SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman said on Saturday the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen against Houthi rebels will not stop until the country is stable and safe. The campaign “will continue until it achieves its goal of enabling the Yemeni people to enjoy security,” the King said at the Arab League summit of heads of state here. “The response of friendly countries participating in Operation Decisive Storm follows the request of Yemeni President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi, who called for standing by the side of Yemen, its people and its legitimate authority and detering the Houthi aggression that poses a big threat to the region's security and stability. “The Houthi militia supported by external forces have the goal of spreading their hegemony over Yemen and making it a base for their influence in the region. The Houthis rejected the warnings of the legitimate government in Yemen, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and all peaceful initiatives. They went ahead with their aggression against the Yemeni people and its legitimate authority and threatened the region's security,” the King said. “We did not want to resort to this decision. Our doors are open to all Yemeni political factions which are interested in protecting Yemen's security and stability and they are invited to meet under the GCC aegis in Riyadh. “In Yemen foreign interference helped the Houthi militia, which is a limited faction, stage a coup against the legitimate authority, occupy the capital Sanaa, and stop the Gulf initiative that aims to protect Yemen's security, stability and unity. “The response of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries followed the call of Yemeni President Abedrabbu Mansour Hadi for a dialogue conference in Riyadh under the aegis of the GCC for the security and stability of Yemen,” the King said. “We hope that those who rebelled against legitimacy will return to reason, and stop deriving their strength from external forces which are tampering with the security of the Yemeni people, promoting sectarianism and planting the seeds of terrorism,” King Salman said. The King said it is a painful reality that a number of Arab countries are facing internal conflicts and violence as a result of terrorism and sectarianism, which are being influenced by external forces flagrantly interfering in “our Arab region.” — Agencies
