At an international meeting in London Wednesday organized to discuss the situation in Yemen, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit declared that Egypt supported Yemen against "the forces of extremism," warning of possible foreign intervention--that could threaten that country's sovereignty--if these forces continued to defy Yemeni authorities. Abul Gheit called on delegation members attending the meeting to provide Yemen with "developmental support," which he described as a key ingredient for the stability and security of any country. The FM went on to call for a comprehensive action plan--along with a "serious international commitment"--to provide the Yemeni government with technical and economic support without interfering in the country's domestic affairs or imposing policies unsuitable to the nature of Yemeni society. In a related development, the Washington Post reported Wednesday that the US army and Central Intelligence Agency had covertly dispatched troops to Yemen with the ostensible aim of assisting Sana'a in its war against Shia rebels. Although these troops did not engage in combat operations, the paper reported, they provided logistical assistance, intelligence and ammunition, which resulted in the killing of six out of 15 Al Qaeda members allegedly holed up in Yemen. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
