Riyadh: The six Gulf states will boost financial support to Yemen over the next two years as the country strives for political stability and combats Al Qaida-linked militants, Yemen's foreign minister said on Sunday.
Foreign and finance ministers of the Gulf nations will discuss assistance to restive Yemen at an annual summit that opened in the Saudi capital yesterday, according to Sana'a's foreign minister, Abu Bakr Al Kurbi.
"Our brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) feel that they should provide financial and development support to Yemen, especially during the next two years," Al Kurbi told reporters in Riyadh.
"We have reached a political agreement [in Yemen], but we need more cooperation from our Gulf brothers on economic and security issues," he said.
On November 23, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed a Gulf-brokered and UN-backed power transfer deal that requires him to leave office in February.
Demonstrations
Yemenis have staged waves of demonstrations against Saleh's regime for nearly a year, as government forces have battled fighters linked to Al Qaida in the south.
Leaders of the six Gulf states are holding talks since yesterday that are also expected to focus on the accelerating regional turmoil and fears of Iran's growing influence in the wake of the US withdrawal from Iraq.
The GCC groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
