Yemen’s President Attacks Iran at Arab League Meeting

Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, President of Yemen, harshly criticized Iran’s regional policies on Wednesday at a meeting of Arab League member states in Jordan, saying that a predominantly Shiite non-Arab country is seeking to destroy Arab identity.

According to the Associated Press, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi told the leaders of Arab countries present at the meeting that Iran is “an official supporter of terrorism.”

Yemen has been experiencing a civil war since the summer of 2014. Shiite Houthi militias, in cooperation with supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen’s former president, took control of Sanaa, the country’s capital. With the seizure of Sanaa by Houthi militias, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi was forced to leave the capital, and his government is now based in Aden.

An Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia entered the conflict in Yemen starting in 2015 to prevent the advancement of Houthi militias and their allies.

Appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s Role

According to the Associated Press, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi praised and thanked Saudi Arabia for its role in Yemen’s internal conflict.

According to Al-Alam, an Arab network affiliated with Iran, Yemen’s president stated in his speech: “The goal of the Houthis and Ali Abdullah Saleh’s coalition with Iran is to remove Yemen from its identity and history. The Houthis, acting on Iran’s orders, staged a coup against the outcomes of the talks and the draft constitution, dragged the country into these disputes, and with Iran’s assistance, plundered the country’s wealth.”

According to this report, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi also said: “We demand that Iran stop its interference in Yemen’s affairs. The Houthi gangs and Abdullah Saleh, acting on Iran’s orders, are using weapons against Yemenis. Iran is fueling terrorism in the Arab region, and countering these challenges requires a common Arab strategy.”

According to the Associated Press, the two-year war in Yemen has killed 10,000 people in the country and displaced three million people. The war in Yemen has also pushed this poor Arab country to the brink of famine.

Final Statement of the Arab League Meeting

The one-day Arab League meeting in Jordan concluded with the issuance of a final statement.

According to the Associated Press, the participating countries in this meeting supported a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The statement read: Peace based on the establishment of two states and borders from before 1967 is a strategic option for Arab countries worldwide.

Arab League members also called on countries around the world not to move their embassies to Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis).

Donald Trump, President of the United States, previously stated during his election campaign that he was willing to move the US embassy to Bayt al-Maqdis.

Source: Radio Farda