As armed rebellion against the Yemeni government continues in Saada, a diplomatic and political crisis is escalating between Yemen and Libya and Iran, writes Nasser Arrabyee As the battle gets tougher in Saada, a centre of armed rebellion in Yemen, the Yemeni government says it has information confirming that rebels there have been receiving external support aimed at breaking the country up into sectarian entities. "We have information from those who were detained that there was external support for the rebellion aimed to pulling Yemen towards sectarian conflict, in order to divide it," said Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bak Al-Qerbi. Hundreds have been killed since a third wave of armed conflict broke out late last January between government troops and followers of Shia cleric Badruddin Al-Houthi, who is accused by the government of leading an armed rebellion to overthrow the republican system and establish a monarchical system in its place. Some 1,000 Yemenis were killed in the first and second waves of violence, which broke out in 2004 and 2005. While fingers pointed to Libya and Iran as supporters of the rebellion, both counties deny involvement. The Iranian embassy issued a statement Sunday criticising senior ruling party officials that have claimed Iranian religious institutions are supporting the uprising in Saada. "The statements are irresponsible and contradict with the spirit of cooperation and brotherly relations between two countries," the statement said. Earlier, Tariq Al-Shami, spokesman of the ruling People's General Congress, had said: "A delegation from Iranian national security visited Yemen and met their counterparts in Sanaa and the question of the Iranian support for the rebels in Saada was discussed. Iranian security officials said that the Iranian political regime does not permit support [of the rebellion], but there are Iranian religious institutions that support the rebellion." "Al-Houthi supporters bought medium and heavy-sized weapons with external support during the period of truce with the state," he added. "We hoped that the terrorists of Al-Houthi would respond to the demands of the legitimate state in giving up weapons and violence and forming a political party away from sectarianism and according to law and order." With regard to Libya, tensions have been rising since early this year. Over the past few weeks, Yemen deported several Libyans and prevented Yemenis from travelling to Libya. Yemeni authorities deported Munaira Kamal Al-Majraisi, a Libyan child who was receiving treatment for AIDS since 17 February 2007 at the Islamic Al-Eyman University. Sheikh Abdul-Majeed Al-Zindani of Al-Eyman University claimed he had discovered new treatments for AIDS. Before Munaira, four more AIDS-infected children were deported from Yemen and eight were not given visas to enter Yemen, according to a Libyan association caring for AIDS- infected children. Despite these developments, Libyan Ambassador to Yemen Mustafa Hwaidi denied any tension in relations between Sanaa and Tripoli. "The Yemeni authorities are free in taking decisions to deport anyone from Yemen, and it's also within their discretion to prevent Yemeni citizens from travelling to any other country. For us, we do not interfere in Yemen's sovereignty, these decisions are internal," the ambassador told reporters in Sanaa. Yemeni authorities have prevented two Yemenis, including a journalist, from travelling to Tripoli to attend a conference. The journalist, Al-Khader Al-Hassani, confirmed he was forced to return from Sanaa airport. Analysts suspect that tensions between the two countries increased after the visit of Yahya Badruddin Al-Houthi -- brother of the rebel leader Abdul-Malik -- to Tripoli. The Yemeni parliament, after Al-Houthi's visit, voted with majority for withdrawing the parliamentary immunity of Yahya, who is living now in Berlin. He has been moving from country to country in Europe and the Arab world since he left Yemen in late 2004 after his brother Hussein Badruddin Al-Houthi was killed in confrontations with government troops in Saada. Yemeni Minister of Endowment and Guidance Hamoud Obad directly accused Libya and Iran of supporting the Saada rebellion. "Given the praise expressed by the terrorist Yahya Al-Houthi to Libya and Iran, he himself has identified the bodies that support him," Obad said. Yahya Al-Houthi denied the accusations. "These are baseless allegations used repeatedly since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran," he said in a televised interview. Observers attribute alleged Libyan support for the Saada rebels to the wish of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi to settle accounts with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as Al-Houthi and his followers are Shias. Earlier last month, the Yemeni National Defence Council announced it would reconsider Yemen's relations with some states because of alleged interference in Yemen's internal affairs. The council declined to name which states. Al-Houthi is not the only reason behind the crisis in Libyan- Yemeni relations. Qaddafi received Hussein Al-Ahmar in his office, describing him as "a coordinator of the popular leadership of tribes" and "a national umbrella for all Yemeni people". Hussein Al-Ahmar is a son of Abdullah Al-Ahmar, speaker of parliament and president of the main Islamist opposition party. Hussein withdrew last year from President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ruling party, saying at the time that he would establish a political party of his own. Arab sources said that Tripoli might recall its ambassador to Yemen in protest over an escalating Yemeni media campaign that accuses Libya and Iran of conspiring against the security and stability of Yemen.
