Yemani protesters wave flags and march through the streets during a demonstration demanding renewed independence in the southern city of Aden on Nov. 30, 2014. (AFP)
DOHA: Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Said Al Jaber, will resume duties from the southern city of Aden where Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi holds court after he fled Sana’a where he was put under house arrest by Houthi rebels, reports Al Arabiya.
Saudi Arabia joined Western states earlier this month in evacuating its embassy following a power grab by the Houthis, who control Sana’a. The Qatari ambassador resumed work in Aden on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia and Qatar closed their embassies and evacuated staff mid-February, citing deteriorating security.
Meanwhile, an official told Asharq Al Awsat on the condition of anonymity that the remaining GCC ambassadors will resume duties from Aden once embassy offices are secured. The six-member GCC condemned the Houthi takeover and the group’s dissolution of parliament on February 6, which it described as a “coup.”
Hadi fled Sana’a on Saturday, retracting his resignation and re-assuming his position as the legitimate president. By moving their embassies from Sana’a, GCC states intended to send a message of support to Hadi and the Yemeni people who oppose the Houthi coup, said the official, who accompanied GCC Secretary-General Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani on his visit to Aden on Wednesday.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier held talks with Houthis and urged them to lift the house arrest on Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and Foreign Minister Abdullah Al Saidi.
Agencies
