Yemen: Unknown elements attack police station, 5 killed

Yemeni parliament Four Yemenis, including two soldiers have died in armed clashes in which the army intervened. Violence had broken out on Sunday evening in a local market near the northern entrance to the city of Aden, between armed tribesmen sellers of the popular qat plant, chewed by most Yemenis.  In another incident, a passerby was killed in crossfire between the police and unknown armed elements believed to have al-Qaeda ties. The gunmen had attacked a police station in the southern city of Aden. Meanwhile, the Yemeni Parliament failed to agree on nominating 15 judges out of a list of 30 presented to them by the Yemeni judiciary in order to select members of the Supreme Commission on Elections and Referendum (SCER).
A Yemeni parliamentarian who preferred to remain anonymous, told Arabstoday that a “violent verbal row” erupted during the meeting of Yemeni representatives on Sunday. The row, the source said, resulted in the failure to reach an agreement over the selection of SCER members from among the 30 judges nominated by the Yemeni judiciary on Saturday. After failing to appoint the judges, the source said, the representatives decided to refer the list of 30 to President Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi from which to select 9 to lead the commission.
The Gulf Initiative and its implementation timeline for the resolution of the Yemeni crisis, had given President Hadi the right to select membership of the SCER in the event of lack of agreement by Parliament. The same initiative had stipulated that all parliamentary decisions arise from agreements between the various blocs with no regard for majority, which is controlled by the Popular Conference Party, still headed by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Current President Hadi holds the positions of First Deputy and Secretary-General of the same party.
Government sources said that the Yemeni Assembly of Representatives, in a meeting held on Sunday and led by Deputy Speaker Hamir Bin Abdullah Bin Hussein al-Ahmar, agreed to refer to the President the decision by the Supreme Judiciary Council about the nomination of a number of members of the judiciary to the SCER.
Government-run Yemen News Agency (SABA) reported that the decision came “in accordance with Section 8” of the Gulf Initiative agreement, mandating the complete agreement in the assembly in the first and second stages of the transitional process. In case of difficulty in arriving at an agreement, the Speaker refers the matter to the President who resolves the question, his decision becoming mandatory.
In separate Yemeni news, local sources in the southern district of Aden have told Arabstoday that at least 4 people, including 2 soldiers, were killed Sunday evening at the northern entrance to the city of Aden. The incident occurred in a marketplace where the qat plant, chewed by most Yemenis, is sold.
The clashes broke out between armed southern tribesmen from the Sabiha area, and a number of qat sellers from the Dhamar district (100 kilometres south of Sanaa). Violence erupted over the proceeds of the market, located in the northern Dar Saad area. Armed tribesmen, sources said, broke into the market with the aim of shutting it down.
Sources added that army forces engaged both partied, leading to the death of at least four persons, including two soldiers. Several passersby were injured in the crossfire. Army forces were able to arrest a number of gunmen who were delivered into police custody.
In another incident, gunmen riding a truck attacked a police station in Aden. One passerby was killed as a result of the exchange of fire between the assailants and the police, which arrested two of the gunmen believed to have ties with al-Qaeda.
Sources in the Yemeni police have told Arabstoday that the gunmen, who were driving a Hilux-model Toyota truck, attacked the Madinat al-Shaab police station, firing a barrage of bullets at it, prompting the police to exchange fire with them. According to the source, police damaged the vehicle and arrested two of the attackers. Three gunmen escaped.
The police source said the gunmen probably had links with al-Qaeda, but he did not reject the possibility of the attack being an act of vengeance performed on behalf of an arrested relative. The source said questioning the detainees would “reveal the circumstances surrounding the attack and the motives behind it.”
On the subject of the preparation for national dialogue in the country, the Preparatory Committee continued its meetings on Sunday. According to a report by committee spokesperson Amal al-Basha seen by Arabstoday, the meeting discussed some unfinished articles relating to the internal organisation of the comprehensive National Dialogue Conference.
The meeting, according to al-Basha, was attended by legal adviser John Baker and Abdulreheem Saber, Director of the Office of UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Bin Omar. Items on the agenda included articles relating to the mechanisms, criteria and size of the representation of some internal conference bodies, such as the Discipline and Criteria Committee.
While President Hadi has not yet appointed a new date for the Yemeni Dialogue Conference which was set to begin in mid-November, UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Bin Omar has stressed the importance of all political camps joining the national dialogue with no preconditions. Bin Omar’s statement came following meetings he held in Cairo with exiled leaders of the separatist Southern Yemeni movement Hirak. Bin Omar also highlighted the necessity of finding a formula for the inclusion of Hirak in the national dialogue and treating the southern issue in a fair and serious manner.
In an interview with SABA,  the diplomat described the Cairo meeting as “constructive, serious and candid.” He also said that a “a number of leaders expressed agreement from the outset on the subject of entering the national dialogue as a starting point.” He also said that current discussions “centre on the details of how the dialogue is run and the procedures towards rebuilding trust.”
Despite the UN envoy’s reference to “challenge” which he did not detail,  but  said "continues to face the political process in Yemen," he admitted that a great deal of progress had taken place in the transitional process.
The Cairo meetings with the Hirak leaders “comes within the framework of consultations made by all parties involved in the north and south of the country,” Bin Omar stressed the presence of consensus on what he called "the importance of the southern issue” and that “it is time to resolve it in a serious and fair manner.”
Bin Omar also said he would be sure to include "the most important ideas present in the Yemeni political arena” in the report he is set to deliver to the UN Secretary General prior to presenting it before the Security Council's session on Yemen, to be held on the 28th of the current month.