UN Council votes to send observers to Yemen

Yahoo – AFP, Philippe RATER, December 21, 2018

The UN Security Council resolution "insists on the full respect by all parties of
the ceasefire agreed" for Hodeida (AFP Photo/Jewel SAMAD)

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously approved a resolution that authorizes the deployment of observers to war-torn Yemen to oversee a fragile truce in the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeida.

The draft, which was submitted by Britain, had been the subject of tough negotiations among the 15 council members, and was amended several times before the vote.

It also endorses the results of UN-brokered peace negotiations in Sweden last week. Yemen's warring parties agreed to a ceasefire that took effect Tuesday and the withdrawal of fighters in Hodeida, a key gateway for aid and food imports.

The city is a vital lifeline for millions at risk of starvation, and the ceasefire between Saudi-backed government forces and Huthi Shiite rebels is seen as the best chance yet of ending four years of devastating conflict.

The agreement also included a planned prisoner swap involving some 15,000 detainees.

The UN Security Council resolution "insists on the full respect by all parties of the ceasefire agreed" for Hodeida.

It authorizes the United Nations to "establish and deploy, for an initial period of 30 days from the adoption of this resolution, an advance team to begin monitoring" the ceasefire, under the leadership of retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert.

According to the UN, Cammaert -- who served multiple times as a UN peacekeeper -- was expected to arrive in the Jordanian capital Amman on Friday, before heading to the rebel-held capital Sanaa and Hodeida.

The resolution also authorizes UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to "submit proposals as soon as possible before December 31, 2018 on how the United Nations will fully support the Stockholm Agreement as requested by the parties."

French ambassador Francois Delattre said the unanimous vote sent a "strong signal of the council's unity and engagement" on Yemen, and that it had put its weight behind the UN-brokered talks.

A Yemeni child runs toward a tent at a camp for displaced people in the Khokha

 district of the western province of Hodeidah -- the war has displaced more than two 

million people (AFP Photo)

Diplomats said the UN observer mission could consist of 30 to 40 people, tasked with ensuring the withdrawal of the warring parties from Hodeida and the safe passage of humanitarian aid.

The UN said the first members of the mission were already en route to the region.

The observers will head up monitoring teams made up of government and rebel representatives, under the auspices of a Redeployment Coordination Committee headed by Cammaert.

Food insecurity

A week ago, following the talks in Sweden, UN envoy Martin Griffiths asked the Security Council for the quick deployment of observers.

But the negotiations were particularly tough, with Russia at one point threatening to use its veto if a mention of Iran supporting Huthi rebel attacks -- inserted by the United States -- was not removed.

In a compromise, the phrase "further condemning the supply, from Iran and other actors" of the Huthis became "the supply, from whatever source."

But in the end, the entire paragraph was scrapped from the final version.

The war in Yemen between the rebels and troops loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi escalated in 2015, when he fled into Saudi exile and the Saudi-led military coalition intervened.

Since then, the conflict has killed some 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization, although human rights groups say the real death toll could be five times as high.

On December 8, the UN said that as many as 20 million people in Yemen were "food insecure," calling the situation the "world's worst humanitarian crisis."

Louis Charbonneau, the UN director for Human Rights Watch, said the resolution "sends an important message to the suffering people of Yemen that they haven't been forgotten."

Charbonneau also called on the Security Council to consider imposing "targeted sanctions" on those who violated the laws of war in Yemen, including "senior Saudi, Emirati and Huthi officials."

European Parliament calls for arms embargo against Saudi Arabia

EU officials have called on Brussels to stop shipping weapons to Saudi Arabia. The move is in response to alleged human rights violations committed by Riyadh in neighboring Yemen.

Deutsche Welle, 25 February 2016

European lawmakers called on Thursday for the EU's foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini to approve an arms embargo against Riyadh in response to the government's involvement in the ongoing war in Yemen.

