(WASHINGTON, DC) - The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz today vowed that the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen will continue until the country is stable and safe, blaming foreign intervention for the unrest. The comments came during a speech at the 26th Arab League Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
“The excruciating reality of terrorism, internal conflicts and bloodshed experienced by a number of Arab countries are only the inevitable result of an alliance between terrorism and sectarianism, which is led by regional powers whose blatant interventions in the Arab region have resulted in undermining security and stability in some of our countries,” said King Salman. “In Yemen, the foreign intervention enabled the Houthi militias to overtake the legitimate authority, occupy Sana’a, and disrupt the implementation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative, which has sought to preserve Yemen's unity, stability and security.”
“Riyadh opens its doors to all Yemeni political parties committed to Yemen's security and stability, to meet under the umbrella of GCC and within the context of maintaining the legitimacy, rejection of any legitimacy breaching, ensuring the return of the State control over all Yemeni territory, returning to the State all weapons, and holding no threat the security of neighboring States,” said King Salman. “Operation Decisive Storm will continue until these objectives are achieved, so that the Yemeni people are able to enjoy security and stability.”
King Salman called on the Arab world to unite against terrorism while addressing other conflicts across the region, including Palestine, Syria, and Libya. He stated, “The scourge of extremism and terrorism are among the challenges facing the Arab nation, targeting the security and stability of our countries, and requiring us to be vigilant and be in solidarity when taking necessary actions to confront and eradicate its roots.”
King Salman met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Yemini President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi on the sidelines of the summit.
