King Salman supports Syria’s political settlement, says Yemen’s security must be preserved
Gathered for the Arab Summit, heads of state urged moves to overcome divisions on regional crises including the devastating wars in Syria and Yemen.
In his address to the summit of the 22-member Arab League, King Salman said terrorism is the biggest threat facing the Arab world, adding that efforts must be exerted to counter the epidemic. He added that intervention in Arab affairs represents a stark violation of international law, the sovereignty of countries, and good neighborliness.
The king said Yemen’s unity and security must be preserved. He said the Yemeni crisis must be addressed in accordance with the GCC Initiative, UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and the outcomes of the Yemeni dialogue. He called which was made 100 years ago. He asked the UK government to apologize for this historic mistake, which caused the Palestinian catastrophe.
Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi called for Arab leaders’ support in the face of the Iranian plot against his country. He said Iran has been, and is still supporting Houthi militias to destabilize Yemeni security and undermine its unity.
“Iran is using the Houthi militias as a toll to implement their expansionist plans in the region. They have taken the country into a dark path of violence and sabotaged its stability and destroyed its economy,” Hadi said, adding that the Yemeni crisis has affected all citizens, and hit living conditions.
“There will be no peace unless the Houthis comply with the UN Resolution 2216 and the regional efforts on the basis of the GCC initiative and the outcomes of our national dialogue... to end the crisis in Yemen and surrender their arms to the legitimate government,” he said.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said the summit is being held in the wake of serious challenges facing the Arab world, topped by terrorism and the foreign intervention in Arab affairs due to the absence of a leading and effective Arab role.
“Terrorism has become an international phenomenon, which needs to be countered by all nations. Some political powers have taken advantage of the unprecedented circumstances overwhelming our region and started implementing their agendas under different pretexts,” he said.
The head of Libya’s UN-backed government called for a dialogue between political rivals in the North African country to reach a political settlement to the country’s crisis.
Fayez Serraj told the summit “everyone knows that no party can achieve a military solution.”
Libya descended into chaos with its 2011 civil war. In recent months, rival power centers have been sliding closer to open conflict, with breakaway militias backed by western Libyan factions seizing oil terminals from the east’s strongman general, whose forces have vowed to take them back. Serraj renewed a call to the Arab League to oversee a unified force tasked with the protection of oil terminals.