Saudi Defense Minister, Presidential Leadership Chairman Discuss Roadmap Between Yemeni Parties

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman with the Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi (SPA)
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman with the Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi (SPA)
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Saudi Defense Minister, Presidential Leadership Chairman Discuss Roadmap Between Yemeni Parties

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman with the Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi (SPA)
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman with the Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi (SPA)

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman discussed with the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman, Rashad al-Alimi, the latest developments and ways to enhance and support efforts to restore peace in Yemen.

Under the directives of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Defense Minister met with Alimi and members of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council in Riyadh.

The two sides discussed cooperation and coordination regarding the road map between the Yemeni parties to reach a comprehensive political solution to end the Yemeni crisis under UN supervision. They also addressed several issues of common interest.

The Minister stressed the Kingdom's continuous support for the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and the importance of prioritizing the national interest of all parties to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace to contribute to the development and prosperity of Yemen and its people.

Yemen's state-owned Saba news agency said that Alimi reviewed the latest developments in the Yemeni situation and resuming the peaceful path in light of the Houthi militias' continued intransigence and human rights violations.

Saba reported that the Chairman and members of the Council affirmed their full support for Saudi efforts to renew the truce, alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, and launch a comprehensive political process that guarantees the restoration of state institutions, security, stability, and development.

The agency also conveyed the Saudi Defense Minister's confirmation of Riyadh's commitment to support the Council and encourage the Yemeni parties to reach a comprehensive and sustainable political solution under UN supervision, achieving security, peace, stability, and development in Yemen.

Later, the Saudi Defense Minister held talks with French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu in Riyadh.

They discussed strategic relations between Saudi Arabia and France and various aspects of cooperation in the military and defense sectors.

They also addressed the latest developments in Gaza and its environs, and Prince Khalid emphasized the urgent need to cease military operations, protect innocent lives, and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid.



Faisal bin Farhan, Shaibani Discuss Developments in Syria 

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Syrian FM Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Riyadh earlier in February. (Saudi Foreign Ministry) 
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Syrian FM Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Riyadh earlier in February. (Saudi Foreign Ministry) 
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Faisal bin Farhan, Shaibani Discuss Developments in Syria 

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Syrian FM Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Riyadh earlier in February. (Saudi Foreign Ministry) 
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Syrian FM Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Riyadh earlier in February. (Saudi Foreign Ministry) 

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received on Monday a telephone call from his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani to discuss regional developments.

They reviewed bilateral relations between their countries, as well as the latest developments in Syria and efforts exerted towards them.


GCC Calls on Iraq to Withdraw Contentious Coordinates, Map Lodged with UN 

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. (GCC)
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. (GCC)
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GCC Calls on Iraq to Withdraw Contentious Coordinates, Map Lodged with UN 

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. (GCC)
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. (GCC)

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi called on Monday Iraq to withdraw the list of coordinates and the map lodged with the United Nations, which includes claims regarding Iraqi maritime zones.

In a statement, Albudaiwi said the coordinates and map infringe on Kuwait’s sovereignty over its maritime areas and shoals, including Fasht Al-Qaid and Fasht Al-Aij.

He underscored the importance of resorting to international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in a manner consistent with the understandings, agreements, and bilateral memoranda of understanding concluded between the two countries.

Albudaiwi reiterated the GCC’s steadfast positions and previous resolutions on Iraq's respect for Kuwait's sovereignty and territorial integrity and its categorical rejection of any violation of Kuwait's sovereignty.

"The GCC and Iraq are bound by deep-rooted historical relations and close ties based on mutual respect and good neighborliness," he stressed, noting that such claims undermine efforts to boost cooperation and bilateral relations between Iraq and Kuwait.

He hoped Baghdad would withdraw the list of coordinates and the map in order to bolster mutual trust, support the stability of relations, and enshrine commitment to relevant legal and international principles.


Saudi Arabia, Various Foreign Ministers Condemn Israel over West Bank Moves

FILE - This photo shows a construction site of new housing projects in the West Bank Israeli settlement of Givat Ze'ev, Monday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)
FILE - This photo shows a construction site of new housing projects in the West Bank Israeli settlement of Givat Ze'ev, Monday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)
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Saudi Arabia, Various Foreign Ministers Condemn Israel over West Bank Moves

FILE - This photo shows a construction site of new housing projects in the West Bank Israeli settlement of Givat Ze'ev, Monday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)
FILE - This photo shows a construction site of new housing projects in the West Bank Israeli settlement of Givat Ze'ev, Monday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)

The ‌foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Brazil, France, Spain, Türkiye and various other states condemned Israeli decisions that they said introduce sweeping extensions to unlawful Israeli control over the West Bank.

"Changes are wide-ranging, reclassifying Palestinian land as so-called Israeli ‘state land’, accelerating illegal settlement activity, and further entrenching Israeli administration," said the joint statement, ‌issued late ‌on Monday by the ‌Turkish Foreign ⁠Ministry.

Other countries to ⁠sign the statement included Egypt and Qatar, as well as the heads of the Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Reuters said.

Israel's cabinet on February 15 approved further ⁠measures to tighten Israel's control ‌over the occupied ‌West Bank and make it easier for ‌settlers to buy land, a move ‌Palestinians called a "de-facto annexation".

The West Bank is among the territories that Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much ‌of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule ⁠in ⁠some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

The joint statement said the settlements, and decisions designed to further them, are "a flagrant violation of international law" and a step towards "unacceptable de facto annexation".

It said they also undermine the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the region and threaten any meaningful prospect of regional integration.