Saudi Cabinet expresses support for Yemenis’ efforts against Houthis

King Salman meets with former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Riyadh on Tuesday. The former US official also met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. They discussed a number of issues of common interest. (SPA)
Updated 06 December 2017
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Saudi Cabinet expresses support for Yemenis’ efforts against Houthis

RIYADH: The Saudi Cabinet has expressed hope that the uprising of Yemenis against the Iranian-backed Houthi militias will save the country from death threats, exclusion, bombings and seizure of properties.

Chaired by King Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Tuesday, the Cabinet welcomed a statement from the Arab coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen.
The Cabinet also welcomed the statement issued by the international conference in London on the Yemen crisis and its full support for the Kingdom’s legitimate right to defend itself against threats to its security and stability. It also praised the statement, which condemned Houthi action saying that the launching of ballistic missiles at the Kingdom constitutes a threat to regional security and prolongs the conflict, and for its call for an end to such attacks.
The Cabinet renewed the Kingdom’s keenness over Yemen’s stability, its return to its Arab environment and preservation of its land, security, identity, integrity and social unity in the framework of Arab regional and global security.
On terror issues, the Cabinet expressed the Kingdom’s strong condemnation of a terror attack on a university college in Peshawar, Pakistan, and expressed the Kingdom’s support for Pakistan against terrorism and extremism.
Later, a series of memorandums of understanding for cooperation in political consultation, labor, logistics and infrastructure with Georgia, Turkmenistan, Russia, the People’s Republic of China and the UAE were approved by the Cabinet.

Board meeting
The king also chaired the 48th meeting of the Board of Directors of the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives.
The board finalized a number of decisions concerning the working of the organization including the regulations of the National Center for Saudi Ardah in accordance with the King Abdulaziz Foundation.
The board also endorsed a memorandum of cooperation between the King Abdulaziz Foundation and Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in order to benefit from the latter’s expertise and knowledge.
The board was also briefed on a cultural project, run by the foundation under the directives of King Salman as an initiative aiming at linking young people to the history of the Kingdom as well as of the Arab Islamic history.
The board also approved other routine issues.

 

Saudi Arabia says recent STC military movements in Hadramout, Al-Mahra were unilateral, uncoordinated

Updated 30 min 23 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia says recent STC military movements in Hadramout, Al-Mahra were unilateral, uncoordinated

  • Saudi Arabia said the moves harmed the interests of the Yemeni people, as well as the southern cause and the coalition’s efforts.
  • The Kingdom said it coordinated with the United Arab Emirates, the president of the Presidential Leadership Council, and the Yemeni government to contain the situation.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Thursday said that recent military movements in the Yemeni governorates of Hadramout and Al-Mahra carried out by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) were conducted unilaterally and without coordination with the Presidential Leadership Council or the coalition leadership.

“These movements resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of all segments of Yemeni people, as well as the Southern cause and the coalition’s efforts,” read a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency.

The statement said Saudi Arabia has always prioritized preserving the unity of Yemen throughout recent developments, and that the Kingdom has spared no effort to reach peaceful solutions to resolve the situation in both governorates.

In this context, “the Kingdom worked with the brotherly United Arab Emirates, the president of the Presidential Leadership Council and the brotherly Yemeni government to contain the situation.

“A joint military team was sent from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to put the necessary arrangements in place with the Southern Transitional Council in Aden. These arrangements were made to ensure the return of the Southern Transitional Council forces to their previous positions outside the two governorates and hand over the camps in those areas to the Nation Shield Forces and the local authorities, in accordance with organized procedures under the supervision of the coalition forces.”

The statement said that these efforts remain in progress to restore the situation to its previous state.

Saudi Arabia also said it “hopes public interest will prevail through ending the escalation by the Southern Transitional Council and the withdrawal of its forces from the two governorates in an urgent and orderly manner.”