UK downplays Yemen evacuation
By politics.co.uk staff
British nationals in the unstable Middle Eastern state should leave immediately, the Foreign Office has said.
The “rapid deterioration” in the security situation there prompted the further step-up in warning from the government, which has warned against all travel to Yemen since March 4th.
Foreign secretary William Hague has faced criticism for his department’s handling of the evacuation of UK nationals from Libya. Yemen is unlikely to pose a similar test, however, as the Foreign Office has now made clear.
It said in a statement: “Given the situation on the ground, it is highly unlikely that the British government will be able to evacuate British nationals or provide consular assistance in the event of a further breakdown of law and order and increased violent civil disorder. British nationals should therefore plan accordingly.”
Protests against president Ali Abdullah Saleh have seen dozens of people killed in recent weeks, most notably on March 18th when 52 people were killed in one demonstration.
The Foreign Office has called on all parties to “defuse tension on the ground” and rally behind political and economic reform.
But the reality on the ground is far from Britain’s wishes, with more clashes possible today in Sanaa. State media reports suggested tribal chiefs, clerics and others were flooding into the capital today to demonstrate solidarity with the beleaguered president.
The Foreign Office called on Mr Saleh to take urgent steps to “build trust with the opposition and with the protesters”, adding: “Without this trust, no agreement can be reached. The Yemeni people want to see their legitimate demands acknowledged and met and the UK fully supports them in this aspiration.”
