RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – Yemen’s Gulf Arab neighbors warned on Sunday that if the world fails to act against the Shiite rebels who have toppled the Yemeni government, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council will take whatever actions it deems necessary to maintain regional security and stability.
The foreign ministers of the GCC did not elaborate on what measures the group might take, but called specifically on the United Nations Security Council to intervene. The Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, control the capital, Sanaa, and recently forced the resignation of the president and dissolved the parliament.
The ministers said that if the Security Council fails to adopt a resolution that would allow for the use of military force “over the Houthis’ illegitimate’ seizure of power,” then the GCC states of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates might essentially intervene on their own.
“In the case of failure to reach an agreement… the GCC member states will take measures which enable them to maintain their vital interests in the security and stability of Yemen,” the foreign ministers said in a joint statement following their emergency meeting late Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
They also demanded the implementation of a U.N. resolution that imposes sanctions against anyone “hampering the process of peaceful transition of power” and called for urgent action to ensure the safety of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who resigned last month after the Houthis put him under house arrest.