Yemen recalled its ambassadors to Libya and Iran on Saturday for consultations over the alleged aid by the two states to Shiite rebels fighting army forces in the northern Yemeni province of Saada, a senior government official said. "The Foreign Ministry summoned Yemen's ambassadors in Tehran and Tripoli for consultations on information about a foreign support to the rebels in Saada, according to dpa. The official, who asked not to be identified, said the move was approved by the central committee of the ruling General People's Congress (GPC) party in a meeting headed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Thursday. Saada, which borders Saudi Arabia, has been the scene of fierce battles between the army and rebel fighters acting under the umbrella of the underground Believing Youth movement since late December. GPC officials have publicly accused Libya and Iran of providing the Shiite rebels with financial aid that helped them buy weapons. Libya has said it had only tried to mediate between the rebels and Yemeni government, and Iran denounced the accusations as "irresponsible allegations." On February 15, Yemen officially asked Libya to extradite Yahya al-Houthi, a member of the parliament whom authorities accuse of playing a leading role in the rebellion. Yahya is the brother of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, who now leads armed followers of the Believing Youth group in the battles against army troops in Saada. The group was first established by Shiite cleric Hussein Badruddin al-Houthi in mid-2004, shortly before he was killed in clashes with the army in September 2004. Waves of bloody confrontations between the rebels and the army since has left around 1,800 government troops according to official figures. An unknown number of rebels dead. -- SPA
