WASHINGTON — The United States placed two top figures in Yemen's Houthi rebellion on its sanctions blacklist on Tuesday soon after the United Nations approved global sanctions on the two. The US Treasury Department named Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, and leading backer Ahmed Ali Saleh, son of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, to its blacklist, freezing any assets they might have on US property and forbidding Americans from dealings with them. “Using violence and other means, Al-Houthi and Saleh continue to undermine the political process in Yemen and obstruct the peaceful transition of power,” the Treasury said. It said that the international community has stressed through the UN Security Council's action “that the violent takeover of Yemen by an armed faction is unacceptable and that a legitimate political transition — long sought by the Yemeni people — can be accomplished only through political negotiations and a consensus agreement among all of the parties.” The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) welcomed a UN Security Council resolution imposing an arms embargo targeting the Iran-allied Houthi rebels and blacklisted the son of the country's ousted president and a Houthi leader after Council veto-power Russia abstained. In a statement, GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayani, said: “The GCC values with great appreciation and pride the stance taken by members of the Security Council, which reflects the seriousness of the international community in its support of the Yemeni people and their legitimate right to achieve their aspirations in a safe, stable and prosperous nation.” As the resolution was passed under Chapter 7 of the Charter, the Houthis are expected to immediately cease their acts and adhere to the text, Qatar's ambassador to the Council Sheikha Alya Bint Ahmed Bin Saif Al-Thani said. Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the UN Abdallah Al-Mouallimi lauded the resolution as a “victory for the Yemeni people,” adding that the text confirmed that the Houthi's acts in Yemen are unacceptable. As to the possibility of deploying ground troops into Yemen, Mouallimi said that is a decision best left to the military command. — Agencies