The European Parliament's resolution followed a petition signed by 750,000 European citizens calling for an end to weapons sales. The resolution would not be legally binding, but officials hope that it would dissuade countries like Britain and France, who are the two main European exporters of arms to Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, Germany announced it would look harder at its decision to export arms to Saudi Arabia.

"This is about Yemen. The human rights violations have reached a level that means Europe is obliged to act and to end arms sales to Saudi Arabia," said British lawmaker Richard Howitt, according to Reuters news agency.

Calls to end the war

Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab allies intervened in Yemen last year after a Houthi rebel uprising led to a wider war that has claimed the lives of some 6,000 people.

Riyadh buys most of its weapons from the United States, and the EU-wide embargo would go against Washington's policy of aiding the Sunni Arabs in the fight to help the internationally recognized government retake swathes of territory back from the rebel and al Qaeda factions that have divvied up the country.

Some EU officials also warned that an embargo could trigger a backlash from Riyadh. Howitt, for instance, said the Saudis had threatened to cut off relations with the EU in response.

blc/sms (Reuters, AFP)

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Russia vows to ensure Damascus observes ceasefire: Putin

Iran and Turkey 'agree to stop war in Yemen'

Turkey and Iran have agreed on the need for a political solution to end the conflict in Yemen. Turkish President Erdogan held a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Rouhani in Tehran amid deteriorating bilateral ties.

Deutsche Welle, 7 April 2015

In a joint press conference with visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the war in Yemen was high on the agenda during his talks with the Turkish leader.

"We talked about Iraq, Syria, Palestine … We had a long discussion about Yemen. We both think that war and bloodshed must stop in this area immediately, and a complete ceasefire must be established," Rouhani said, adding that the Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen must halt.

The Iranian president said he hoped that Turkey and Iran could end the Yemen war "with the help of other countries in the region" and bring "peace, stability" to the Middle Eastern country.

Turkey has joined the Saudi-led coalition conducting airstrikes against Shiite Houthirebels in Yemen, who have captured several key Yemeni cities including the capital Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden.

Riyadh accuses Tehran of supporting Houthis in toppling President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's government. Iran denies the allegations.

For his part, Erdogan chose not to comment directly on Yemen's conflict in the press conference, but talked in detail about his country's relations with Iran, and civil wars in Syria and Iraq.

"We discussed Iraq. A hundred thousand people have been killed there. So far, more than 300 thousand have been killed in Syria. All were Muslims. We do not know who is killing who," Erdogan said.

"We have to get united and stop the killing and bloodshed. We have to bring together those who are fighting," the Turkish leader added.

Erdogan, a Sunni who in the past had accused Tehran's Shiite government of trying to dominate the region, downplayed the Sunni-Shiite conflict in the Middle East.

"I don't look at the sect… We have to put an end to this bloodshed, this death," said Erdogan.

Economic dependency

Analysts say that despite their geopolitical differences, both Tehran and Ankara are aware of the bilateral trade benefits.

The two presidents signed eight new agreements on Tuesday to boost trade and economic cooperation.

In the past, the two neighboring countries have disputed over the price of natural gas. Turkey, which imports 10 billion cubic meters of Iranian gas per year, took Iran to the International Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland in 2012 after Iran rejected its complaint that the price was too high.

Erdogan said on Tuesday that his country would buy more natural gas from Iran if the Shiite state lowers the rates.

shs/msh (Reuters, AFP, AP)

Ex-Yemen President Saleh amassed 'up to 60 billion,' UN reports

Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president of Yemen, allegedly siphoned billions of dollars into his own coffers while in power. The evidence stems from a UN report about the deposed leader.

Deutsche Welle, 26 Feb 2015

An expert panel presented the UN Security Council with a report this week outlining the alleged corruption practices of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The main finding of the report highlighted the fortune - estimated to be between $32-$60 billion (28 billion-53 billion euros) - which the former strongman amassed during his 33 years in power.

"These assets are said to take the form of property, cash, shares, gold and other valuable commodities," the expert report said, adding that he had transferred the majority of those assets to roughly 20 countries under false names.

