SANAA, May 24,  AFP): Thirty-eight people were killed Tuesday in clashes between armed clansmen and government forces in a northern district of the Yemen capital Sanaa, according to a new toll from medical and government sources.

Three tribal dignitaries were among 24 supporters of powerful dissident tribal chief Sadek al-Ahmar who were killed, and dozens of others were wounded, a hospital source told AFP.
The defence ministry said on its website, citing the interior ministry, that 14 soldiers were killed and two were missing in the fighting.
An earlier toll said at least six were dead Tuesday in a second day of fighting between supporters of Sheikh Sadek al-Ahmar and forces loyal to embattled President Abdullah Saleh who has warned of civil war in the country.

Machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades were used as fierce fighting between police and tribesmen loyal to Sheikh al-Ahmar gripped Al-Hasaba neighbourhood in north Sanaa where his home and the ministry are located, an AFP correspondent said.
Heavy shelling also targeted tribesmen stationed at several government buildings including the trade and industry ministry, another tribal source close to the sheikh said.
Armed men were deployed in the streets setting up roadblocks while shops and offices were shut down.
State news agencies quoted an interior ministry official as saying that Sheikh al-Ahmar’s supporters fired rocket-propelled grenades at interior and tourism ministry offices.
Heavy gunfire was heard near the rebel chief’s home where dignitaries from the powerful Bakil and Hashid tribal confederations had gathered in his support.
Most of the dignitaries had insisted on a peaceful solution to end the violence that killed six people Monday, although tribal mediators have so far failed to secure a ceasefire.
Saleh on Sunday warned of civil war in the deeply tribal country as he refused to ink a Gulf-brokered accord under which he would cede power within 30 days in exchange for immunity from prosecution for himself and his aides.
Sources close to Sheikh al-Ahmar said the fighting had broken out on Monday after security forces tried to deploy around his residence and his gunmen retaliated.
A security official said the gunmen broke into a nearby school and police responded.
The conflicting accounts could not be independently verified.
Sheikh al-Ahmar accused Saleh, who is facing mounting pressure to quit office after 33 years, of trying to spark a “civil war” in an attempt to remain in power.
He said five of his supporters were killed on Monday and 52 wounded.The official Saba news agency said one policeman was killed and five people wounded.
Sheikh al-Ahmar, who heads the Hashid tribal confederation, the largest in Yemen and a former crucial source of Saleh’s power, pledged his support for the opposition in March.
One of the 10 sons of Sheikh Abdullah al-Ahmar, who was until his death Saleh’s main ally, Sheikh Sadiq is capable of rallying thousands of armed supporters, tribal sources say.
Yemen has an estimated 60 million firearms in private hands, roughly three for every citizen.
The country’s opposition vowed on Monday to step up street protests, while insisting on efforts to avoid violence.
Since late January, security forces and armed Saleh supporters have mounted a bloody crackdown on protests demanding his ouster, killing at least 181 people, according to a toll compiled from reports by activists and medics.
Analysts warned the crisis may degenerate into a civil war after Saleh refused to sign the Gulf-brokered deal to end the popular uprising inspired by protest movements that ousted veteran strongmen in Tunisia and Egypt.
Saleh “realises that his regime is over but he is looking for a decent exit,” said Ibrahim Sharqieh, deputy director of the Brookings Doha Centre.
“He doesn’t want an exit like that of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak or Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. He is basically concerned over the way by which he will be remembered in history.”

