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Germany closes embassy in Yemen amid ongoing heavy clashes

05 June 2011 05:46 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Germany closed its embassy in Yemen and withdrew its diplomatic personnel amid the ongoing violence in the Arab country, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday, APA reports quoting vz.ru website.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle urged also all Germans, estimated around 30 people, to leave Yemen.

He said his country was closely monitoring the situation in Yemen with mounting concern.

â€™We have called for an orderly political transition and a peaceful social
dialogue and reforms,â€™ Westerwelle stressed.

â€™The human rights abuses committed in Yemen recently are not acceptable.
The federal (German) government condemns any use of violence in the strongest possible terms,â€™ he added.

The minister reiterated his call for Yemenâ€™s President Ali Abdullah Saleh
to finally relinquish power.

Westerwelle warned reportedly of an imminent civil war, saying Yemen could
turn into a second Afghanistan.

Yemen has witnessed weeks of fierce clashes between opposition members and security forces loyal to Saleh, who has refused to step down.

Saleh has also defied calls by several Persian Gulf Arab states to sign an
agreement to resign in exchange for immunity from prosecution.