Rashad Al-Alimi, Chairman of Yemeni Leadership Council (Alarabya TV)
20-12-2022 at 10 AM Aden Time
Riyadh (South24)
On Monday, Rashad Al-Alimi, Chairman of Yemeni Leadership Council (PLC) said that the Yemeni government may face a shortfall regarding paying salaries in their areas as of this month.
In an interview with the Saudi-owned channel Al Arabiya, he added: "The Houthi militias caused the suspension of producing and exporting oil after the attacks against the oil ports in Hadramout and Shabwa".
"The legitimate government lost much revenue because of these attacks. The Houthis caused the sinking of the oil pump in the Port of Al- Dabba in Hadramout. Its repair costs are 50 million$".
Al-Alimi talked about a number of files and issues such as the collapsed truce as he held the Houthis responsible for the failure to extend it on October 2nd.
"The Houthis don't want peace. They failed to commit by the agreed items since day one including the opening of the Taiz and releasing prisoners," he said.
Al-Alimi accused the international community of showing carelessness towards the Houthi escalation and of posing pressure against the legitimate government.
"The international community has pressured us under the pretext that we are a legitimate body while the Houthis are militias. They continuously give the Houthis incentives which encourage them" He added.
Al-Alimi said that the legitimate government delivered the US administration more than 20 files which prove Iran's involvement in supporting the Houthis".
According to him, "the US administration said that these files are not enough". He added: "The US moves in Yemen according to its interests. Each country has its own interests in our country".
Al-Alimi called on the international community to adopt serious actions towards the Houthis. He said: "We have addressed the international community to designate the Houthis as a terrorist group. Condemnations are no longer enough".
Al-Alimi pointed to the decision taken by the National Defense Council which designated the Houthis as a "terrorist organization".
"We began taking economic measures. There are companies which smuggle the Iranian oil to the Houthis via the Port of Al-Hodeida. There are banks and exchange companies which deal with the Houthis and serve them".
Al-Alimi accused the Houthis of releasing AQAP-affiliates including elements who linked to the bombing of the American ship "USS Cole" towards areas under the PLC’S control.
He elaborated: "Some of these elements were killed in Al-Dhale during confrontations with the counterterrorism units. We lost a number of soldiers there during countering terrorists".
He explained: "The Houthi acts are not different from ISIS. They have threatened international navigation and waterways. Today, they threaten to launch a comprehensive war".
Al-Alimi attributed the ongoing activation of some pro-Houthi articles of the collapsed truce to humanitarian conditions and people's needs.
He talked about the conditions within the PLC by saying: "The rumours about disagreements and that I am banned from returning to Aden are untrue. I was there and I will return soon accompanied by Aidrous Al-Zubaidi".
He admitted that there has been corruption in the Yemeni government by saying: "There has been corruption in the diplomatic missions. We will limit them to 10 attaché’s and abolish tens of them. We will also reduce the number of embassies".
However, "there have been no corruption charges among PLC’S members" according to him.
Regarding the merge of the military forces within PLC, Al-Alimi said: "The merge of these forces needs time. There is a military and security committee tasked with his file".
Al-Al-Alimi pointed out that PLC has sought to "establish a joint operation room for all the military forces under its umbrella".
Despite the deteriorating service conditions in Aden which have not witnessed any improvement since the establishment of PLC, Al-Alimi said that "services in Aden are a top priority for PLC".