According to the findings of the UN probe, Saleh was able to hide the funds with the help of five prominent Yemeni businessmen. Using companies and other individuals as fronts also helped shield him from assets freezes.

"The origin of the funds used to generate [Saleh's] wealth is believed to be…particularly [related] to gas and oil contracts where he reportedly asked for money in exchange for granting companies exclusive rights to prospect for gas and oil in Yemen."

The investigators estimated that he earned nearly $2 billion annually during his presidency.

"Many have argued that the country's spiraling debt and economic problems would be alleviated with a repatriation of these alleged stolen assets," it added.

Saleh and Yemen's political turmoil

Yemen has devolved into economic instability and political turmoil in the time since Saleh's forced resignation in 2012 after Yemen's Arab Spring uprising. Most recently, Shiite Houthi rebels have solidified their power in Yemen's north and taken over the capital city, Sanaa. The political crisis resulted in house arrest for President Abd Rabu Mansour, who recently fled to the south and rescinded his resignation.

Wednesday's report included information from sources who alleged that Saleh has been stockpiling weapons since being deposed, supporting allegations that he has played a role in the current unrest.

Many countries, including Germany, the United States and Middle Eastern nations have closed their embassies in Yemen amid security concerns. Late last week, rival factions in Yemen agreed to create a transitional council under UN oversight in order to help govern the country along with the parliament. The council is to include representatives from social groups that have traditionally lacked a voice in Yemeni politics.

kms/sms (AP, dpa)

Obama taps Treasury terror, intelligence chief for CIA

Yahoo - AFP, Jan 9, 2015

David Cohen, then US Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial
 intelligence, speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House on
October 23, 2014 in Washington, DC (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski)

Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama appointed the US Treasury's anti-terrorism and financial intelligence chief David Cohen to the number-two position in the Central Intelligence Agency, the spy agency said Friday.

Cohen, 51, has served as the Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence since June 2011, fighting terrorism, weapons and drug trafficking, money laundering and other financial crimes.

"I look forward to his insights, expertise, and energy as we address the growing number and diversity of national security challenges facing America today," CIA Director John Brennan said.

The US Treasury Department is rare among financial agencies in having its own intelligence operation.

Under Cohen, this has sought to snuff out the sources of financing for the Islamic State group and target sanctions against Iran and Russia.

He will become CIA deputy director in February, replacing Avril Haines who is departing CIA to be Obama's deputy national security adviser.

A lawyer by training, Cohen first joined the Treasury in 1999. He helped craft the legislation that formed the USA Patriot Act, passed after the 9/11 2001 terror attacks to battle terrorism and terrorism financing.

He returned to the Treasury in 2009 after practicing law in private practice for seven years.

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"2015" (3) - Jan 10/11, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

"Revelations of Darkness" - Oct 1, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“ .. Do Not Despair

There's too much information to give you in one channelling, in one sitting, so I refer to past messages for you to better understand and reference the information in order to get the bigger picture. So I wish to remind you of something I also told you in a recent channelling called Do Not Despair. You're winning! It's because you're winning that the dark consciousness on this planet is feeling it, and the humanity that represents darkness is pulling out everything it has to survive.

It Has Always Been There

Let's look at it, because it's all over the news. Are you shocked at the sudden existence of the organization that will remain unnamed [for this channelling]? Where did it come from? How could it be so organized? How could it be so well funded? This organization could have its own country soon! They might as well name it, “The Old Energy Dark Country”, for that's what it will represent.

The barbaric past of humanity comes forward to show its face. It has always been there, hiding under the rocks and between the cracks of civilized humanity. It couldn't show itself until now, but now it has to. It's ugly and it's not for the faint at heart, is it, dear ones? Seeing evil personified in Human action is abhorrent. It is so ugly and so dark that you cannot look upon it with a gentle heart. God is not a part of it and this is obvious.

