RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Yemen's Gulf Arab neighbors warned
on Sunday that if the world fails to act against the Shiite rebels who
have toppled the Yemeni government, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation
Council will take whatever actions it deems necessary to maintain
regional security and stability.
The foreign
ministers of the GCC did not elaborate on what measures the group might
take, but called specifically on the United Nations Security Council to
intervene. The Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, control the capital,
Sanaa, and recently forced the resignation of the president and
dissolved the parliament.
The Security Council was scheduled to discuss a draft resolution on the Yemen issue Sunday evening in New York.
The
GCC ministers warned that if the Security Council fails to adopt a
resolution that would allow for the use of military force "over the
Houthis' illegitimate' seizure of power," then the GCC states of Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates might
essentially intervene on their own.
"In the
case of failure to reach an agreement... the GCC member states will take
measures which enable them to maintain their vital interests in the
security and stability of Yemen," the foreign ministers said in a joint
statement following their emergency meeting late Saturday in Saudi
Arabia.
They also demanded the implementation
of a U.N. resolution that imposes sanctions against anyone "hampering
the process of peaceful transition of power" and called for urgent
action to ensure the safety of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi,
who resigned last month after the Houthis put him under house arrest.
The
GCC ministers met last month in a similar emergency meeting in Riyadh
and condemned the Houthi takeover, calling it a "terrorist act" and a
"coup against legitimacy." The council demanded the rebels withdraw from
the presidential palace, fearing the Houthi offensive could fracture
Yemen, bolster Shiite-led Iran in the region and threaten the Arabian
Peninsula's stability.
Yemeni officials say
Saudi Arabia, a staunch U.S. ally, was sending arms and funds to
tribesmen in Yemen's Marib province to bolster them against the rebels.
Saudi Arabia, which shares its southern border with Yemen, has not
commented about the claims it is arming or funding tribesmen there to
fight the Shiite rebels.
Egypt has set up a
special rapid deployment force that could intervene if the Houthis
threaten shipping lanes in the strategic Red Sea, according to Egyptian
security officials. The Egyptians and Saudis are coordinating a joint
military response to deal with any eventuality in Yemen, including the
disruption of shipping through the corridor that runs past Yemen to
Egypt's Suez Canal, the officials said. The officials in both Yemen and
Egypt spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized
to talk to the media.
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