Iranian influence must be prevented, says UAE Minister

The Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirate has insisted that a political path remains the basis for a solution in Yemen which prevents Iranian influence, Al Arabiya reported yesterday. Anwar Gargash said that the future state of Yemen must include a political process that pays heed to the will of the Yemeni people.

The political make-up of Yemen, suggested Gargash, cannot be based on the coup carried out by the Iranian-backed Houthi group in 2014. “The political path remains the basis of any solution in the Yemeni crisis,” he explained. “An agreement that brings together Yemenis, prevents Iranian intervention, and addresses the issues of terrorism, the future of the south and the nature of the government.”

The UAE is supporting the Southern Transitional Council in its bid to secede from the rest of Yemen. This is in stark contrast to the other members of the Saudi-led coalition which aims to reinstate President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi’s government in a united Yemen.

Read: The UAE has supported the spread of Al-Qaeda in Yemen, alleges UN report