SAUDI ARABIA: Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal says it is in the interests of Saudi Arabia that Yemen's political and economic structures are stable

Record ID: 188985

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal says it is in the interests of Saudi Arabia that Yemen's political and economic structures are stable
  • Date: 24th May 2012
  • Summary: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (MAY 23, 2012) (REUTERS) SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER PRINCE SAUD AL FAISAL, BRITISH FOREIGN OFFICE MINISTER ALISTAIR BURT AND YEMENI FOREIGN MINISTER ABU BAKR AL-QIRBI SEATED IN THE CONFERENCE HALL. VARIOUS OF REPORTERS SOUNDBITE(Arabic), ABU BAKR AL-QIRABI ,YEMENI FOREIGN MINISTER,SAYING: "This (aid) shows the Yemeni-Saudi relationship is quite strong and Saudi Arabia is cognizant that the stability of Saudi Arabia depends on that of Yemen." REPORTERS. SPEAKERS LEAVING CONFERENCE HALL. PRINCE SAUD AL FAISAL SHAKING HANDS WITH BURT and AL-QIRABI SAUDI ROYAL GUARD (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALISTAIR BURT, BRITISH FOREIGN OFFICE MINISTER, SAYING: "The significance of today was firstly, after the length of time since the last Friends of Yemen (meeting) in New York, it was important to get this meeting, important to get it here, important to reconfirm such a large group of countries' involvement and support for the Yemeni people and what they were doing." EXTERIOR OF RITZ CARLTON HOTEL WHERE MEETING WAS TAKING PLACE
  • Embargoed: 8th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Saudi Arabia
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA18KZYL9X27NUZH6GI286QL6UD
  • Story Text: Saudi Arabia and Western and Gulf states pledged more than four billion U.S. dollars in aid to Yemen at a Riyadh conference two days after more than 90 Yemeni soldiers were killed in a suicide attack, deepening concerns about al Qaeda's presence in the country.
    Wednesday's Riyadh donor meeting was aimed at strengthening the Yemeni state and returning a semblance of economic stability to a country where 40 percent of the population lives on less than two U.S. dollars a day.
    The donor group, which is co-chaired by Britain, was discussing political developments since President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down in February, ending his three-decade rule in the Arabian Peninsula state after nearly a year of mass protest.
    Saudi Arabia, concerned that chaos in Yemen is creating an al Qaeda base on its doorstep, pledged 3.25 billion U.S. dollars of the total four billion U.S. dollars in aid to its neighbour.
    "This (aid) shows the Yemeni-Saudi relationship is quite strong and Saudi Arabia is cognizant that the stability of Saudi Arabia depends on that of Yemen," said Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi.
    The Saudi pledge comes two days after more than 90 Yemeni soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.
    "The significance of today was firstly, after the length of time since the last Friends of Yemen (meeting) in New York, it was important to get this meeting, important to get it here, important to reconfirm such a large group of countries' involvement and support for the Yemeni people and what they were doing," said British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt after the meeting.
    Burt said Britain had pledged an additional 44 million U.S. dollars on top of its existing aid to Yemen.
    Monday's attack on the military parade in Sanaa was the latest violent incident in a country which has been wracked by political turmoil, where the army has split into rival factions and much of the south has fallen under the control of an Islamist militia allied to al Qaeda's local wing.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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