UK and Germany reopen their embassies in Sanaa

US embassy will remain closed following an al-Qaeda threat Sanaa – Ali Rabea The UK and Germany reopened on Sunday their embassies in Yemen, which had been closed for around two weeks following a terrorist threat. The news comes as Yemen’s President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi met with Ambassador for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Yemen to discuss ways to prevent the collapse of the transitional National Dialogue Conference.
The British and German embassies reopened after temporarily shutting down on August 4, while the US and French embassies remained closed.
UK Ambassador Jane Marriott said on her Twitter account on Sunday that she and her team were “glad to be back and working in Yemen after this brief hiatus”, while the German embassy posted a statement on its website on Sunday saying it had reopened.
The US closed 19 embassies and consulates in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa after it received information about plans for an al-Qaeda terrorist attack. It has since reopened all the posts except its Sanaa embassy, although both the USA and France say their Yemeni embassies will be open again soon.
Observers in Yemen believe al-Qaeda does not currently have the capability to attack Western embassies in the country, pointing out that recent operations by the organisation have been limited to the kidnap or assassination of security officials.
The extremist network remains active in southern and eastern Yemen, although US drone strikes have driven militants into the mountains and deserts in these areas.
In a meeting with local officials on Sunday, Yemen’s Interior Minister said Abyan in southern Yemen still posed a security threat.
The news came on the same day that Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi met with GCC ambassador to Yemen Saad al-Arifi, as the GCC attempted to prevent the breakdown of Yemen’s national dialogue following the apparent disengagement of the separatist al-Hirak al-Janoubi (Southern Movement).
 Arifi delivered a message from the GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani praising Yemen’s success in implementing the post-revolution Gulf initiative, Yemen’s official news agency reported.
In his message, Al-Zayani reaffirmed GCC support to Yemen during its transitional period, in accordance with the Gulf initiative.
The Hadi-Arifi meeting discussed the steps Yemen needed to take during its transitional phase to preserve its security, stability and unity.
The meeting came amid the GCC's efforts to save Yemen’s constitution-writing National Dialogue Conference that began in March, which has seen the absence of representatives of Hirak (Southern Movement) since it resumed work last Tuesday following the Eid al-Fitr break.