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Sanaa: The Yemeni government has formed a committee to work for the rehabilitation of Al Qaida suspects if they pledge to renounce violence and extremism, a member of the committee said on Sunday. The committee was formed after a group of former Al Qaida prisoners met President Ali Abdullah Saleh to discus the rehabilitation issue. "We met President Saleh on June 15 to discuss the conditions of the prisoners and also those who are already released but still under surveillance or house arrest," Rashad Mohammad Saeed, who attended the meeting, said in an exclusive interview with Gulf News. "The committee was made up of six people - we chose three from among us and three from the governmental concerned bodies," said Saeed, who is also known as Abu Al Feda.
The 32-year-old Abu Al Feda went to Afghanistan in 1989 for Jihad against the former Soviet Union, stayed until 1992 and then returned to Yemen. In 1998, he went back to Afghanistan to fight with Taliban and Al Qaida until days before the September 11 attacks and came back to Yemen where he was arrested on September 26, 2001, and kept in prison for nearly two years and four months. Abu Al Feda, who says he is still under surveillance since he was released in early 2004, said this committee is different from all previous ones. "The difference now is that this committee was formed from both sides not only from the government side," Abu Al Feda said.
"Hopefully, during the coming days all those who are not sentenced will be released and those who are sentenced and have served two-thirds of their period, will be released by the president. "Keeping these young people in prison is not in the interests of Yemen. I think they were put in prison only under international circumstances and American pressure," he said. He pointed out to promises from authorities to solve the problems facing him and his colleagues after their release. So far, the Yemeni authorities say they have released about 315 Al Qaida suspects for lack of evidence against them. "It was also agreed to cancel measures imposed on those who are released, like house arrest, the monthly signing of official register and taking permission if you wish to go another province in Yemen," he said. "The youth should be allowed to travel wherever they wish in the country and outside the country if they get visas like normal citizens." He also said those who lost their jobs because of imprisonment would be returned to their jobs. "I and my brotherly youth will be committed not to do anything that may undermine the security or damage the public interests of society," he said. Answering a question as to what extent these promises can be realised, he said, "I do not look at them as promises. It is a duty of those responsible for the homeland and its sons, to solve their problems." "I expect that all these points discussed in the meeting will be implemented because of the seriousness of the President of the Republic and chairman of the Political Security Organisation. They are very interested in solving our problems." About those 14 prisoners still at large after the February escape of 23 Al Qaida suspects, he said, "If they went to Iraq or Afghanistan, then they have arrived at a place where they can do as they wish," adding, that he is not worried about them. He said, if they are still in the country, "I do not expect them to do anything against the country and it will only be a matter of time for them to go back."
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