You're winning! Light is winning! The uprising of dark consciousness would not have shown itself with this strength, or this quickly, if this were not so. This is exactly what I told you to look for, and it is proof that those representing this dark consciousness are in trouble. Dear ones, dark consciousness has always had a tried-and-true system. It lurks in the shadows and influences all the power places of the planet - government, commerce, finance. Suddenly, it can't hide there as well anymore and it's out in the open.

Where is the funding coming from? It is coming from a storehouse that has always been there, dear ones. It uses income that has been generated from low consciousness acts, collected for a very long time. Funding didn't just appear. It has been stored, waiting to be used in order to spread fear and darkness to save what they believe is their way.

Who Will Win?

Dear ones, they haven't got a chance! But it looks like they do, doesn't it? Everything that they are doing is calculated to scare you into submission. Are they winning? Now, that's a question I want you to take from here and examine every day.

Fear is black. If you're in fear, there is no light. You can be the grandest Lightworker, or even be the channeller, but if you're in fear, it doesn't matter how many years you've done light work, or how much light you've accumulated personally. It all goes away with fear, and then they've won the battle for your mind. Do you understand this?

The Strength of the Old Soul - YOU

Old souls, Lightworkers reading this, the experiences you have had over lifetimes and lifetimes are incredible! The old soul knows fear. I don't want to be too graphic, but I want you to understand! What was it like when you put your head in the guillotine because you talked about God in a way that was inappropriate? What was it like to be bound hand and foot when they lit the match at your feet? Old soul, that's fear! You carry those experiences in your Akash.

I want to tell you they haven't got a chance to scare you! You absolutely know what fear is, and they haven't got a chance as long as you cling to that part of you that is the strength of God. You've been through it all. That means you've got the weapons of truth, wisdom and light. Don't forget it. Don't forget who you are!

Do you see how fast they assembled? It seemed like only yesterday that there was no organization at all. Where did they come from? Have you noticed a certain hesitancy to fight them? Why is it that the citizens of the lands that they are invading are hesitant to fight them? Instead, these leaders are calling on others to help. Why is it that the others are also hesitant? I want to show you that there are some anomalies of logic that are not making sense, because this is a battle you have never seen before on this planet. We've expected it, but you haven't. It's about consciousness, not land or resources.

How to Win?

We gave you the secret before of how to defeat them without taking even one life: Simply take away their funding. They cannot exist without their funding. The funding has to be organized, stored, and distributed. It has to be generated in such a way that it must also go through institutions. Did you hear that? All you have to do is stop the system. Winning won't be done with bombing. It's going to be done with intelligence, clever thinking and financial forensics. It's time to get smart on some of these things and not to be afraid to look at this puzzle differently than you have before. Do not apply the energy they are using in order to fight them, because you won't win. Figure it out. It's the last bastion of organized darkness and evil thinking on this planet coming together to try to survive the assault of your light. Don't be afraid to look at the funding trail, no matter where it takes you.

Fear is Their Weapon

I want you to know something as you look at your news. It may appear that you are unable to stop them. In many places, they will gain strength as they create fear. The fear is easily created in those who are not old souls and who don't know fear like you do and who don't have the armor of your spiritual experiences. This puts you in the front line, dear one. Did you realize that? But you don't have to go fight them on their terms. All you have to do is broadcast light. High consciousness will beat fear any day.. .”

Girl's online plea highlights plight of Yemen's child brides

BBC News, Abubakr al-Shamahi, Sanaa, 26 July 2013

Nada's uncle took her in after she ran away

In a three-minute video posted online, Nada al-Ahdal, a slight and pretty 11-year-old girl, has caught the attention of millions in her home country, Yemen, and abroad, as she tells her story.

Sitting in a car, she speaks to the camera eloquently and forcefully, and tells of an alleged attempt by her parents to forcibly marry her to an older man.

"Does it satisfy you for me to be married? Does this satisfy you?... Mum, accept this: I don't want you. You killed my dreams, all of them."

The video went viral, first in Arabic, and then in a version that was translated into English, and clocked over seven million views in three days.

