ADEN, Yemen, April 13 -- Yemen's parliament convened on Saturday in the city of Seiyun, the second largest city in the southeastern province of Hadramout, for the first time since the outbreak of the devastating civil war in the impoverished Arab country in March 2017.
The parliament held its first meeting at the presidential palace in Seiyun city, with the presence of Yemeni President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and delegates of Arab and foreign countries.
"I extend my sincere congratulations to the Yemeni people on the first constitutional meeting of their elected legislative authority," the Yemeni president said in a speech at the opening of the extraordinary parliamentary session.
He said that this special session is being held "at a very important moment in the country's history, as we stand at the crossroads between the options of peace and war," accusing the Houthis of intransigence, maneuvering and obstructing the peace efforts exerted by the United Nations in Yemen.
Hadi said that organizing the first meeting of Yemen's House of Representatives "clearly indicates that the Houthi project is gradual and day by day," stressing that "Yemenis are now restoring one of the most important institutions of their state after a long journey of struggle."
During the session, the Yemeni lawmakers elected Assistant Secretary-General of the ruling General People's Congress Party (GPC) Sultan al-Barakani as the new speaker of the pro-government parliament.
Al-Barakani said in a speech that the convening of the Yemeni parliament "comes in line with the articles of Yemen's Constitution." He stressed full support for any "local, regional or international effort aimed at achieving peace in Yemen."
The new speaker of the pro-government parliament called on the Houthi group based in Sanaa "to resort to the peace process by abandoning violence and turning to a political component that exercises its rights in accordance with Yemen's Constitution."
More than 141 members of the 301-member parliament attended Saturday's session in support of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, a parliamentary source told Xinhua.
The six-year term of the 301-member parliament is already expired as the last Yemeni parliamentary elections occurred in 2009 during the era of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The session of the House of Representatives comes based upon a request issued by Hadi who chose the country's city of Seiyun as a place for the parliamentary meetings as the security conditions are not fully stable in the country's southern port city of Aden.
Heavy Yemeni security forces backed by elite Saudi troops were deployed in Seiyun city amid tightened measures to secure the city with the start of the first parliamentary session.
The Houthi rebels based in the capital Sanaa described the pro-Hadi parliament meeting as a "felony," vowing to take serious action against the participants.
Parliamentarians loyal to the Houthi group have started to hold meetings since August 2016 at the main headquarters of the Yemeni House of Representatives in Sanaa.
In January 2017, Hadi issued a republican decision to move the headquarters of the Yemeni House of Representatives (parliament) from Houthi-controlled Sanaa to Aden, where the Yemeni government is currently based.
The Iranian-allied Houthis launched a large military campaign and seized Sanaa in late 2017, forcing Hadi and his government to flee into exile in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened militarily and began pounding Houthi-controlled Sanaa in March 2017, in response to an official request from Hadi to protect Yemen and roll back Iran's influence.
The conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government in Yemen has recently entered its fifth year, aggravating the suffering of Yemenis and deepening the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
国内英语资讯:China, Belgium to strengthen cooperation
体坛英语资讯:Hong Kong-Sanya sailing competition to kick off in October
An Unforgettable Thing 一件难忘的事情
国际英语资讯:Syrias gates to neighboring countries start opening after years of isolation
体坛英语资讯:Stuttgart win, Monchengladbach held in German Bundesliga
国际英语资讯:Hostage safely freed at Cologne station incident
科学表示:这是养育聪明宝宝的秘诀
国际英语资讯: Heavy rain in Nicaragua leaves 6 dead
睡觉时做到这些可预防皱纹
体坛英语资讯:China rally past Canada, one win away from best result in 24 years at FIBA World Cup
美国将与英、日及欧盟举行贸易谈判
体坛英语资讯:Flamengo begin search for 14th coach since 2013
挖鼻孔不仅恶心,而且会造成致命疾病
国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Irish border remains biggest sticking point in Brexit talks
体坛英语资讯:Messi sparks revival, Barca drop more points
国内英语资讯:Xi urges efforts to win battle against poverty on schedule
国内英语资讯:China, Belgium agree to unleash complementary advantages, tap more cooperation potentials
国际英语资讯: Irans top leader says not to rely on West for scientific progress
《猫和老鼠》要拍真人版电影?想想画风就很奇特...
国际英语资讯: South Africa pledges support for peace process in South Sudan
广东出台全国首个禁止霸座法规
From Small to Big 以小见大
国际英语资讯: Trump intends to give Air Force veteran key East Asia post at State Department
体坛英语资讯:USA, Spain into semis, Belgium stun France at FIBA World Cup
体坛英语资讯:Otamendi recalled to Argentina squad for friendlies with Iraq, Brazil
体坛英语资讯:Reyna, Benavente return to Peru squad for Chile, US friendlies
国际英语资讯:Trump denies relaxation of sanctions against Turkey
霍金生前最后担忧:超级富豪操纵DNA或毁灭人类
新iPhone为何卖到天价?这个幕后女高管功不可没
体坛英语资讯:Four things we learned from Spains matchday 6