Yemenis, Int’l Parties Welcome GCC Initiative for Intra-Yemeni Talks

Students after completing final school exams in Sanaa on Saturday. (EPA)
Students after completing final school exams in Sanaa on Saturday. (EPA)
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Yemenis, Int’l Parties Welcome GCC Initiative for Intra-Yemeni Talks

Students after completing final school exams in Sanaa on Saturday. (EPA)
Students after completing final school exams in Sanaa on Saturday. (EPA)

The Gulf Cooperation Council’s invitation for holding intra-Yemeni consultations was welcomed by international and Yemeni parties. In an official statement, the Yemeni presidency urged everyone to participate actively and positively.

Yemenis are looking forward to the consultations leading to results that will turn the page of the conflict and help chart a clear path to peace.

The Yemeni presidency welcomed on Friday the GCC’s announcement that it will host Yemeni consultations at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Riyadh, from March 29 to April 7.

It praised in a statement the GCC and Saudi-led Arab coalition’s sincere efforts to restore security and stability and achieve peace in Yemen, based on the Gulf initiative, its executive mechanism, outcomes of the national dialogue and relevant UN resolutions, mainly resolution 2216.

The presidency called on all Yemeni components to participate effectively and positively in the upcoming talks and join efforts to resolve the crises, end the suffering of Yemenis and start building the future of the next generations.

The United Nations also welcomed the initiative.

“I can tell you that the UN appreciates all initiatives to reach an inclusive negotiated political settlement to the conflict in Yemen,” said Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric.

“In that context, we welcome the Gulf Cooperation Council’s initiative to hold consultations among the parties to the conflict in Yemen in the coming weeks in support of the UN’s own efforts,” he added.

The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also welcomed the initiative announced by the GCC, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.

The OIC’s General Secretariat had called for supporting a political solution to the Yemeni crisis and encouraged dialogue between all Yemeni parties and the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement, and appreciated all efforts, especially efforts of UN and Saudi Arabia for a ceasefire and advancing the political process.

OIC Secretary General, Hissein Brahim Taha praised the GCC initiative, which would bridge the rift between Yemeni brothers.

He called on all Yemeni parties to engage in this very important initiative to stop the bleeding of Yemeni blood and reach a political solution to end the conflict and advance the interests of the Yemeni people and in support of security and stability in the region.



Saudi Arabia Participates in G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Ebola Response

G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on accelerating collective action to defeat Ebola. (SPA)
G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on accelerating collective action to defeat Ebola. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Participates in G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Ebola Response

G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on accelerating collective action to defeat Ebola. (SPA)
G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on accelerating collective action to defeat Ebola. (SPA)

Dr. Nouf Alnumair, deputy minister for international cooperation at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health, represented Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on accelerating collective action to defeat Ebola, held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Saudi Press Agency reported Sunday.

The meeting brought together representatives of G20 countries, invited nations and international organizations, as well as senior officials from affected countries, to discuss strengthening international coordination, accelerating joint efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak, supporting response efforts in affected countries, and bolstering health systems to curb transmission and prevent cross-border spread.

Discussions highlighted the need to unify international efforts to address cross-border health threats, strengthen coordination among governments, international institutions, and health bodies, and accelerate support to affected areas, including surveillance, diagnosis, field response, and capacity building, while enhancing regional and international health preparedness.


Bin Farhan Discusses Regional and International Developments with Guterres

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (SPA)
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Bin Farhan Discusses Regional and International Developments with Guterres

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (SPA)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on the sidelines of the high-level week of the 81st UN General Assembly session. 

The two officials discussed areas of cooperation and regional and international developments of mutual interest. 

During the meeting, Prince Faisal expressed his appreciation to Guterres as he nears the end of his term, commending the efforts he made during his tenure. 

The Saudi Minister also held separate meetings with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco Alvarez, and Ghanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. 

The meetings focused on key regional and international issues, with the officials exchanging views on current developments and international efforts to address them. 


Al-Salman Meets Tareq Saleh in Riyadh to Coordinate Yemen Fronts

Lieutenant General Fahd al-Salman during his meeting with General Tariq Saleh in Riyadh on Saturday (The Coalition)
Lieutenant General Fahd al-Salman during his meeting with General Tariq Saleh in Riyadh on Saturday (The Coalition)
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Al-Salman Meets Tareq Saleh in Riyadh to Coordinate Yemen Fronts

Lieutenant General Fahd al-Salman during his meeting with General Tariq Saleh in Riyadh on Saturday (The Coalition)
Lieutenant General Fahd al-Salman during his meeting with General Tariq Saleh in Riyadh on Saturday (The Coalition)

Saudi Joint Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Fahd al-Salman met on Saturday in Riyadh with Lt. Gen. Tariq Saleh, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and commander of the National Resistance Forces, to discuss the developments in Yemen.

The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said in a statement that the two men met to discuss ways to strengthen and coordinate their joint efforts and bolster the readiness of Yemen’s armed forces on all fronts to restore the state and its national institutions.

The two sides stressed the importance of maintaining unity, coordinating efforts and roles, and continuing joint work to boost morale, retrain military units and improve their combat readiness in the campaign to restore the state and its institutions. They said this would help fulfill Yemenis’ aspirations for renewed security and stability and a better future.

Al-Salman commended Tariq Saleh for his leadership within Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and his command of the National Resistance Forces, praising the sacrifices made by the force and its members in efforts to restore state institutions and end Houthi control.