Yemen confirms it bought Scuds from North Korea

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday confirmed that his country possessed Scud missiles bought from North Korea.

Addressing more than 60,000 members of his People's General Congress (PGC) at its annual meeting, President Saleh said: "We have bought those missiles and this is a legitimate right of Yemen."

He said the U.S. penalised North Korea but it has not imposed a military ban on Yemen as Sanaa was cooperating with Washington in its war against terrorism.

The New York Times quoted the U.S. officials last Friday as saying that the Bush administration has imposed sanctions on North Korea after being sure that the latter sold components of Scud missiles to Yemen before Bush took office.

Saleh criticised the U.S. campaign against Saudi Arabia as unjustified. "We declare our solidarity with Saudi Arabia," he said.

He expressed his country's rejection of the U.S. threats against Iraq saying: "We totally refuse the threats against Iraq. It is a dangerous initiative that a state changes the system of another.

"This is an affair concerning only the people of that state, and interference in the internal affairs of any state is not at all acceptable.

"The region as a whole is passing through political turmoil, and all Arab states will meet the same fate. No Arab country should think it is safe from the U.S. threats," Saleh warned, adding what is happening to Iraq can happen to the neighbouring countries.

"We wish the Arab League and the Arab leadership achieve the minimum solidarity to confront the threats and challenges facing them," Saleh said.