LONDON: Yemen’s internationally recognized government expressed reservations about Germany’s decision to hold an international conference on Yemen without consulting or coordinating with it.
Wednesday’s conference, hosted by Germany’s Foreign Ministry, brought together senior officials from 17 countries, including key actors and major donors.
Attendees included the UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, and the UN humanitarian coordinator for the country, Lise Grande.
Yemen’s foreign minister told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper: “The launching of any programs, plans or mechanisms by the UN or the international community to assist states requires consultation and coordination with the beneficiary state … in accordance with the principles of the UN.”
Khaled Al-Yamani added: “UN Security Council resolutions… stipulated that the Yemeni government is the legitimate representative of Yemen.”
He said: “The government of Yemen is currently in need of the international community’s support and cooperation to enhance its ability to perform its functions in the service of all Yemeni people.”
The Trump administration has thwarted “attempts to impose a solution that would give the Houthi militias and Iran a permanent foothold in Yemen to threaten regional and international security and stability,” Al-Yamani added.
The reimposition of US sanctions on Iran is contributing to “cutting off its (Tehran’s) expansionist arms in the region, including the Houthi militias in Yemen,” the foreign minister said.
Yemen’s government is “exerting great efforts … to explain the dimensions and risks of the Houthi coup in Yemen, the dangers of the control of Iran-backed terrorist militias in the region, and the importance of supporting Yemen-led efforts to restore the state in accordance with UN resolutions, the Gulf (Cooperation Council) initiative, and the outputs of the comprehensive National Dialogue (Conference),” he added.
The Yemeni government is in “constant coordination” diplomatically with member states of the Arab coalition supporting it, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Al-Yamani said.
As part of his commitment to review the performance of Yemeni diplomatic missions abroad, he said the Foreign Ministry has adopted a plan to improve their performance.
“The leadership will make fundamental changes in the Yemeni diplomatic corps, in line with our aspirations to develop the political and media discourse of the legitimate government in these exceptional circumstances in Yemen,” he added.
