In the presence of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen and the Yemeni opposition signed the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative in Riyadh, Wednesday. The Kingdom has been in the forefront of those keen to help the two parties find a solution to the Yemeni crisis. It has also led the diplomatic campaign to have the GCC initiative accepted as the blueprint for a political resolution to the crisis. The Kingdom has done this because it has the utmost concern for the safety, security and stability of Yemen and for the future of the Yemeni people. After the signing ceremony in Riyadh, King Abdullah declared the “turning of a new page in the history of Yemen”. The Kingdom has been anxious to put an end to the suffering of the Yemeni people, a suffering which has almost destroyed their capabilities and has made their country poorer. This suffering could have ended in a civil war, and if that had happened, there is no way of knowing when such bloodshed would have ended and how many innocent lives would have been lost in the process. The Kingdom's keenness to lead the GCC initiative and to find a viable and equitable solution to the Yemeni political crisis shows its honest and sincere concern for the welfare of its neighbors and its recognition of its duty to Muslims. After all, the Kingdom has historical, cultural and economic ties with Yemen. The Kingdom was the first country to support Yemen and provide it with substantial financial aid for its development and the improvement of the standard of living of its people. The Kingdom and other GCC countries have done their duty in bringing both sides of the Yemeni conflict to the table to sign the GCC initiative, which clearly identifies the path to the transition of power and the administration of presidential elections. Now the ball is in the court of the Yemeni people and their leaders. All parties should listen to the voice of reason and accept the implementation of the terms of the initiative so that a new page can be turned in the history of Yemen which will lead to a better life for all of its people. __
