Saleh hails Al-Sisi's comment that 'Egyptian army is for Egypt'

The General People’s Congress Party (GPC) in Yemen, chaired by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, welcomed on Friday the remark by coup leader President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi that “the Egyptian army is for Egypt”. Al-Sisi made his comment as he addressed a group of military and police officials.

GPC Spokesman Abdo Al-Jundi told Khabar news agency, which is loyal to Saleh, that Egypt’s position qualifies it to host all the Yemeni political parties for dialogue, especially those which signed the Gulf Initiative.

Meanwhile, Saleh called for Arab leaders to stop “Operation Decisive Storm” in Yemen and adopt the dialogue approach. The ousted president reiterated his agreement to join talks outside the country hosted by the Arab League or the UN.

Al-Sisi’s remarks are being regarded with suspicion by members of the “Decisive Storm” coalition, who get the feeling that Egypt is about to withdraw its support. Reports last Monday revealed that Egyptian warships had shelled a column of Houthi fighters and troops loyal to Saleh as they tried to advance on the southern port city of Aden.