Egypt and world leaders hail signing of Riyadh agreement on Yemen

Egypt lauded on Tuesday the signing of the Riyadh agreement between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council.

In a statement, the Egyptian foreign Ministry said the signing was a “very good” start, calling on all parties in Yemen to continue to exert efforts to reach a final deal.

UK and USA also welcomed the signing of the deal.

US President Donald Trump in a tweet, he said the signing was a “very good” start.

In a statement, the British Foreign Office said: “The British government welcomes the signing of the Riyadh agreement between the Yemeni legitimacy and the Southern Transitional Council, and supports this document as an important step to reach a comprehensive political solution in Yemen.”

UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, congratulated the two sides on the deal which he said would propel efforts to end the wider war.

“The signing of this agreement is an important step for our collective efforts to advance a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Yemen,” he said in a statement.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz sponsored the signing ceremony that took place in the Saudi capital on Tuesday. The ceremony was attended by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and STC chief Aidarous al-Zubaidi and several senior officials.