S. Yemen Regime Refuses to Meet With Ousted Leader
A senior South Yemeni official said in a published interview that his government will not hold talks with ousted strongman Ali Nasser Hasani or his supporters and warned that it will hit hard if they resort to arms.
“We have said there will be no dialogue with (him) or his supporters. . . . We are not ready to accept any dialogue at the expense of our security,” Interior Minister Saleh Montasser Saili told the weekly magazine Al Majallah.
“Anybody who resorts to arms again will be hit hard,” added Saili, a leading member of South Yemen’s ruling Socialist Party.
Hasani, ousted in January after two weeks of bloody fighting between Socialist Party factions, last month called on the government in Aden to open a political dialogue with its opponents or face “a struggle in all forms” from his supporters.
Saili denied reports that authorities are still rounding up opponents.
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