Yemeni FM reiterates Iran’s ‘unacceptable’ proposal

The Yemeni foreign minister late Sunday reiterated his government’s rejection of Tehran’s proposed four-point letter to the U.N., where it outlined a peace plan for the Arab country.

“There is no room for us to discuss Iran’s proposal,” Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyad Yassin told Al Arabiya News Channel in an interview, adding “Iran is involved in the situation which Yemen has reached.”

Al Arabiya Bureau Chief in New York obtained a copy of a letter written on April 17 by Yemeni’s ambassador to the U.N., Khaled Hussein al-Yemany, which stated “I would like to underline that the government of Yemen categorically and fully rejects the content of that [Iran’s] letter and considers it unacceptable interference in Yemen’s internal affairs.”

On Friday, Iran’s foreign minister submitted a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and to the President of the Security Council, outlining a four-point peace plan for Yemen, where Saudi-led coalition air strikes have targeted Iranian-backed Houthi militias for over three weeks.

The plan, which Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced earlier this month, calls for an immediate ceasefire and end of all foreign military attacks, humanitarian assistance, a resumption of broad national dialogue and “establishment of an inclusive national unity government.”

But Yemany said “Iran has never been a neutral peace broker in Yemen, as it is well-known that Iran has fomented the sectarian divide by creating, training and arming the Houthi militias according to its expansionist vision in our region.”

The envoy urged “the Security Council to demand that the government of the Islamic Repulic of Iran to stop its continued intervention in Yemeni affairs.”

Meanwhile, Yassin urged Houthis and militias loyal to deposed leader Ali Abdullah Saleh to surrender.

The Yemeni government was eyeing “safe havens” for citiznes to receive medical and food supplies “as soon as possible,” the foreign minister said.

“We need safe havens to offer medical and food services to Yemeni citizens inside the country,” said Yassin. “Arab and Yemeni forces, and other joint forces backing the legitimacy [of President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi] will secure these safe havens.”