However, since it first emerged, a number of sides, including Nada's parents, have disputed the child's story.

The case has thrown a spotlight on the contentious issue of the forced marriage of children in Yemen, where it is a socially accepted custom in some areas.

Some Yemeni social media users reacted negatively to the video itself, feeling that it was wrong to expose Nada's parents to public criticism, as it was not in keeping with Yemeni traditions.

"I swear this is shameful. How can you bash the girls of Yemen like this… You've embarrassed us… This is the start of her going astray," was the reaction of one Yemeni Facebook user.

Nada is now in the custody of the Yemeni Women's Union, a women's rights NGO.

Nada al-Ahdal says she ran away from home to avoid marriage

Ramzia al-Eryani, the head of the organisation, maintains that Nada's story is genuine, and not uncommon.

"This is not the first time this has happened, there have been far worse cases. Only last week we had two cases that were much worse," she said.

Prevalent

The issue of child marriage in Yemen began to hit the international headlines with the case of Nujood Ali, who was nine years old when, in 2008, she escaped her two-month marriage and went to court seeking a divorce.

She was granted one, and went on to win international awards, as well as publishing a book, I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced.

In 2009, there were attempts by Yemeni parliamentarians and civil society groups to get a law passed restricting marriage to those who are 18 years and over.

However, this failed after opposition from hardline conservative MPs, and a fatwa from Abdulmajeed al-Zindani, a prominent cleric.

The official marriage age remains 15, a law set in 1994, although the law is vague and not widely implemented.

Despite the national and international attention, child marriage remains prevalent in Yemen.

The International Center for Research on Women records in a study that 48.9% of Yemeni females were married before the age of 18.

According to the Gender Development Research and Studies Centre at Sanaa University, up to 65% of marriages between 2010 and 2012 involved children, rising to 70% in rural areas.

In the Yemeni headquarters of Save the Children, a villa in the suburbs of Sanaa, Alaa al-Eryani, who works on the ground in Yemen for the international NGO, says there is a discrepancy between people living in rural and urban areas in their reaction to Nada's case, and child marriage in general.

"If you go to a small village, they would tell you that she's crazy for running away from her parents, if you go to these villages, eight-year-olds are being married… Here in the city, where people are generally more educated and aware, they would tell you that it shouldn't happen."

Ms al-Eryani remains optimistic that Nada's case will cause some change.

"I hope it was a wake-up call for some people," she says.

'Strong and brave'

Meanwhile, Nada's uncle, Abdulsalam al-Ahdal, who took her in, says the majority of the family, and wider society, have given him and Nada their support.

He says any negative reactions to Nada are the result of what he describes as a misuse of religion to justify child marriage.

"There wasn't a problem. The whole family knows she is strong and brave, and that this is a decision that she has taken for her future."

He also says that Nada is adamant that she will not return to her parents.

"Nada is saying that she has a choice - she doesn't want to be with her mother under these circumstances. If they force her, she will run away again, or she says she will commit suicide."

Nonetheless, Nada, clearly not fazed by the events of the past few weeks, appears to be regaining the dreams she once had.

"I want to be a singer," she exclaims excitedly, as her uncle watches on, "I want to be a star!"

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Child bride, 13, dies of internal injuries four days after arranged marriage in Yemen

Daily Mail, By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE, 10th April 2010

A Yemeni woman clothed in full Muslim dress (file photo). International rights groups are fighting to end the practice of child marriages in the country

A 13-year-old Yemeni girl died of internal injuries four days after a family-arranged marriage to a man almost twice her age, a human rights group said.

Ilham Mahdi al Assi died last Friday in a hospital in Yemen's Hajja province, the Shaqaeq Arab Forum for Human Rights said, quoting a medical report.

She was married the previous Monday in a traditional arrangement known as a 'swap marriage', in which the brother of the bride also married the sister of the groom, it said.

Sigrid Kaag, regional director for UNICEF, said in a statement that the United Nations child agency was 'dismayed by the death of yet another child bride in Yemen'.

