Formation of defense councils in Yemeni provinces

The Yemeni President Ali Abdalla Saleh issued a decree to form defense councils in the provinces and directorates that should shoulder responsibilities assigned by the National Defense Council and mobilize all the services in each province to work under their command during peace and times of war.

The councils will also determine cases in which the armed and police forces are needed to intervene in each province and carry out plans for mobilizing those forces and enhancing their abilities. They will also suggest defense policies in order to coordinate between the armed forces, the government and non-government administrations and agencies in each province.

Meanwhile, the head of the Conference Parliamentary Coalition, Sultan Al Burkani, attacked the head of the Reform Coalition, Dr. Abdel Rahman Bafadel, for the latter's statements in which he said that the government's budget for the current year aimed at increasing the Yemeni people's poverty and that it will lead the country "into a dark tunnel."

Al Burkani said that Bafadel's statements contained misinformation and empty slogans that aim to excite the feelings of the people and detracts from the truth.