SANA’A – The Yemeni Minister for Human Rights, Huria Mashhor, said that the ministerial committee formed last week will start a dialogue with the various youth entities and organizations across the freedom squares in the country.

In a press statement, Mashhor, the head of the ministerial committee tasked with holding talks with the youths, said that the committee has begun holding meetings in order to agree on a mechanism upon which the talks will be based.

She pointed out that the committee will only oversee and sponsor the dialogue between the various youth forums, organizations, and groups in the freedom and change squares.

During the dialogue, the youth are expected to discuss a range of issues, especially topics related to the upcoming national dialogue. They will also select representatives to represent them in the national dialogue.

“Its very hard to hold talks with everyone in the freedom squares as there are hundreds of thousands of them. Therefore, we would oversee and sponsor the talks between the various youth blocs and organizations,” Mashhor explained.

She further confirmed that the ministerial committee will take into consideration the fact that there are representatives from all freedom squares such as the Sa’ada Youths and the Independent Youths. She noted that the members of the committee will be distributed in all squares in order to supervise the talks.

In its efforts to pave the way for holding the upcoming national dialogue, the cabinet decided on Thursday to form a ministerial committee tasked with holding a primary dialogue and talks with the revolutionary youths across Yemen.

The ministerial committee is comprised of the minister of human rights, higher education and scientific research, civil service and insurances, youth and sports, parliament and shura council affairs, environment, water, and state member of the cabinet.

Waleed Al-Amari, a member of the revolution organizing committee in Sana’a’s Change Square and who belongs to the Islamic Islah Party told the Yemen Times, “The national reconciliation government should have held talks with the revolutionary youth since it was formed late last year. The youth agree in principle to the national dialogue, but it should come up with effective outcomes.”

He said, “The youth in the freedom squares don’t have any preconditions to taking part in the national dialogue.”

However, Al-Amari pointed out that the dialogue should not be held with the national unity government, because it was the fruit of the revolution and most of the ministerial committee members are revolutionaries, especially Mashhor. “Mashhor was with us in the protests against the former regime and in the national council. Therefore, she knows exactly what we want and what we call for. That’s why we don’t need to hold any sort of talks with this committee,” added Al-Amari.

Ali Nasser Al-Bakhiti, an activist of the Al-Samoud youth group affiliated to the Houthis and the official spokesman for the General Forum for Revolutionary Forces, said, “We are ready for the dialogue on condition that it is serious and inclusive of all the revolutionary components.”

“We don’t want the dialogue to be hijacked by the Joint Meeting Parties, the main opposition bloc in the country that shares the seats of the cabinet with the former ruling General People Congress, as they have hijacked the National Council for Revolutionary Forces and the National Committee for National Dialogue,” he said.

“We stand by the dialogue if it is not based on the GCC power transfer deal. The participants in the national dialogue should hammer out effective agreements, more effective than both the GCC deal and the constitution. The decisions must be agreed upon unanimously,” he added.