'Elham is a martyr of abuse of children's lives in Yemen and a clear example of what is justified by the lack of limits on the age of marriage,' SAF said in a statement.

A medical report from al-Thawra hospital said she suffered a tear to her genitals and severe bleeding.

The Yemeni rights group said the girl was married off in an agreement between two men to marry each other's sisters to avoid having to pay expensive bride-prices.

The practice of marrying young girls is widespread in Yemen and drew the attention of international rights groups seeking to pressure the government to outlaw child marriages.

Legislation that would make it illegal for those under the age of 17 to marry is in serious peril after strong opposition from some of Yemen's most influential Islamic leaders.

The group said that was a common arrangement in the deeply impoverished country.

Yemen's gripping poverty plays a role in hindering efforts to stamp out the practice, as poor families find themselves unable to say no to bride-prices in the hundreds of dollars for their daughters.

More than a quarter of Yemen's females marry before age 15, according to a report last year by the Social Affairs Ministry.

Tribal custom also plays a role, including the belief that a young bride can be shaped into an obedient wife, bear more children and be kept away from temptation.

Last month, a group of the country's highest Islamic authorities declared those supporting a ban on child marriages to be apostates.

A February 2009 law set the minimum age for marriage at 17, but it was repealed and sent back to parliament's constitutional committee for review after some politicians called it un-Islamic. The committee is expected to make a final decision on the legislation this month.

Some of the clerics who signed the decree against a ban sit on the committee.

Further imperilling the effort is the weak government's reluctance to confront the clerics and other conservative tribal officials, whose support is essential to their fragile hold on power.

The issue of Yemen's child brides got widespread attention three years ago when an eight-year-old girl boldly went by herself to a courtroom and demanded a judge dissolve her marriage to a man in his 30s.

She eventually won a divorce, and legislators began looking at ways to curb the practice.

In September, a 12-year-old Yemeni child-bride died after struggling for three days in labour to give birth, a local human rights organisation said.

Yemen once set 15 as the minimum age for marriage, but parliament annulled that law in the 1990s, saying parents should decide when a daughter marries.

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UK and US funding anti-terror police unit in Yemen

BBC News

A Yemeni security armored vehicle patrol in the capital San'a, Yemen, in this June 15, 2009 file photo. The British government said Sunday Jan. 3, 2010 that Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Barack Obama have agreed to back a counterterrorism police unit in Yemen to tackle the rising terrorist threat from the country. (AP /Mohammed al-Qadhi, File)

Britain and the US have agreed to intensify efforts to tackle the "evolving threat" from Islamist groups in Yemen, Downing Street has announced.

Officials said the UK and the US were funding a counter-terrorism police unit in Yemen. The news follows an alleged airline bomb attack over Detroit.

Barack Obama has sent his top Middle East general to meet Yemen's president.

The leaders have agreed to intensify US-UK work in Yemen

The US president has alleged that the Christmas Day bomb suspect was trained by a Yemen-based al-Qaeda offshoot.

Gen David Petraeus - who is responsible for US Middle East and Central Asian operations - reportedly said the US was keen to support Yemen's fight against al-Qaeda.

On Saturday, Mr Obama for the first time publicly accused an offshoot of al-Qaeda, based in Yemen, over the alleged attempt by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to blow up an airliner over Detroit.

'Terror incubator'

A statement from No 10 said Downing Street and White House officials had discussed "increased UK-US working" in a series of phone calls since the alleged failed plot on Christmas Day.

Mr Brown has called Yemen "both an incubator and potential safe haven for terrorism" and said it presented "a regional and global threat".

The increased UK-US working will include support for the Yemeni coastguard operation, Downing Street said.

Downing Street told the BBC: "The UK government is in close contact with the Yemeni government and the White House.

"The details are still to be worked out but this will build on the work already being done by the UK to help the Yemeni government combat terrorism."

Gen David Petraeus flew to Yemen to discuss stepping up co-operation between the two countries in the fight against al- Qaeda, according to the Yemeni state news agency.

