Saudi crown prince meets newly formed Yemeni Presidential Council

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AA) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday met with the newly-formed Yemen's Presidential Council headed by Rashad al-Alimi.

According to the Saudi official news agency SPA, bin Salman voiced hope that the new council will move Yemen from the state of war to the state of peace and development.

Saudi Crown Prince also stressed on the Kingdom's keenness to see Yemen enjoying security and stability.

Early on Thursday, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi delegated his powers to a new presidential council to lead the country's transitional period.

Saudi Arabia welcomed the Yemeni announcement and urged the new body to "start negotiations with the Houthis under the United Nations auspices for a final and comprehensive solution."

The new presidential council is made of seven deputy chairmen including Aidarous al-Zubaidi, head of the Southern Transitional Council and backed by the United Arab Emirates.

The other members are Sultan Ali Al-Arada, Tariq Mohammed Saleh, Abdulrahman Abu Zara'a, Abdullah Bawazeer, Othman Hussein Megally and Farah Salmin Al-Bahsani.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition, which seeks to reinstate the Yemeni government, has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises. Nearly 80%, or about 30 million people, are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar