Gulf Arab leaders call for int'l conference on reconstructing Yemen

Gulf Arab leaders on Thursday called for a Yemen reconstruction meeting after the civil war ends there, which would help the warring parties reach a political solution.

At the end of the 36th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Supreme Council session in Riyadh on Thursday, Gulf leaders called for holding an international conference for the reconstruction of Yemen.

The conference's aim would be to help Yemeni parties reach the sought political solutions and develop practical programs to rehabilitate Yemeni economy in order to facilitate its integration into the Gulf's economy.

The GCC represents the oil and gas-rich states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

All GCC states, except Oman, have participated in the Saudi-led war against Shiite Houthi militants in Yemen since March. The coalition aims to reinstall Yemen's President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi back into power and protect the interests of the elected Yemeni government.

Before that, they must dislodge Houthis and their allied forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh from areas seized in September 2014.

The Houthis dominate most of northern Yemen, from Saada in the north to Taiz in the south, hence controlling Yemen's Red Sea coast.

According to a statement Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition declared that its forces had "cleansed Greater Hanish," the largest archipelago island in the Red Sea's main shipping lanes which was used by Iran-allied Houthi militias for weapons storage and smuggling into Yemen.

Meanwhile, GCC leaders also announced their support of a political solution for Syria.

They welcomed the outcomes of a Syrian opposition conference which ended in Riyadh Thursday, ensuring the unity of Syrian territories and independence in accordance with the Geneva principles and the conclusions of the Vienna conference concerning the affected parties.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must step down either following negotiations or via armed forces intervention.

He added that the Riyadh conference outcomes concerning the Syrian opposition are not compulsory, but rather a means to unify the direction of opposition groups.

Gulf leaders asserted that world countries must assume a shared responsibility in fighting and eliminating both extremism and terrorism irrespective of its source, for which GCC countries have exerted and will continue with an ample effort.

Terrorism belongs to no religion and is rejected both by Muslims and Islam, they stressed, adding Islam a religion known for moderation and tolerance. Endit