GCC welcomes release of Yemen’s President

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) yesterday welcomed the release of Yemen’s President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi after he was held under house arrest in the capital, Sanaa, by Houthi rebels, the Anadolu Agency reported.

In a statement, GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al-Zayani called on the UN Security Council “to shoulder its responsibility towards restoring Yemen’s security and stability by supporting legitimacy there” and to consider all steps taken by the Houthis as void.

The statement considered Hadi’s release and safe arrival to the city of Aden, in the south, “an important step to confirm his legitimacy” as president of the Republic of Yemen.

It also called for “the lifting of the house arrest imposed on Yemen’s Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and his cabinet” and on Yemeni people and all political and social forces to “support President Hadi so he can exercise his constitutional duties in order to relieve Yemen from the dangerous situation brought by the Houthis.”

The statement stressed on the council’s support for a peaceful political process in Yemen in accordance with the Gulf initiative and the outcomes of the national dialogue.

Hadi arrived in Aden on Saturday morning after being held under house arrest in the capital Sanaa for nearly a month.

Hours after his arrival in Aden, Hadi announced his commitment to his legitimate right as president, stressing that “all decisions issued since September 21 when Houthis controlled Sanaa are void and illegitimate”.