The Yemeni-Yemeni consultations concluded in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, under the auspices of the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council, while the positions of the Yemeni parties differed regarding the formation of a presidential leadership council.

The final statement of the 10-day consultations, which ended yesterday, Thursday, stressed the priority of a political solution in Yemen, and called on all parties to negotiate.

Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi announced yesterday, Thursday, the formation of a presidential leadership council and the transfer of his full powers as president to it.

He also announced the exemption of his deputy, Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, from his position, and transferred the powers of the deputy to the Presidential Leadership Council, which is headed by Rashad al-Alimi, a Yemeni politician who was an advisor to President Hadi.

The terms of reference of the Presidential Command Council stipulate that the Council will take over the state’s political, military and security administration during the transitional period, and stipulate that the Presidential Command Council will negotiate with the Houthis over a ceasefire.

The terms of reference also provide for the establishment of a committee for consultation and reconciliation consisting of 50 members to support and support the Presidential Leadership Council, and stipulate that the Presidential Leadership Council assume the task of managing the government's exercise of its powers.


Saudi welcome

The Saudi Press Agency reported that the Kingdom welcomed the decision of Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to transfer power to the Presidential Leadership Council.

Saudi Arabia urged the Presidential Command Council to start negotiating with the Houthis under the supervision of the United Nations to reach a final political solution.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, Riyadh has decided to provide urgent support to the Yemeni economy in the amount of $3 billion.

In turn, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council welcomed the call of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council to start negotiations with the Houthis, and the Council welcomed the results of the Riyadh consultations between the Yemeni parties.

Other welcoming positions were issued by Kuwait, Jordan and the Arab League.


Differing positions

In the Yemeni reactions, the spokesman for the Houthi group, Muhammad Abd al-Salam, said that the path to peace comes by stopping what he described as aggression, lifting the siege and leaving the foreign forces out of the country.

Abd al-Salam added that the present and future of Yemen will be decided within Yemen.

He added that any activity outside the borders of Yemen is "comical plays and entertainment games played by the countries of aggression," as he put it.

Yesterday, Thursday, a member of the political bureau of the Houthi group, Muhammad al-Bakhiti, confirmed the group's rejection of the new council as illegitimate, considering that the United States formed it.

On the other hand, the Islah party welcomed the formation of what it described as the consensual presidential leadership council.

The party said that it hopes that the formation of the council will be an entry point for unifying military, security and political efforts, leading to the restoration of security and stability in Yemen and positively affecting the lives of citizens.

For his part, the spokesman for the Southern Transitional Council office in London, Saleh Al-Nod, told Al-Jazeera that the office cautiously welcomes the announcement of Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to form a presidential leadership council and transfer its full powers to it, considering that this step came too late.

Aid for Yemen

Meanwhile, the US State Department welcomed Saudi Arabia and the UAE's pledge to provide $2 billion in economic support to the Central Bank of Yemen, and Saudi Arabia's pledge to provide $1 billion for development projects and fuel subsidies in Yemen.

The US State Department said in a statement that this support helps stabilize the Yemeni economy and enables Yemenis to obtain basic services, adding that Washington looks forward to working with regional and international partners, and with the private sector to strengthen the Yemeni economy.

The statement also welcomed Saudi Arabia's pledge to provide $300 million to the United Nations humanitarian response plan.

The US State Department expressed its hope that this support would reach Yemenis in need as soon as possible.