Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has apologised for the attack on the US Embassy in Sanaa, and assured to protect American citizens in the country during a telephone conversation with US President Barack Obama.
The two leaders had a conversation yesterday after anti-US protests spread in Yaman with angry protestors attacking the US Embassy. Three persons died in the conflict.
"I do apologize to US President Barack Obama and the people of the United States for the aggressive attack on the US embassy in Sanaa," state-run Saba news agency quoted Hadi as saying in a brief presidential statement.
The White House in a statement said that Hadi assured Obama of taking every step to ensure the protection of Americans in Yemen.
"President Hadi committed to doing everything possible to protect American citizens in Yemen, and said he had deployed additional security forces around the US Embassy," the White House said.
During the call, Obama discussed the assault on the US Embassy in Sana'a and expressed concern about the security of American personnel and diplomatic facilities in Yemen.
"Obama thanked President Hadi for his swift condemnation of today's violence, and welcomed the announcement that an investigation into the incident is already underway," the White House said.
Obama expressed appreciation for the cooperation US has received from Yemeni government and underscored the importance of working together to ensure the security of US personnel going forward.
Obama reiterated his rejection of any efforts to denigrate Islam, and emphasised that there is never any justification for the current violence.
"President Obama concluded the call by expressing his appreciation for the strong partnership between our two nations and reaffirming our commitment to supporting the Yemeni government and people during their historic transition," the White House said.
In the last 24 hours, following the outbreak of protests in the region, Obama has spoken to presidents of Afghanistan, Libya and Egypt.
