The decision by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to set up a relief center in Riyadh shows his ardent desire to help the distressed Yemeni people and ease their sufferings. The king will open the center and lay the foundation of its permanent headquarters today.
When it comes to helping neighbors, the Kingdom is always at the forefront. This was precisely the reason why it led a coalition that launched Operation Decisive Storm to counter Iran-backed Houthis who had staged a coup against the legitimate Yemeni President, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
Guns have to be completely silenced before humanitarian aid can begin to enter Yemen. A truce means just that. Nothing less. Although Saudi Arabia is keenly aware that five days of ‘peace’ aimed at a double-edged goal is always in danger of falling apart, it has no option but to maintain an even higher degree of readiness for that eventuality. Truces are always fragile and factional infighting makes them difficult to succeed.
Indeed, it is Saudi Arabia that has called for this gesture in the hope that while the wounded and the suffering, the homeless and the destitute, all casualties of war are given food and medicines, these five days can also be used to unfold the negotiating table.
While one appreciates the honesty of the new UN envoy who has landed in Yemen, the fact is that Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has underscored the need for a Yemeni solution to a Yemeni problem and this may not be that easy since the cracks in the ethnic mapping are intense.
It can only be hoped that the cease-fire holds, but the first day will be tension filled because suspicion will be on a hair trigger. The Kingdom has demonstrated its sincerity by agreeing to the cease-fire despite previous violations and provocative acts by the Houthis.
In this difficult time, one must laud the Saudi initiative and all efforts have to be made for a breakthrough because if there is no progress after five days, there would be more bitterness and the call for a second truce may not be heard or brought about so easily. In the interim, let not trigger-happy groups stymie the shipments of aid and succor that are standing by. They must reach the afflicted.
Let us hope that the right minds listen and come to the table…enough blood has been shed. There is no need for more loss of life. The Kingdom’s sincerity should be reciprocated in the same way. Houthis should abide by the cease-fire and let aid and relief reach the Yemeni people.
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Houthi intransigence must not obstruct Yemen relief effort
Houthi intransigence must not obstruct Yemen relief effort
Erdogan postpones UAE visit, saying leader has ‘health problem’
- Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday announced he was postponing a visit to Abu Dhabi because Emirati leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had a “health problem” — then deleted the message
ISTANBUL: Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday announced he was postponing a visit to Abu Dhabi because Emirati leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had a “health problem” — then deleted the message.
The message, posted by Erdogan’s team on X, said he had talked with Al Nahyan by phone.
“During the course of the call, President Erdogan expressed his sadness over the health problem experienced by (President) Al Nahyan and wished him a prompt recovery,” said the three-paragraph message.
Erdogan would travel to the United Arab Emirates at a later date, still to be determined, the message added.
Although the message — of which AFP has a screen grab — was quickly deleted from the account, it had already been picked up by official Turkish media.
Turkiye’s state broadcaster likewise took down its article on Erdogan that mentioned the Emirati leader’s health problem.
The official Emirati news agency, WAM, reported on the telephone conversation between the two leaders, but did not mention that Erdogan’s visit had been postponed.
Contacted by AFP, neither the Turkish presidency nor the Emirati authorities — who have themselves made no statement on their president’s health — have yet answered.
The Emirati leader’s team on Saturday evening released photos taken the same day showing Al Nahyan, known as MBZ, smiling and apparently in good health, with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar.
The message, posted by Erdogan’s team on X, said he had talked with Al Nahyan by phone.
“During the course of the call, President Erdogan expressed his sadness over the health problem experienced by (President) Al Nahyan and wished him a prompt recovery,” said the three-paragraph message.
Erdogan would travel to the United Arab Emirates at a later date, still to be determined, the message added.
Although the message — of which AFP has a screen grab — was quickly deleted from the account, it had already been picked up by official Turkish media.
Turkiye’s state broadcaster likewise took down its article on Erdogan that mentioned the Emirati leader’s health problem.
The official Emirati news agency, WAM, reported on the telephone conversation between the two leaders, but did not mention that Erdogan’s visit had been postponed.
Contacted by AFP, neither the Turkish presidency nor the Emirati authorities — who have themselves made no statement on their president’s health — have yet answered.
The Emirati leader’s team on Saturday evening released photos taken the same day showing Al Nahyan, known as MBZ, smiling and apparently in good health, with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar.
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