The participants in the international meeting on Yemen affirmed today their support for the right of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability because of the threats posed by the Houthis in Yemen to the security of the Kingdom and neighboring countries. This came in a joint statement issued after the international meeting on the Yemeni crisis in the presence of British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and the participation of Foreign Ministers Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir and Foreign Ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Oman as well as the US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs and in the presence of the United Nations envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed. The statement strongly condemned the November 4 rocket attack on Riyadh which deliberately targeted a civilian area, expressing full support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its legitimate right to defend itself against threats to its security. The statement stressed that the launch of ballistic missiles by the Houthis against the Kingdom is a threat to regional security and prolong the conflict, calling for the need to put an immediate end to these attacks by the Houthis and their allies. "The provision of weapons to the Houthis and those allied to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh violates Security Council resolutions 2216 and 2231," the statement said, expressing the international community's support for UN efforts to investigate the source of the missiles and taking appropriate action. The statement added that the meeting discussed ways to strengthen inspection mechanisms to prevent arms smuggling to Yemen. The statement pointed to the importance of redoubling efforts to reach a political solution, which remains the only option to end the conflict and address security threats to Yemen's neighbors. The statement said that the meeting concluded that all parties should show flexibility and abandon preconditions with the importance of the commitment of the Huthis and their allies to involve the UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed in the political process. The ministers agreed that the Yemeni crisis requires regular meetings and consultation to coordinate visions and identify appropriate steps that would lead to a political settlement.
