Brussels, 06/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - The leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain called on 5 June for the people of Yemen to “respect the truce initiated by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia” to restore peace in that country. “After months of troubles and violence that have inflicted considerable suffering on the people of Yemen and caused much destruction, we urge all Yemeni civilian and military leaders to respect the truce”, write Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy, David Cameron, Silvio Berlusconi and José Luis Zapatero in a joint statement published on Sunday. “We call on the Yemeni people to find the way to reconciliation in a spirit of dialogue and national unity, in particular on the basis of the proposals presented in the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative, which we fully support, in order for the Yemeni people to be able to democratically choose its leader. We stand ready to fully support the Yemenis in this move”, they add. The five heads of state or government also thank Saudi Arabia for its medical care of the Yemeni president who underwent a successful operation in Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday after he was wounded in an attack on his palace.
Buzek: “Now is time for change”. Commenting on the recent developments in the situation in Yemen and the probable disappearance from the scene of President Ali Saleh after he was wounded and transferred to Saudi Arabia for medical care, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said on Sunday 5 June that “this departure of Ali Abdullah Saleh must not lead to renewed violence. Instead, this should provide an opportunity to finally enter the path of reconciliation and peaceful transition”. He called on all sides to urgently restore the ceasefire and stop fighting. This, he said, is first and foremost the responsibility of governmental authorities. “The time for change and dialogue is now. Yemen has suffered enough. The Yemeni people are longing for freedom, unity and peace. Their aspirations are truly democratic.” (H.B./F.B./transl.rt)