Yemen Groups Want U.S. Goods Boycotted Over Mideast Nov 25 12:56pm ET

SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's opposition parties called on Saturday for a boycott of U.S. goods in the Arab state over Washington's perceived pro-Israeli stance in the Middle East crisis.

Leaders and more than 500 activists of the Islamist Islah party, the Yemen Socialist Party and several unions launched the boycott campaign, to take effect in the forthcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, at a gathering in the capital, Sanaa.

``There is a clear American bias in support of the Zionist entity (Israel) which kills unarmed elderly people, children and women in Palestine,'' parliament speaker Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hussein al-Ahmer, who heads the Islah party, told the meeting.

Participants said their goal was to press the U.S. administration to change its Middle East policy, seen as supportive to Israel during two months of clashes which have killed at least 273 people, mostly Palestinians.

Yemeni political leaders, including President Ali Abdullah Saleh who heads the ruling General People's Congress party, have been outspoken in their support for Palestinians.

Two decades ago Yemen offered refuge to several hundred Palestinian fighters who left Lebanon under an international agreement following Israel's invasion of the country in 1982.

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), November 25, 2000