Doha, May 27 (IANS): Qatar Thursday decided to " temporarily" suspend its embassy operations in Yemen and withdraw its diplomatic mission.

The step came due to escalating violence after President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered initiative for the third time, Xinhua quoted Qatar News Agency stating in a report.

The decision was undertaken following lack of response to the initiative and appeals to resolve the crisis, the report quoting sources from the Qatari foreign ministry said.

The diplomatic mission would resume after violence and fighting comes to an end, and the demands of the Yemeni people and their choices are met, the report said.

Qatar earlier this month exited the GCC-brokered initiative to resolve the crisis in Yemen due to Saleh's delay in signing the deal.

Embattled President Saleh has balked at the US-backed GCC deal three times since April.

On Thursday, Saleh ordered the arrest of opposition tribal leader Sadiq al-Ahmar and his brothers who supported anti- government protesters demanding the end of Saleh's rule.