Statement by the Press Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, on the Situation in the Republic of Yemen

May 26, 2011
Japanese

On Sunday, May 22, President of the Republic of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign for the third time the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative, despite its signing by the opposition. The conflict in Yemen has intensified since the following day of Monday, May 23, resulting in a large number of casualties as of Wednesday, May 25, as a result of the clash in Sana’a between major anti-government tribes and security forces.
It is extremely regrettable that as many as 200 people have died so far, and many more have been injured in Yemen in the series of clashes including the latest one.
In order for Yemen to avoid further conflict and regain stability, Japan strongly hopes that President Saleh will follow through on his commitments to peacefully transfer power, and that the parties concerned will reach a consensus, leading to the early stabilization of the situation.

(*This is a provisional translation. The above date denotes the date of the issue of the original press release in Japanese.)

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