Sanaa - Yemen has recalled its ambassador to Qatar, state news agency Saba announced on Saturday, after the Gulf state`s call for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down stirred anger in Sanaa.
The ambassador was "recalled for consultations following remarks by ... (Qatari Prime Minister) Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani" on Gulf efforts to mediate in Yemen, a foreign ministry official said, quoted by Saba.
Sheikh Hamad said on Thursday that Yemen`s Arab neighbours in the Gulf "hope to reach a deal with the Yemeni president to step down". a position which Saleh slammed as a case of "blatant interference in Yemeni affairs".
Saleh on Friday telephoned Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders, Yemen`s embassy to Washington said in a statement listing all the calls, with Qatar`s emir, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the only absentee.
GCC foreign ministers said on April 3 they would open contacts with Sanaa and the opposition "with ideas to overcome the current situation" in Yemen, where Saleh has faced more than two months of protests calling for his ouster.
The GCC groups Qatar with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
source : antaranews.com
