SANAA – YEMENI President Ali Abdullah Saleh has offered to open talks with Al-Qaeda militants, with whom security forces have been fighting bloody battles, if they ‘lay down their arms.’

‘If Al-Qaeda (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 Yemen’s Saba news agency.

‘We are prepared to deal with anyone who renounces violence and terrorism,’ Mr Saleh said.

But the president, whose country is also facing a Shiite rebellion in the north and a movement for autonomy in the south, stressed the government will crack down on those who resort to violence.

‘Those are a threat not only to Yemen but also to international peace and security, particularly the Al-Qaeda. They are ignorants, drug dealers and illiterate. They have no relation with Islam,’ he said.

mr Saleh said security forces and air force have achieved ‘impressive victories’ against Al-Qaeda in the provinces of Abyan, Shabwa and the capital Sanaa. Yemeni security forces insist they are winning the war against the jihadists, pointing to two separate air raids in December that killed more than 60 suspected Al-Qaeda members. — AFP

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