US to reopen Middle East embassies except Yemen

The United States said on Friday it would reopen all of the embassies it shut this week except the one in Yemen, after re-assessing the al-Qaeda threat. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington would also keep its consulate in the Pakistani city of Lahore closed, after pulling out staff on Thursday. The United States had closed some two dozen embassies and consulates since August 4 after reported intelligence intercepts from al-Qaeda suggested an attack was imminent. The closures affected virtually all of the Arab world and were eventually extended to include parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Psaki said that 18 of the 19 embassies and consulates subject to the week-long closure would reopen on Sunday, a working day in most Muslim-majority countries. "Our embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, will remain closed because of ongoing concerns about a threat stream indicating the potential for terrorist attacks emanating from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula," Psaki said. "Our consulate in Lahore, Pakistan, which closed due to a separate credible threat to that facility, will also remain closed," she said. Psaki said that the United States would keep monitoring threats in Sanaa and Lahore as it decides when to reopen the missions. Source: AFP