terrorism and extremism, as well as to serve Yemenis in areas close to rebels. He emphasized the keenness of the US to achieve comprehensive and sustainable peace in Yemen, and restore normal political life.
Tueller expressed his respect for the will of the Yemeni people to choose their leader, noting that the Yemeni people are the ones who are concerned with and must decide how to build their future. He also confirmed the US administration’s support for legitimacy in Yemen and international resolutions concerning Yemen. 
In another development, Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) said violations against the press in Yemen have been countless since Houthi militias took control of Sanaa and other parts the country. 
According to a report issued by the organization, at least 67 cases of abuses against the press aimed at preventing them from carrying out their jobs have occurred in 8 months since the Houthis took control of the capital. The report indicates that many members of the press are tortured in prisons, while cases of kidnapping and disappearances among members of the press “are too many to count.”
The organization’s report also highlights various violations, including the arrest of at least 13 journalists and press workers as hostages in Sanaa. Victims are from all media outlets critical of the Houthis. 
“The violations committed by rebels have directly influenced the ranking of Yemen for global press freedom for the year 2016 published by RSF, with Yemen’s ranking 170th out of 180 countries,” the report indicated.

Source: Arab News