Syria
Syrian troops and security forces have killed at least 1,100 civilians in their two-month campaign to crush pro-democracy demonstrations, Syrian human rights organisation Sawasiah said on Tuesday.
Sawasiah said it had the names of the 1,100 people who it reported were killed mostly in the southern Hauran Plain region, where the uprising erupted on March 18.
The death toll rose sharply after street protests grew in number and spread out from the south, prompting a military crackdown, Sawasiah said.
The rights organisation, founded by jailed human rights lawyer Mohannad al-Hassani, said it had reports of another 200 civilians deaths, but did not have names.
Syrian authorities have blamed most of the killings on “armed saboteur groups” backed by Islamists and outside powers who they say have killed more than 120 soldiers and police.
Rights campaigners say some soldiers have been shot by security agents for refusing to fire on civilians.
Syria has barred most international media since the protests broke out two months ago, making it difficult to verify accounts of the violence.
Syria’s media on Tuesday slammed as “plots” sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States on President Bashar al-Assad for his regime’s brutal repression of protests.
The government newspaper Al-Thawra said Washington had applied the sanctions under the pretence of seeking to push forward reforms in Syria.
“Under the guise of defending human rights and of establishing American democracy, plots have been hatched to serve the interests of the United States at the expense of others,” it said.
The ruling party’s daily Al-Baath noted: “The sanctions ignore the package of reforms adopted, such as the abolition of the state of emergency, nationality being given to the Kurds and procedures aimed allowing more political parties.
“The Europeans ignored these measures in order to implement their agenda in the region,” it added.
At the height of the uprising, Assad revoked emergency rule in force since the ruling Baath party came to power nearly 50 years ago.
Despite this, however, it continued to regulate demonstrations and punish protesters.
The European Union on Tuesday imposed sanctions including a travel ban and an assets-freeze against 10 regime figures, including President Assad and the chief of staff of the armed forces Dawud Rahija.
The 10 joined 13 other members of the regime to whom the same measures had already been applied on May 10.
Assad, who has only made two public appearances since the uprising began, heads the updated list published in the EU’s Official Journal.
The announcement draws a line under nearly a month of difficult negotiations among EU member-states on whether or not to punish Assad, while according to NGOs and the UN, the crackdown has left more than 900 dead, led to thousands of arrests and forced thousands of Syrians to flee.
The Europeans “erred when they attacked the president and when they adopted sanctions that harm the Syrian people,” Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told state television Monday.
“Europe needs us as we need them,” Muallem said. “These measures will harm Syria’s interests as they will those of Europe and Syria will not remain silent to this.”
Despite the loss of hundreds of lives, the popular uprising in Syria shows little sign of flagging as it enters its third month, yet the autocratic regime in Damascus continues to defy international pressure to stop silencing protesters by force, instead decrying foreign “interference” in its affairs.
On the ground, security forces and the army are laying siege to several restive cities, including Homs, Banias and Daraa, whence little information is available since Damascus ordered a media black-out and imposed stringent restrictions on foreign reporters.
US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, meanwhile, joined Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague Monday in calling upon Assad to “stop the killings, the beatings, the arrests; release all political prisoners and detainees; begin to respond to the demands that are upon you for a process of credible and inclusive democratic change.”
The United States applied sanctions on President Assad last week, with US President Barack Obama suggesting Assad should “lead that transition or get out of the way.”
The Europeans did not go as far, refraining from discussing Assad’s departure, although the EU said if the Syrian regime does not change tack “rapidly”, it was “ready to take further measures without delay”.
However, human rights group Amnesty International said the “danger is that this will prove to be too little too late,” calling upon the United Nations Security Council to take “tougher action against Syria”.
Discussions are continuing at the United Nations, but the “threat of a Russian veto” still remains, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said.
More than 40 protesters were shot dead by security forces on Friday during demonstrations in cities across the country, activists said.
Two days of funerals followed, as well as further, lesser demonstrations, they said.

