AQAP chief Nasir al-Wuhayshi has already signed the ceasefire document Sanaa – Ali Rabea Yemen-based militant group al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) has endorsed a statement released last month which blamed the Yemeni government for \"shamefully\" bowing down to pressure from the US and its \"Gulf agents\" during talks to broker a ceasefire deal.
The statement, released by religious clerics and tribal leaders during mediation in February, was re-posted online by AQAP with the disclaimer: \"We confirm the authenticity of this statement\'s contents and re-disseminate it to show the truth and clarify our position.\"
In the statement, tribal leaders criticised US drone strikes within Yemeni territory and called on government authorities to sign the two-month ceasefire agreement, during which al-Qaeda would halt its attacks if security forces stopped pursuing militants and suspended their drone programme.
The mediators said the ceasefire had been proposed to enable reconciliation negotiations, and that AQAP chief Nasir al-Wuhayshi had signed the agreement to express his organisation\'s willingness for dialogue.
According to the version of events approved by AQAP, Yemeni authorities and intelligence services were given a three-day period during which the agreement was to be put to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who was expected to appoint a representative to sign it. However, after the deadline had passed, mediators reported that the agreement had not been signed.
They held the Yemeni authorities responsible for turning down the ceasefire, and the continuation of drone attacks.
On Sunday, Pentagon official Major General William D Beydler led a US military delegation to Sanaa, where he explained Washington\'s position regarding the ceasefire.
Yemeni sources said the meeting\'s revolved around military and security cooperation between the US and Yemeni Armed Forces, with focus on \"counterterrorism, the Coast Guard and the technical expertise which [the US] contributes to the restructuring of the Armed Forces, as well as the European expertise helping with the restructuring of the police force.\"