Saudi Arabia slams storming of Yemen's presidential palace

By Hamdi Yildiz

YEMEN (AA) – Saudi Arabia on Wednesday denounced the storming by protesters of Yemen’s presidential palace in the southern city of Aden.

The Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the incident, according to the state-run SPA news agency.

The two sides of the Riyadh Agreement were urgently called to meet in Riyadh to complete the implementation of its remaining points, it said.

Underlining that the Riyadh Agreement between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council is a guarantee of the unity of the people of the country, it said its implementation will greatly contribute to reaching a comprehensive political solution.

Demonstrators broke into the presidential palace Tuesday amid public anger over the lack of services, poor living conditions and depreciation of the local currency.

There were government officials inside the palace when the protesters stormed the building, a source said.

According to the source, the protesters withdrew from the palace after they were persuaded by Aden Police Director Major General Mutahar Al-Shuaibi to leave.

Yemen has been wracked by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sana’a.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar