SANAA, 13 Jul -- President Ali Abdullah Saleh Tuesday told a news conference after a meeting with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al- Thani “there will be no new war in the north,” the state official Saba news agency reported, adding “this is inconceivable and totally unacceptable.” Tension has been mounting between the government troops and Shiite rebels as both sides traded accusations despite a complementary agreement reached late June to revive the peace accord and the President said “Sanaa is keen to establish peace and security in Sadaa and there are no indicators for a seventh war,” adding “what has been implemented so far is good and the Houthis will start Wednesday implementing the six-point truce including the withdrawal from districts” currently under their control and “will hand everything over to local authorities.”He welcomed Qatari investments in Yemen and on the Gulf soccer tournament scheduled to be held in Yemen between Nov 22, Dec 4, 2010 and reports of its delay, he said “the tournament will be held on time.” Meanwhile, the rebels on Tuesday forced a military convoy carrying hundreds of soldiers in Harf Sufian to disembark and listen to lectures by Shiite scholars, then offered them lunch and let them go.President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his visiting guest, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al- Thani agreed on Tuesday to re-activate the Doha peace accord between the Yemeni government and the Shiite rebels, the state official Saba news agency reported. The two leaders also approved an extra term to the 5-point Doha cease-fire deal allowing neighboring Saudi Arabia to be involved in any future agreements related to the conflict with the Houthi rebels. The Yemeni government and Houthi rebels signed a cease-fire deal mediated by Qatar at the beginning of 2008 in Qatar to end the conflict in northern Yemen between the two sides but on Aug 26, 2009 the government said the Doha peace agreement with Houthi rebels was over, accusing the Shiite group of violating the agreement after which the sixth round of war between the two sides erupted. According to the Doha agreement, both sides should stop military operations and the rebels should hand over to the authorities the military equipment, respect the sovereignty of the central government in all Yemeni territories and establish a political party instead of the armed movement. On Feb 11, 2010 the government and Shiite rebels struck another cease-fire agreement to end the conflict but both sides repeatedly traded accusations against each other over breaching the truce terms. For his part, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani tis state was prepared to help in preserving the unity of Yemen and help resolve the southern issue. He said “we would be happy to take part in finding a solution that helps the survival of the Yemeni unity,” adding “we are always with the Yemenis in their problems, unless they refuse that but to be honest until now, they have not refused,” and “we support the efforts of President Saleh to find a solution. We are always standing by Yemen, its security and stability.” He praised “the President for setting up a committee to look into southern grievances,” saying “this reflects the wisdom of President Ali Abdullah Saleh,” and hailed “steps taken by Yemen to ensure the independence of the judiciary.” He said his state “supports Yemen’s efforts to solve any problems and safeguard the unity of the country,” adding “Yemen’s unity is a nucleus for the Arab unity.” Qatar has been involved in the past in talks between the government and Houthi rebels who have been locked in an on-off conflict since 2004.
