Yemen urges Iran to stop interfering into domestic affairs

Yemen called again on Iran to stop interfering into the Yemeni affairs and backing militias of Houthis and ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Addressing the 43rd session of the Foreign Ministers of the the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Yemeni envoy to the OIC Zain Qu'aiti said Iran and Yemen are members of the OIC which is based on non-interference in domestic affairs of any state.

He urged the OIC member states to support legitimate President of Yemen Abd Rabbu Mansour and the United Nations efforts to realize peace in the Arab state, the Yemeni news agency reported Wednesday.

He said Houthis are irresponsible and do not want peace, referring to the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Yemen.

On Tuesday, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel Malak al Makhlafi lauded a 72-hour truce in Yemen announced by United Nation special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

The ceasefire will be put into effect as of Wednesday and can be renewed if all parties adhere to the truce. The truce commission is now activated and the siege on Taiz is over to allow humanitarian aid access, Makhlafi said.

Makhlafi stressed the government's keenness on realizing peace, noting that the coup against legitimate state institutions had triggered the war.

He noted that the government dealt positively with all international peace calls, referring to the government's commitment to the UN Security Council Resolution 2,216 and relevant resolutions.

Since 2014, Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between Yemeni President Hadi and the Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, which is the country’s main opposition force. The Houthis are backed by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Saleh.

A Saudi Arabia–led coalition commenced airstrikes in Yemen in March 2015 in support of Hadi’s forces, which have been fighting Houthi rebels in the country.

Since March last year nearly 7,000 people have died and at least 3 million have been displaced, according to UN figures.

Source: MENA