SANA'A, May 13 - A source from the National Unity Government, composed of the ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh's General Peoples Congress (GPC) and the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), declared that the Houthis gave unreasonable conditions last Thursday to participate in the National Dialogue Conference (NDC).

"In its program, the government presented specific obligations like combating corruption and focusing on economic, political and social issues. All the conditions proposed by the Houthis, however, are given priority over the government’s agenda, and this is clear to all," said a government minister who requested anonymity.

“For instance, they demand investigation into the torture of citizens in Taiz and Tehama,” he said. “But the residents themselves have to demand their own rights; not the Houthis. After all, Yemenis nationwide felt tortured and lacked health, justice, equal citizenship and other things during Saleh's rule," he added
Regarding the adoption of an economic stance towards America, Gulf and European countries prior to the dialogue, the Houthis know that these countries brokered the political deal in Yemen and called for the dialogue. Thus, they are already involved in solving the economic situation in Yemen," he continued.

"If the Houthis have an Iranian agenda, as we hear, they have to call Iran to participate in finding suitable solutions the economic problem just like America, the Gulf and the European, instead of creating disorder in Yemen to increase its problems or lead it to war against other states while Yemen is suffering from an array of other problems," he added.

"Suitable solutions will be given to the eradication of corruption and persecution of those accused of killing people in Sada'a and the southern region, those charged of killing revolutionary youth across Yemen and quashing media freedom, in addition to Yemenis’ concerns about transparency," he said.

"The Houthis ought not give such unreasonable conditions. They have to participate in the dialogue as all the political parties, the tribal leaders and the Yemeni civil society organizations," he concluded.

The Houthis gave their conditions last Thursday to media while demanding to build a civil society. They said that their demands form the groundwork for a true dialogue and the implementation of the revolution's aims, and that they will not participate unless they are all implemented. Another condition is the continuation of the revolution to guarantee its aims are achieved.

Moreover, they demanded that those accused of declaring war on the southern region and the northern governorates confess their crimes.

To take part in the NDC, as detailed by the Gulf Initiative, the Houthis demanded the immediate stop of provocative and sectarian speeches and wars. In addition, they stressed that the violations against people in Change Squares across Yemen, peaceful protests, demonstrations, and events must stop.

The first and foremost condition of the Houthis is the release of all abducted revolutionary youth and captured people on political or journalistic grounds, the immediate treatment of wounded people, compensation for families of those killed in the protests and an end to the violations against journalists.

Moreover, they demanded that the government lower oil prices and its derivatives and also prices of food to ensure an honorable and safe life for Yemenis. The revolution and its aims must be the background of the dialogue, they urged.

The Houthis fought seven wars against the Yemeni army since 2004. In the seventh war Saudi Arabia took part to help the army fight the Houthis. With that in mind, the Houthis have demanded that there must be no interference of any foreign or Arab countries. However, they accepted help from the UN to carry out the NDC though without interfering in its decisions.

The Houthis demanded that the military and security institutions be neutral and do not intervene in the dialogue because they are considered national institutions that must not ally with anyone.

The Shiite Houthis, who are allied with Iran and suspected of  receiving weapons and financial support from the Persian country, also demanded that the parties participating in the NDC must adopt a stance towards the American violations of the sovereignty of Yemen on land, air and sea.

Under the slogan, "No dialogue under the Americans’ custody," the Houthis organized a demonstration on Friday, which thousands of people in Sada'a attended. The demonstrators raised banners and signs calling for the refusal of American intervention in Yemen's affairs. They also condemned calls for dialogue among the dominating foreign countries in Yemen. Furthermore, they condemned the silence of the so-called National Unity Government towards these flagrant violations.