Washington: US has condemned the violence in
Yemen, including the attack on the Presidential Palace in
Sanaa, and called for an immediate end to hostilities.
"We call on all sides to cease hostilities immediately
and to pursue an orderly and peaceful process of transferring
political power as called for in the GCC-brokered agreement,"
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was wounded when
rebellious tribesmen struck his palace with rockets yesterday
in a dramatic escalation of fighting that has turned parts of
Sanaa into a battleground and pushed the country toward civil
war.
The attack also wounded nine others, including the Prime
Minister, Saleh`s powerful top security adviser and the two
heads of the parliament, as well as a cleric. Seven guards
were killed.
"Violence cannot resolve the issues that confront Yemen,
and yesterday`s events cannot be a justification for a new
round of fighting. We urge all sides to heed the wishes of the
Yemeni people, whose aspirations include peace, reform, and
prosperity," Carney said.
In meetings held from June 1 to June 3 in Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates, Assistant to the President for
Counterterrorism and Homeland Security John Brennan and his
Saudi and Emirati counterparts expressed deep concern at the
deteriorating situation throughout Yemen, he said.
Brennan said that US would continue to coordinate closely
with both governments on developments in Yemen in an effort to
help bring an end to the violence, Carney said.
All parties must end these attacks and avoid any further
escalation or any further casualties in the days ahead, State
Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
Toner dismissed as "absurd," the allegations by spokesman
for the Yemeni Government that Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton and President Barack Obama were inciting
assassinations in Yemen.
"Our focus has been in working with the government and
with President Saleh in support of the Gulf Cooperation
Council`s proposal," he said.
Bureau Report
