Gargash condemns anti-coalition acts
Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, yesterday condemned what he called “disgraceful” acts against an Arab coalition fighting Iranallied Al Houthi militants. “The disgraceful behaviour against figures representing the emirates and the Coalition in [the province of] Hadramout and some southern areas will not discourage us from shouldering our mission,” he said in a tweet.
“Our conviction is that it is pursued by a partisan minority that does not wish
■ anything good for Yemen,” added the official, apparently referring to anti-coalition slogans chanted this week by some protesters decrying the dire economic situation in Yemen. “The coalition, seeking to make stability hold, will not be shaken by these acts,” Gargash said.
Yemen wants ex-president’s body released
Yemen’s government will demand the release of the body of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, killed by militants last year, at the upcoming peace talks in Geneva, a minister said yesterday. Saleh was killed by the militia in December. President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi will demand that the rebels release Saleh’s body via a government delegation at the UN-sponsored talks in Geneva, which opens today, according to Yemen’s Information minister.
“This is an important message that all within [Saleh’s] General People’s Congress should take into consideration to turn the page of the past and move forward towards the future, to restore the state,” tweeted Muammar Al Ariyan. Al Ariyan said the government will also demand the release of Saleh’s sons, believed to be detained by the rebels.