Yemen risks providing a permanent new haven for al-Qaeda without urgent help to rebuild its deteriorating economy, quell internal revolts and bolster work to tackle terrorism, foreign ministers warned at a global meeting.
Talks in London involving about 20 nations offered backing for plans to bolster Yemen’s fragile government as it wrestles with a deepening threat from global terrorism, a Shiite insurgency in the north and a secessionist drive in the south.
In a joint declaration following a two-hour meeting on Wednesday, ministers warned that Yemen’s problems could threaten the stability of Arabian Peninsula if they go unchecked.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“The challenges in Yemen are growing and, if not addressed, risk threatening the stability of the country and broader region,” ministers said in their statement.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Yemen’s instability poses “an urgent national security priority” for the US and other nations, urging swift political and economic reforms aimed at addressing crippling poverty, food and water shortages and mass illiteracy.
“To help the people of Yemen, we — the international community — must do more,” Clinton told a news conference. “The government of Yemen must also do more. This must be a partnership if it is to have a successful outcome.”
The talks in London were hurriedly convened following the unsuccessful Christmas Day airline attack in the US, which was claimed by Yemen’s al-Qaeda affiliate.
Clinton and delegates from the Middle East, Russia and Europe discussed concerns that declining oil revenues are weakening Yemen’s ability to deliver basic services — stirring dissent and allowing terrorists a firmer foothold in the country.
“We are here because we know that Yemen faces a crisis that could have implications for the people of Yemen and the whole region,” British Foreign Secretary David Miliband told the talks.
Ministers urged Yemen to pursue a possible ceasefire with Shiite rebels known as the Hawthis, whose bloody revolt in Yemen’s north is diverting resources and attention away from the country’s fight against al-Qaeda.
Clinton said effort also was needed to resolve a long-running dispute with a secessionist movement in Yemen’s south.
Supporters of the secession movement staged a noisy protest on Wednesday close to the talks at London’s Foreign Office.
“Insecure borders and internal political conflict fuel instability by opening space for terrorists — both homegrown and foreign — to organize, plot and train,” Clinton said in remarks prepared for the talks.
Yemen has been reluctant to cede to outside pressure to carry out reforms or resolve internal conflicts, but the joint declaration said Yemeni Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Mujur’s government “recognizes the urgent need to address these issues, which will need sustained and focused engagement.”
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