Iran and Israel top sponsors of terror in region: Al-Mouallimi

A picture dated Sept. 21, 2012, shows a Raad air defense system carrying Taer missiles being displayed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, during an annual military parade in Tehran. (AFP file photo)
Updated 31 October 2016
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Iran and Israel top sponsors of terror in region: Al-Mouallimi

JEDDAH/NEW YORK: Iran and Israel have been the main sponsors of state terrorism in the region and the world at large, Saudi Arabia's Permanent Representative at the United Nations Abdallah Al-Mouallimi told Arab News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
Speaking on phone from New York, Al-Mouallimi said Iran’s intervention in Yemen is in total violation of the United Nation’s relevant resolutions.
He called on the international community to curb Iranian interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
“Of course we hold ourselves to a higher standard than the Houthis. These are militias, people who are not concerned with any rules or regulations. We are a responsible state, so it is natural that we are held to a higher standard,” he reiterated.
On Wednesday, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman ordered that the serious victims of last week’s attack on a Yemeni hall, be transferred abroad for treatment.
The king instructed aid organizations to coordinate with Arab coalition forces fighting rebels in Yemen, and the legitimate Yemeni government, to facilitate the evacuation of those wounded who need treatment abroad.
The ambassador also emphasized the Saudi commitment to play its role in alleviating the misery of Syrian people.
The Kingdom announced that it would bear the expenses for the treatment of 150 Syrian children injured in Aleppo. They will be treated in border hospitals in Turkey, according to a statement issued by the Kingdom’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Saudi Arabia has been working extensively to rally international support to find a solution to the Syrian imbroglio; it handed over a letter to the UN, calling for immediate action to end the crisis.
Al-Mouallimi said the proof of the Kingdom's impeccable behavior resulted in the UN General Assembly's resolution "in which it thanked Saudi Arabia for its contribution, and acknowledged its leading role in combating terrorism.”
The diplomat added: "The Kingdom continues to be the home for all Arabs and to provide services and humanitarian assistance to all those who need it.”
 


Saudi Arabia pays Yemeni government $346.6m to meet salary shortfall

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Saudi Arabia pays Yemeni government $346.6m to meet salary shortfall

  • The payment is part of the Kingdom’s ongoing work to promote stability and development for the Yemenis

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has provided $346.6 million to help pay Yemeni government employees the massive shortfall in their salaries.

The payment, under a ruling by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, was delivered through the Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction of Yemen (SDRPY).

The payment is part of the Kingdom’s ongoing work to promote stability and development for the Yemenis, the SDRPY said in a statement released on its X.com account.

The statement added that the initiative aimed to strengthen economic, financial and monetary stability in Yemen, enhance the capacity of government institutions, improve governance and transparency, and enable the private sector to drive sustainable economic growth.

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad Al-Alimi thanked the Saudi royals for the support, describing it as an extension of the Kingdom’s longstanding support for the Yemeni people.

And Al-Alimi said the support sent a message of confidence in Yemen’s path of recovery as well as the in the government’s ability to strengthen national institutions and reinforce security and stability.

Adding that Yemen’s ongoing partnership with Saudi Arabia represented an important choice for a more stable future.

And he called for a unified effort to support the reconstruction of the country’s instituions, as well as improve living conditions and advance economic and social development.