RIYADH: The US embassy in Yemen on Wednesday said it held talks with the new Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council to discuss ways to improve governance, security, and economic stability in the war-torn country.
Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi launched the council, which is headed by Rashad Al-Alimi, last week and transferred his powers to it on the final day of intra-Yemeni talks led by the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh.
Cathy Westley, the charge d’affaires at the embassy, said she had held a meeting with Al-Alimi on Tuesday.
“I welcomed the council’s commitment to the UN-brokered truce and to realizing the aspirations of all Yemenis for peace and prosperity,” Westley said in a tweet.
The eight-member body, which has the authority to manage the security, politics and military of the state, has been widely welcomed by regional and international countries and organizations.

Meanwhile, US envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking met with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah during his visit to the Gulf country on Wednesday, where he briefed the minister on the latest developments in Yemen and praised Kuwait’s firm stances on restoring security and safety throughout Yemen.
Sheikh Ahmed affirmed his country’s support for the efforts made to ensure a truce holds and to enter into a comprehensive political process, welcoming recent developments after the formation of the Presidential Leadership Council.
He stressed the importance of the US’ role, its efforts to end the Yemeni crisis, and its humanitarian and development assistance to the Yemeni people, and said his country would continue to support all efforts undertaken by Lenderking.