Libya
Loud explosions rocked Tripoli Tuesday as NATO unleashed its heaviest blitz yet of the capital in a bid to speed up the ouster of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi while rebels gained ground diplomatically.
Libyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told reporters that at least three people died and 150 were wounded in the air strikes, which he said targeted a deserted military barracks but which instead hit civilians living nearby.
NATO rejected the charge that the strikes had targeted a barracks and said in fact a strategic vehicle storage facility — used to resupply the regime forces and instrumental in attacks against civilians — had been struck.
The Western alliance is shifting into high gear in Libya in a bid to deliver a decisive blow against Gaddafi’s government, hitting Tripoli with its heaviest bombardment to date.
“The regime has become very apathetic in the last 15 days. It has lost the military initiative and appears on the defensive, which is a sign that we are on the right path,” a senior NATO military official said.
“We think that we must speed up and increase the tempo of our operations to let the fruit drop on its own,” the official said, adding that allies hope that by “end of June, beginning July, Gaddafi has fallen.”
After three months of fighting, however, the regime remains entrenched in much of the west, including the capital Tripoli.
Worried about getting bogged down in an endless stalemate, NATO allies, who were divided over going into Libya in the first place and face budgetary constraints, have no choice but to increase the pressure, the official said.
An AFP journalist said the raids lasting more than half an hour began at around 1:00 am (2300 GMT Monday) when powerful blasts were heard in the sector around Gaddafi’s Bab al-Aziziya residence compound.
More than 15 strong blasts were heard in the neighbourhood, with the sound of warplanes roaring overhead.
A further three explosions were heard in the garrison town of Tajura, east of the capital, during the afternoon, residents said.
Plumes of smoke rose over the Mediterranean seaside town but witnesses were not immediately able to identify the target.
In another boost to forces fighting to oust Gaddafi, France said it would provide attack helicopters for NATO’s air campaign along with and the EU widened sanctions against Gaddafi’s forces.
The helicopters, a weapon that has yet to be used by NATO in Libya, will help the western alliance strike regime military assets hidden in urban areas while avoiding civilian casualties, French ministers said.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, on the sidelines of meetings of European Union foreign and defence ministers in Brussels, said Paris was deploying Tigre and Gazelle class helicopters aboard an aircraft carrier.
French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said separately that London would also deploy attack helicopters as soon as possible but a British minister denied that, saying the idea was still under consideration.
On Monday, Washington urged Gaddafi to leave Libya as Jeffrey Feltman, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, held talks in the rebel capital Benghazi.
Feltman told a news conference in Benghazi on Tuesday that the rebels’ National Transitional Council had been invited to open an office in Washington.
“I delivered a formal invitation to the council for the opening of a representation in Washington,” Feltman said, calling the move an “important milestone.”
On the issue of calls for US recognition of the NTC as the “sole legitimate interlocutor” of Libyans, Feltman noted the council was in fact already the only representative of the country in Washington.
“There is ongoing diplomatic, political relationship and dialogue with members of the council, who are considered by our fellows credible and legitimate representatives of the Libyan people, he said.” “
Jordan, meanwhile, said it recognises the National Transitional Council as the “legitimate representative” of the Libyan people and intends to appoint an envoy to Benghazi, the rebels’ capital.
On Monday, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, opened an EU office in Benghazi and declared the 27-member bloc’s “long-term support” to the rebels.
Resolution
Top Senate Democrats and Republicans agreed Monday on a resolution backing limited US involvement in the NATO-led military campaign against Libya, days after expiration of the legal deadline for President Barack Obama to have sought full-blown congressional authorization.
Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, a Democrat, and Sen John McCain, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, introduced the nonbinding resolution along with five other Republicans and Democrats.
The measure supports the limited use of military force and concurs with Obama that the stated goal of US policy “is to achieve the departure from power of Muammar Gaddafi and his family, including through the use of nonmilitary means, so that a peaceful transition can begin to an inclusive government that ensures freedom, opportunity and justice for the people of Libya.”
The resolution urges Obama to submit to Congress a description of US policy objectives in Libya, during and after Gaddafi’s tenure, and to consult with Congress regarding US operations in Libya.
Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a president can send troops into combat only for 60 days without congressional approval. That deadline passed on Friday, with little pressure from Congress. The frustration and anger among many lawmakers shortly after the US launched air strikes in support of a “no-fly zone” in March have largely dissipated as the American military role has diminished.
On Monday, France and Britain pledged to deploy attack helicopters to help the rebels amid their standoff with Gaddafi’s forces.
In a letter to congressional leaders on Friday, Obama said he would welcome a resolution.
“While we are no longer in the lead, US support for the NATO-based coalition remains crucial to assuring the success of international efforts to protect civilians from the actions of the Gaddafi regime,” Obama wrote. “Congressional action in support of the mission would underline the US commitment to this remarkable international effort. Such a resolution also is important in the context of our constitutional framework, as it would demonstrate a unity of purpose among the political branches on this important national security matter.”
McCain, in a statement, said he supports Obama’s decision to commit US forces and he hopes the resolution attracts widespread bipartisan backing. Kerry said the country is “on the strongest footing when the president and Congress speak with one voice on foreign policy matters.”
Also backing the resolution were Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, a Democrat; Independent Joe Lieberman; Republican Saxby Chambliss; Democrat Dianne Feinstein; and Republican Lindsey Graham.
It was unclear when the Senate would vote on the resolution.

Bahrain
Amnesty International urged Bahrain to overturn the death sentences of two people arrested during Shiite-led anti-government protests in the Gulf island kingdom.
The sentences were upheld Sunday by a special closed-door appeals court presided over by military and civilian judges. The defendants were convicted of killing two policemen during a government crackdown on the unrest in March.
Amnesty, a leading human rights group, urged Bahrain’s king to commute the sentences in a statement Monday. The executions could also be blocked by the country’s highest court.
At least 30 people have been killed since protests began in February by Bahrain’s majority Shiites. They are seeking greater rights and political freedoms from the country’s Sunni rulers. Hundreds have been detained in the kingdom, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.
A top official said this week that 515 detainees have been released since martial law-style emergency powers were put in place in March. Although the government has lifted some restrictions such as an overnight curfew, rights groups have said the government continues to intimidate and silence those it sees as threat to its more than 200-year rule.
Mazen Mahdi, a Bahraini journalist who works for DPA, was briefly detained by Bahraini authorities Sunday, the German press agency said Tuesday. Mahdi, who also works as a photographer for the European Pressphoto Agency, said he was abused while in custody for about two hours, according to DPA spokesman Christian Roewekamp.
A government spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.
Reuters’ correspondent was expelled by Bahrain earlier this month after officials complained about the news agency’s reporting in the kingdom.
Tehran summoned Bahrain’s charge d’affaires after Iranians were arrested in the Gulf kingdom and to protest against the conviction of another of its citizens there, state media said Tuesday.
The foreign ministry asked the Bahraini government to provide “a list of Iranian nationals arrested and to allow a consular visit,” the official IRNA news agency reported.
The ministry “strongly protested against the unjust conviction of an Iranian” and the “process against Iranians without informing the Iranian embassy and not in the presence of lawyers,” said IRNA, without elaborating
Ties between Iran and Bahrain greatly deteriorated after Tehran strongly criticised the Gulf kingdom as it put down popular protests in the Sunni-ruled state where Shiites predominate, as in Iran.
However, Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi this month welcomed a conciliatory statement by Bahrain’s King Hamad that he hopes problems with Tehran will be solved.