Britain urges nationals to leave Yemen

Sat Jun 4, 2011

The British Foreign Office has called on Britons in Yemen to exit the country while they can as London cannot provide them with emergency flights back home.

Foreign Secretary William Hague warned the few hundred British nationals still in the Persian Gulf country that they “should not plan for nor expect” the government to be able to evacuate them from the conflict-torn country.

Yemen has been gripped in violent clashes over the past months between the regime forces and pro-democracy protestors who want an end to the 33-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Yemeni capital Sana'a saw one of its most violent days on Friday as the opposition hit the presidential palace with a barrage of rockets which left seven guards killed and the president and eight of his top officials wounded.

Hague repeated his last week warnings saying anyone with British relatives or friends in Yemen should tell them to get out of the country as soon as possible.

"This extremely serious escalation of violence in Yemen underscores our clear message that British nationals in Yemen should leave immediately while commercial flights are still operating," Hague said.

"Given that we cannot expect forewarning of any airport closures, British nationals should not wait to leave,” he added.

Hague stressed there will be no guarantee that the government in London can launch emergency flights to evacuate its nationals from Yemen.

"The British Government has been advising British nationals to leave Yemen since March 12 and we will not be in a position to evacuate those who do not leave on commercial airlines while these are still flying,” Hague said.

"I ask those in the UK with friends and relatives in Yemen to pass this message on and tell them to leave now. You should not plan for nor expect the British Government to be in a position to assist you to reach safety," he warned.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/183136.html.