Yemen/ Saudi/ Bahrain update 12/15/2016..Saudi king warns against ‘foreign interference’ in Yemen

Saudi king warns against ‘foreign interference’ in Yemen as his troops continue attacks on Houthis

Saudi king warns against ‘foreign interference’ in Yemen as his troops continue attacks on Houthis — RT News

Saudi Arabia will not tolerate any external “interference” in Yemen, King Salman has stated, as his forces continue to wage war against Houthi rebels, killing hundreds of civilians and leaving millions facing acute food shortages.

“We will not accept any interference in the internal affairs of Yemen,” King Salman said in a televised address to the Shura Council on Wednesday, as quoted by AFP.

Salman stated that his kingdom will not accept that neighboring war-torn Yemen “becomes a base or a point of passage for whatever state or party to menace the security or the stability of the kingdom and of the region.”

The Saudi monarch did not explicitly refer to his kingdom’s regional rival Iran, but the indication was evident as Riyadh has repeatedly accused Tehran and the Lebanese Shia militia group Hezbollah of sending military advisers, arms and supplies to Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Insisting that Saudi Arabia will not permit anyone to meddle in Yemeni affairs, Salman nevertheless made no mention of his country’s own troops, which invaded Yemen in March last year after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh took over the capital Sanaa.

Salman’s son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is in charge of the Yemen campaign as he holds the post of the kingdom’s defense minister.

The controversial operation began with the silent approval of major Western powers, including the US. The outgoing Obama administration gave Riyadh such indispensable assistance as intelligence, in-flight refueling of aircraft and identification of rebel targets.

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Saudi King Admits ‘Painful’ Economic Reforms Necessary

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950925001056

Saudi King Salman admitted that Saudi Arabia was enduring “painful” economic reforms but said they were necessary to “protect the country from worse problems”. The steep drop in oil prices since mid-2014 has pushed energy-rich Persian Gulf Arab states to rein in lavish public spending, with Saudi Arabia racking up a record budget deficit of nearly $100bn last year which forcing it to find new savings and ways to raise money, Middle East Eye reported.

“The state has sought to deal with these changes… through a variety of measures to restructure the economy, some of which may be painful in the short run but ultimately aim to protect the economy of your country from worse problems,” Salman told the consultative shura council. “Similar circumstances have happened before over the past three decades, forcing the state to cut its expenses, but it emerged from them, thanks be to God, with a strong economy and continuous and increasing growth,” he added.

In a drastic step to save money, the king slashed the salaries of ministers and Shura Council members by 20 and 15 percent in September, and scaled back financial perks for public sector employees. In October, Saudi Arabia sacked its veteran finance minister, as it went major economic restructuring. Back in May, the long-serving oil minister was also replaced, as part of the major government overhaul.

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