GCC invites all Yemeni factions, including Houthis, to Riyadh talks

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council strongly backed the presidential legitimacy of Yemen’s Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi following a meeting of the GCC foreign ministers here Thursday. The ministers also threw their weight behind the political process led by the GCC, saying that all factions including the Houthi group will be invited to attend reconciliation talks in Riyadh.
“All parties will participate in the political conference to be organized by GCC in Riyadh with the sole aim to resolve the crisis,” Khaled Al-Attiyah, Qatari foreign minister, told a press conference after the meeting. “But, no date has been announced for holding the political conference,” said Al-Attiyah, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the bloc.
He said “the security of Yemen was an essential element for the peace and security of the Gulf region.” Al-Attiyah also spoke at length on key regional issues including Iranian nuclear file, the Middle East peace process, Iran and Libya.
The Saudi delegation was led by Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal.
Welcoming the GCC move, Al-Attiyah, on behalf of the GCC foreign ministers, renewed the call to all Yemeni parties “to work in the interest of Yemen amid concerns that the country is collapsing after it was taken over by the militants.”
Al-Attiyah, who reiterated the GCC position that the Middle East region must be free from weapons of mass destructions, called on Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear program. He, however, said that all countries in the region including Iran have right to work on their nuclear energy programs within the regulatory provisions of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Referring to the crisis in Syria, the GCC foreign ministers expressed grave concerns over “the humanitarian crisis in Syria.” The ministers urged the international community and the UN Security Council “to take immediate measures to stop the bloodshed in Syria.” They deplored the pathetic situation in Syria, where the anarchist ruler “Bashar Assad has still let loose the reign of terror.”
On the question of Iraq in which Iranian interference is growing, the ministers voiced support for the “territorial integrity” of that country.
They also expressed concerns over the stalled talks within the framework of the Middle East peace process, while calling for “the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.”
The ministers also discussed a host of regional and international issues of common concern in a closed-door meeting later Thursday.