Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH —The Saudi Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday, hoped that the United Arab Emirates would stop extending any military or financial support to Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said that the Cabinet reiterated that Saudi Arabia will not hesitate to take the necessary measures to confront any threat to its national security. The Cabinet reiterated its full support for the president of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and the legitimate government. It also reaffirmed its commitment to the security, stability, and sovereignty of Yemen.

The Cabinet lauded the role of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen in protecting civilians in the governorates of Hadramout and Al-Mahra, in response to the request from the president of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, aimed at de-escalating tensions to achieve security and stability as well as to prevent the conflict from spreading.

The Cabinet voiced its regret over the outcome of the Kingdom’s efforts to de-escalate tensions, which were met with an unjustified escalation that contradicts the foundations upon which the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen was founded. “This escalation does not serve efforts to achieve security and stability in Yemen and is inconsistent with the promises the Kingdom received from the United Arab Emirates,” it said.

The Cabinet expressed Saudi Arabia’s hope that wisdom would prevail and that the principles of brotherhood and good neighborliness would be upheld, consistent with the close relations uniting the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the interests of Yemen. The Council also expressed the Kingdom's hope that the UAE would respond to Yemen's request for the withdrawal of Emirati forces from Yemen within 24 hours, and cease all military or financial support to the Southern Transitional Council and any other party within Yemen.

The Council also hoped that the UAE would take the necessary steps to preserve the bilateral relations between the two countries—which the Kingdom is keen to strengthen—and to work together to advance measures that enhance the prosperity, development, and stability of the countries in the region.