Tribal leaders from Yemen, prominent sheiks, and members of Yemen’s parliament gathered Tuesday to stress their opposition to any foreign military intervention in the country. The meeting, which was not attended by representatives of the Western-supported Yemeni government, came on the eve of an international conference on Yemen, that is opening in London.
As Western leaders prepared to meet in London to consider ways to deal with the threat from al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula, Yemeni leaders would like to make one thing clear: Foreign troops are not welcome on Yemeni soil.
Sheik Sadiq al-Ahmar, the president of the Yemeni parliament and the leader of the tribal chiefs spoke to a room of about 500 people who burst into applause when he announced that Yemen would reject any kind of military intervention.
Full story: Tensions Rise as Yemen Anticipates International Conference – Voice of America