Riyadh: The Saudi-led Arab military intervention in Yemen was in response to a request from Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, five GCC countries said yesterday.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait said in a statement that they had decided to respond to Hadi’s request to protect Yemen and its people from aggression by the Shia Houthi militia.
In a letter to rulers of the six GCC countries, Hadi had requested “instant support by all necessary means, including military intervention to protect Yemen and its people from continuous Houthi aggression and deter the attack, expected to occur at any hour, on the city of Aden and the rest of the southern regions, and to help Yemen in the face of Al Qaeda and ISIS.”
In their statement, carried by Saudi Press Agency, the GCC states expressed concern at the “coup orchestrated by the Houthi militias” in Yemen, which affected the country’s security and stability, Qatar News Agency reported.
The statement said this constituted a major threat to the security and stability of the region and to world peace.
The statement said Hadi’s letter was received when the GCC states were preparing to “convene a conference in Riyadh, under the umbrella of the GCC, to be attended by all political parties in Yemen wishing to preserve the security and stability of Yemen.”
The conference also was being organised by the GCC states following an earlier request from Hadi.
THE PENINSULA
Doha: Foreign Minister Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah and his GCC counterparts held a phone conversation yesterday with US Secretary of State John Kerry in which they discussed the situation in Yemen.
Kerry stressed his country’s support for the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen. QNA
