Tasnim � The chairman of Yemen�s Supreme Revolutionary Committee called on Ottawa to open its embassy in Sana�a after Saudi Arabia expelled the Canadian ambassador and recalled its envoy over claims of interference in its internal affairs.


�We call on the Canadian government to open its embassy in Sana�a,� Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said on his Twitter account on Monday.

Sana�a welcomes the inauguration of the embassy, he wrote, adding that Yemen would be a replacement for a country (Saudi Arabia) that adopts �an offensive stance� against Canada.

Saudi Arabia expelled the Canadian ambassador and recalled its envoy after severing business ties with Ottawa.

�The kingdom of Saudi Arabia... will not accept interference in its internal affairs or imposed diktats from any country,� said the Saudi Foreign Ministry on Monday.

�The kingdom announces that it is recalling its ambassador... to Canada for consultation,� it added.

It also said that the Canadian ambassador to Riyadh had 24 hours to leave and that it was �freezing of all new commercial and investment transactions� with Ottawa.

The severing of ties was made after Canadian embassy in Riyadh said it was �gravely concerned� over a spike of arrests of human rights campaigners in the kingdom including gender rights activist Samar Badawi.