Yemeni rebels to hand over five Saudi soldiers

Yemeni Shiite rebels are expected to hand over five captive Saudi soldiers in less than a week, a Saudi-owned newspaper reported yesterday, following a 48-hour ultimatum set by Riyadh.

Yemen's government promised also yesterday to extend state control into rebel areas including the border with Saudi Arabia, adding that some violations of a ceasefire newly agreed with Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the northern rebels' leader, should be expected.

Saudi Arabia has demanded that the rebels, who are in conflict with both Riyadh and Sanaa, should hand over the five missing soldiers. It says this would prove they are serious about ending the fighting with Riyadh which has raged since insurgents seized some Saudi territory in November.

"The handover operations of prisoners of war after the end of the Saudi confrontations against the Houthi infiltrators are part of the ceasefire agreement between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels," Asharq al-Awsat newspaper quoted an unidentified Yemeni security official as saying.

"The handover operations are expected to be completed in less than a week," he added. Asharq al-Awsat is owned by a nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah.