RIYADH — The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Dr. Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani strongly condemned the occupation of the United Arab Emirates Embassy building by the Houthi group in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, calling it a flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). He condemned this cowardly act calling it proof of the Houthi group's violations of international laws. He also called for the prompt evacuation of the embassy building. In Abu Dhabi, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) too condemned, in the strongest possible terms, the occupation of the UAE Embassy in Sanaa by the Houthi group. In a statement, it called for the evacuation of the embassy immediately and restore it to the embassy staff, adding that the UAE retains the right to bring perpetrators of this attack to justice and accountability, WAM reported. "This act is further evidence that the group which committed this attack does not show any regard or respect for international conventions and diplomatic norms, as it practices jungle law," the statement said. The MoFA stressed that the occupation of the embassy and the evacuation of embassy staff will not deter the UAE's support for the restoration of stability to sisterly Yemen. "This criminal act is a flagrant violation of international law, the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 relating to the immunities enjoyed by foreign embassies, and United Nations General Assembly resolution 121/69, on taking effective measures to enhance the protection, security and safety of diplomatic and consular missions, diplomatic and consular representatives, adopted at the General Assembly in December 2014,” the statement added. — SG
