Washington, February 04: US President Barack Obama telephoned Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh urging him to follow through on his promise to introduce reforms, the White House said Thursday.
Obama called on Saleh to ensure that peaceful protests in the country are allowed to continue and that security forces show restraint, the White House said.
Facing the wave of protests that have emerged in numerous Arab countries, Saleh pledged to end his 32-year rule when his term expires in 2013, and to move toward forming a national unity government.
The White House said in the phone call on Wednesday that Obama welcomed the ‘significant reform measures’ announced by Saleh, but said he ‘now needs to follow up his pledge with concrete actions.’
The United States views Yemen as cooperative in the war on terrorism but has raised concerns about the release of alleged terrorists from Yemeni prisons, including the recent freeing of Abd- Ilah al-Shai, believed to be an associate of al-Qaeda.
Obama told Saleh that it is ‘imperative’ his government ‘take forceful action’ against al-Qaeda’s growing presence in Yemen.
–Agencies