GCC leaders voice concern over Yemeni situation

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Sunday 22 Mar 2015 - 15:49 Makkah mean time-2-6-1436 Riyadh (IINA) – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received at Al-Auja Palace in Diriyah on Saturday Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier of Bahrain; Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the UAE; Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of Qatar; and Sheikh Muhammad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior of Kuwait who came to greet him and exchange viewpoints on events in the region, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. The GCC leaders expressed concern at the worsening situation in Yemen during a meeting with Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior. They warned that Yemen might slip into a dark tunnel with bad consequences for regional and global security and stability. They reiterated the GCC stance of supporting Yemeni legitimacy represented by President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi. The leaders expressed their readiness to exert all efforts to support Yemen’s security and stability, stressing that the security of the GCC countries and that of Yemen is interlinked. They stressed the importance of an urgent meeting of all Yemeni factions in Riyadh under the aegis of the GCC as desired by Hadi. Earlier, GCC Secretary General Abdullateef Al-Zayani strongly condemned the atrocious terrorist acts that took place in Aden and Sanaa in Yemen targeting Yemen’s security and stability, triggering sectarian sedition while tearing apart the social fabric of Yemen and their national unity. Al-Zayani considered the attack against the presidential palace in Aden and the suicide attacks on mosques in Sanaa as terrorist acts that contravene Islamic and humanitarian values. Defeat the intentions of those who try to shake Yemen’s security and stability and push the country toward sectarianism, Al-Zayani said, expressing his hope that all parties involved in the Yemen dialogue will attend a conference in Riyadh under the GCC auspices. Meanwhile, Hadi asserted that he would “raise Yemen’s flag” in the Houthis’ northern stronghold. In a call to arms from the southern city of Aden, Hadi called on the Houthis to pull their forces out of state ministries, return weapons seized from the army, and quit Sana’a. “We shall deliver the country to safety and raise Yemen’s flag on Mount Marran in Saadeh instead of the Iranian flag,” he said in a televised speech, his first since reaching Aden. Yemen has been hurtling towards civil war since last year when the Houthis seized Sana’a. Fighting is spreading across the country, and 137 people were killed on Friday in the bombings of two mosques in Sanaa. Hadi held open the door to a negotiated settlement with a call for the Houthis and other groups to attend peace talks in Saudi Arabia. He said Yemen must return to the political situation in place before the Houthis took control of Sanaa, restoring its constitution and implementing the results of a national dialogue process and Gulf-sponsored political transition. HA/IINA