Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will push Yemen to make peace with a rising Shiite insurgency in order to focus on the threat posed by Al-Qaeda militants in the country, an American official said Wednesday at the start of a global summit on Yemen. World powers are looking to bolster Yemen's faltering economy and tackle Al-Qaeda there in the wake of the unsuccessful year-end airline attack in the US, which was claimed by Yemen's Al-Qaeda affiliate. At the hurriedly convened meeting in London, Clinton and delegates from the Middle East, Russia and Europe will discuss fears that declining oil revenues are weakening Yemen's ability to deliver basic services - stirring dissent and allowing terrorists a firmer foothold in the country. Delegates at the two-hour talks in London, which include the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, won't pledge any new funds, but instead will offer to help Yemen spend $5 billion donated in 2006. Clinton is pushing for government reforms to ensure that the money “isn't misdirected or misappropriated,” according to a senior State Department official. He said Clinton would also push Yemen to seek a ceasefire with the Shiite rebels known as the Houthis. US officials fear their bloody revolt in the Yemen's north is diverting resources and attention away from the country's fight against Al
