Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, today in Riyadh, took part in the GCC Ministerial Council's extraordinary meeting to discuss the developments taking place in the Republic of Yemen.
GCC ministers of foreign affairs discussed the latest developments in Yemen, and the outcome of the unfortunate events and terrorist operations by the Houthis, which resulted in undermining the political process in Yemen based on the Gulf initiative, the outputs of the comprehensive national dialogue and the disruption of the peaceful transition process, contrary to the interests of Yemen and its people.
The Ministerial Council, in a statement, expressed strong condemnation of the terrorist operations that represent an infringement on constitutional legitimacy, besieging and storming the presidential residence, the abduction of Dr. Ahmed Awadh bin Mubarak, office director of Yemen's president and Secretary-General of the National Reconciliation Dialogue Conference, and the attempted assassination of Khalid Bahah, the Prime Minister of Yemen.
It said that the GCC consider what happened in Sanaa on Tuesday, January 20, 2015, was a coup against legitimacy. It stressed that Yemen's security is part of GCC national security, affirming that Yemen's stability and unity is a top GCC priority. It renews support for the constitutional legitimacy of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, expressing rejection of all the measures taken to in an attempt to change the nature of Yemeni society.
The Ministerial Council called on the Houthis to stop the use of force and withdraw from all the areas they control, handover weapons seized from the military and security institutions and engage in the political process.
Noting that in the case of the withdrawal of the Houthis from the residences of Yemeni President and Prime Minister, lifting checkpoints leading to them, releasing the President’s Office Director, normalizing the security situation in the capital and the return of the government and security institutions to the authority of the state, a GCC Sec-Gen Envoy will be delegated to hold talks with all political forces on resuming the implementation of the rest of the Gulf initiative and its implementation mechanisms and the outputs of the National Dialogue.
The Ministerial Council also called on all parties and political powers to give priority to the interests of Yemen and work to complete the implementation of the political process and save Yemen from sliding further into chaos and violence that will increase the suffering of the people of Yemen.
In this regard, the GCC confirmed that it will take the required measures to protect its security, stability and its vital interests in the Republic of Yemen.