Intensive diplomatic activity as efforts continue to end Yemeni war

The Yemeni foreign minister, Dr Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, said in an interview with Al Ittihad newspaper that his country would not allow itself to be a pressure card in the hands of Iran in its negotiations with the international community on the nuclear agreement. The minister said Tehran responsible for the conflicting sides not reaching an agreement to end the war in Yemen.  

Bin Mubarak is on an extended Gulf tour where he is stressing strong ties between Yemen and its neighbours and gathering support to end the war. He has travelled to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman before arriving in Cairo for an Arab League meeting.

Speaking to Al Ittihad newspaper in Abu Dhabi, said that his visit aims to coordinate, consult and unify visions about common challenges. The minister added that developments in the situation in Yemen will reflect positively or negatively on the Gulf countries, and therefore preserving the unity, security and stability of Yemen is a guarantee of the security and stability of the Arabian Peninsula. 

In Bahrain, bin Mubarak met with his counterpart, Dr Abdul Latif Al-Zayani, and discussed bilateral relations. Bin Mubarak stressed the need to coordinate the two countries' positions regarding political developments in the Yemeni arena and working to achieve peace and stability in the region by activating the strategic dialogue between the two sides, as well as activating a program for training and qualifying Yemeni diplomats at the Mohammed bin Mubarak Institute of the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Speaking to the Bahraini Al Ayyam newspaper, bin Mubarak stressed the importance of separating the Yemeni crisis from the Iranian nuclear file, in order to avoid linking the fate of Yemen to an intractable file that may last for many years, and if the two files are allowed to be linked, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen will worsen and the Yemeni fighting will escalate.

At the meeting for Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, bin Mubarak said that the Yemeni people are resisting the aggression on Arab national security. The Secretary general for the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, stressed the importance of placing greater international pressure to pave the way for engaging in a political process that includes all parties.

In the meantime, the US Envoy to Yemen, Timothy Lenderking, visited Oman, UAE, Qatar and Kuwait meeting with the key figures in these countries. 

On Wednesday, Reuters reported that US officials have met Yemen's Houthis in efforts to end the war. The meeting, which has not been announced officially, allegedly happened between Lenderking and Houthis’ chief negotiator Mohammed Abdusalam in the Omani capital Muscat on 26 February.

The Muscat meeting, one of the sources said, was part of a new “carrot and stick” approach by U.S. President Joe Biden, who last month declared a halt to U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign.

The sources said Lenderking had pressed the Houthis to halt the Marib offensive and encouraged the movement to engage actively with Riyadh in virtual talks on a ceasefire.

Saudi Arabia has already been negotiating with the Houthis for about a year now both directly and under the auspices of the United Nations. They are seeking assurances on border security and curbing the influence of regional arch-rival Iran

Source: commonspace.eu with various agencies. 
Picture: Ahmed bin Mubarak speaking to Ali Al-Amoudi from Al Ittihad newspaper. 

 

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Yesterday (23 September) around thirty Armenians involved in the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups gathered in Yerevan to be briefed by Leonid Narsisian, co-Chair of the thematic group on Peace and Security; Narek Minasyan, Chair of the thematic group on regional connectivity; Sargis Harutyunyan, Chair of the thematic group on Governance; Aghavni Harutyunyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on Environment; and Andranik Shirinyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on gender and diversity. The Thematic Groups are a LINKS Europe initiative aimed at promoting a new style of Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue, fit for the new reality. They will present their five reports in mid-November. We were delighted to welcome to the meeting in Yerevan, Murad Muradov, Azerbaijani co-Chair of the thematic group on peace and security who also spoke. Others to address the meeting included Erik Jessen, Political Officer at the EU Delegation in Armenia, Stepan Grigoryan, Senior Member of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Expert Strategic Platform (under the auspices of LINKS Europe), and Dennis Sammut, Director and George Simonishvili, South Caucasus coordinator, of LINKS Europe. It was a very good and engaging meeting, also attended by representatives of various embassies, including HE Marieke Monroy-Winter, the Ambassador of The Netherlands. A similar meeting with Azerbaijani members will take place in Baku on Friday (26 September). The Armenian and Azerbaijani members have been meeting on line since April. On 27 October they will meet together in Tbilisi to finalise their work.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Yesterday (23 September) around thirty Armenians involved in the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups gathered in Yerevan to be briefed by Leonid Narsisian, co-Chair of the thematic group on Peace and Security; Narek Minasyan, Chair of the thematic group on regional connectivity; Sargis Harutyunyan, Chair of the thematic group on Governance; Aghavni Harutyunyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on Environment; and Andranik Shirinyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on gender and diversity. The Thematic Groups are a LINKS Europe initiative aimed at promoting a new style of Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue, fit for the new reality. They will present their five reports in mid-November. We were delighted to welcome to the meeting in Yerevan, Murad Muradov, Azerbaijani co-Chair of the thematic group on peace and security who also spoke. Others to address the meeting included Erik Jessen, Political Officer at the EU Delegation in Armenia, Stepan Grigoryan, Senior Member of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Expert Strategic Platform (under the auspices of LINKS Europe), and Dennis Sammut, Director and George Simonishvili, South Caucasus coordinator, of LINKS Europe. It was a very good and engaging meeting, also attended by representatives of various embassies, including HE Marieke Monroy-Winter, the Ambassador of The Netherlands. A similar meeting with Azerbaijani members will take place in Baku on Friday (26 September). The Armenian and Azerbaijani members have been meeting on line since April. On 27 October they will meet together in Tbilisi to finalise their work.