It says Gen Petraeus met President Ali Abdallah Saleh in the capital Sana'a and handed over a letter from President Obama.

The BBC's world affairs correspondent Caroline Hawley said there had been growing concern for some time about al-Qaeda exploiting Yemen's troubles to establish a safe haven in the country's ungoverned spaces.

"But the failed bomb attack last week has put the international spotlight on the Arab world's poorest country," she added.

On Tuesday, Yemen's Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi told the BBC that Yemen had the will and ability to deal with al-Qaeda, but needed more support from the West.

"We need more training," he said.

"We have to expand our counter-terrorism units and this means providing them with the necessary training, military equipment, ways of transportation - we are very short of helicopters."

Security review

The Downing Street statement set out Mr Brown's other intentions:

• Have the evolving threat from Yemen and Somalia placed on the agenda for the EU General Affairs Council in January
• Push for stronger action on Yemen from the Financial Action Task Force
• Discuss further the UK's response to the suspected bomb plot at a special meeting of the National Security, International Relations and Development committee (NSID)

The alleged bomber, Mr Abdulmutallab, who is now in US custody, is accused of trying to detonate a bomb on a flight as it came in to land.

The 23-year-old allegedly attempted to ignite explosives stored in his underpants. He had flown from Accra in Ghana to Lagos in Nigeria, where he boarded a flight to Amsterdam before changing planes for Detroit.

The mid-air drama on 25 December has sparked a worldwide aviation security review.

Both Mr Obama and Mr Brown have ordered urgent reviews of airport security, with UK officials expected to report back with preliminary findings "in days".

The prime minister has pledged to "move quickly" to improve security wherever necessary and suggested new technologies such as full body scanners may become more widely used at UK airports.

He has also called a summit in London to discuss radicalisation in Yemen.

No 10 said the 28 January event had support from Washington and the European Union, and Mr Brown aimed to attract Saudi Arabia and Gulf states.

On Saturday, Mr Obama for the first time publicly accused an offshoot of al-Qaeda over the alleged plot.

In his weekly radio and video address posted on the White House website, Mr Obama said: "We know that [Mr Abdulmutallab] travelled to Yemen, a country grappling with crushing poverty and deadly insurgencies.

"It appears that he joined an affiliate of al-Qaeda, and that this group, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, trained him, equipped him with those explosives and directed him to attack that plane headed for America."

The group said it was behind the alleged attack in an internet statement last week.

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Saudi troops 'captured' by Houthi rebels in Yemen

BBC News

Nine Saudi soldiers have been seized by Houthi rebels in northern Yemen during fighting, the insurgents have said.

A rebel spokesman based in Germany told BBC News that the incident took place inside Yemeni territory and urged Saudi Arabia to stay out of the conflict.

The Saudi defence ministry confirmed nine soldiers were missing and may have been taken prisoner.

The rebels, known as Houthis, accuse Saudi Arabia of supporting the Yemeni government in offensives against them.

The spokesman, Yahya al-Houthi, stressed that the rebels' grievance was with the Yemeni government and not with Saudi Arabia.

Border guard

The rebels first took up arms against the Yemeni government in 2004, saying they are trying to reverse the political, economic and religious marginalisation of the Zaydi Shia community.

The Yemeni government accuses the Houthis of wanting to re-establish Zaydi clerical rule, which ended in 1962, and of receiving support from Iran.

The rebels had long held that Saudi Arabia allowed Yemeni armed forces to launch attacks from its territory.

The Saudis were overtly drawn into the fighting in November 2009 when the rebels killed a Saudi border guard and took over Saudi villages.

Saudi armed forces say they have since driven the rebels out of the kingdom, but frequently deny attacking targets within Yemeni territory.

The Zaydi community are a minority in Yemen, but make up the majority in the north of the country.

The government launched a fresh offensive in August 2009, which has precipitated a new wave of intense fighting.

Aid agencies say tens of thousands of people have been displaced.

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