Saleh cuts short RI visit

JAKARTA (JP): Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh cut short his official visit in Indonesia to attend an emergency meeting on the Iraqi crisis in Abu Dhabi, a Yemeni Embassy official said yesterday.

Saleh and his 21-strong entourage flew to Abu Dhabi on a special flight yesterday afternoon to attend the meeting of several Middle East heads of state, the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Jakarta Post.

"President Saleh was telephoned by United Arab Emirates (UAE) President last night asking him to come to Abu Dhabi soon."

UAE's President Sheikh Zaid bin Sultan al-Nahayan rejected Friday the use of force against Iraq and said that a United States military strike could damage East-West relations and affect the Gulf.

President Saleh arrived here Thursday and held bilateral talks with President Soeharto Friday.

Saleh and his entourage were scheduled to visit state-owned ship builder PT PAL in Surabaya, East Java, yesterday morning, before flying to Bali for a night's rest.

"We fully understand the reason for President Saleh to cut short his visit," a State Palace official said yesterday. (prb)