GCC officials condemn Houthi attack targeting Makkah

Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh. (SPA)

JEDDAH: Speakers, presidents and chairmen of the GCC Shoura and representatives of assemblies and national councils have condemned the terrorist act carried out against Makkah by the Houthi militias.
In a statement on Wednesday at the conclusion of their 10th session in Manama, the parliamentary leaders said that tampering with the security of Saudi Arabia and the feelings of Muslims is the same as targeting the security and people of the Gulf states.
It called on the international community to take serious and effective steps to prevent such terror acts from recurring, and also to exert effort to help the Arab coalition bring about an end to the Yemen crisis.
In another statement, the meeting rejected the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) as a flagrant violation of the principles of international relations, particularly the principle of sovereign immunity, enjoyed by all sovereign states.
The statement said any breach of this rule would constitute a threat to world security and peace. It called on the US Congress to reconsider its decision and not approve the bill’s implementation.
Saudi Shoura Speaker Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh said that Operation Decisive Storm, launched by the Arab coalition in support of legitimate rule in Yemen, conforms to regional and international treaties, specifically Article 51 of the UN Charter.
He said action was taken in response to a distress call from Yemen’s legitimate President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to the GCC leaders following a coup staged by Houthi militias and forces loyal to deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Although the war continues, the GCC countries believe that peace should prevail in Yemen according to the conditions agreed upon before the war, Al-Asheikh said.
Al-Asheikh reiterated that the GCC had exerted strenuous efforts to defuse the Yemeni political crisis since it began. “It culminated in the adoption of the GCC initiative as a solution approved by all parties to the crisis. This was known as the Peace and National Partnership Arrangement. However, the Houthis and Saleh forces, both key parties to the arrangement, annulled their decision and usurped power in Sanaa.”