SANAA, Yemen, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The Yemeni president returned home following a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia to discuss political transition, the government confirmed.
Yemeni President Abdo Rabu Manour Hadi met last week in Washington with U.S. President Barack Obama. Both sides during the meeting addressed Yemen's security situation, under threat from al-Qaida. Hadi returned home Monday following a visit to Saudi Arabia, the official Saba News Agency reported Tuesday.
The president briefed Saudi King Abdullah on political transitions under way in Yemen. Hadi this year pledged to hold a national dialogue with the aim of eventual elections. He took power after longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down in the wake of the so-called Arab Spring.
The U.S. State Department announced last week it was closing some regional embassies in response to threats linked to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemeni branch of al-Qaida.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Tuesday the number of personnel stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa was reduced.
"We are concerned about a threat stream indicating the potential for terrorist attacks against U.S. persons or facilities overseas, especially emanating from the Arabian Peninsula," she said.
Yemeni Interior Minister Abdul-Qader Qahtan met Monday in Sanaa with French diplomats to discuss bilateral security ties. The French government was one of the countries closing its embassy in Yemen in response to the latest terror threat.
