September Net
His Excellency President Dr. Rashad al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) stated that any approach to put an end of the war in Yemen will never be successful, unless it deals with the Houthi militias as part of an Iranian cross-border scheme, and not as a local political party, warning that reducing any crisis of this kind to truces and arrangements for a ceasefire will lead to temporary risk management rather than building sustainable peace.
The President added that the Houthis were not a marginalized group as they claim, pointing out to their participation in the National Dialogue Conference, but they refused to be a political party within the framework of the state, and sought to impose a reality above the constitution based on the monopoly of weapons and power outside the institutions and national partnership.
The President was speaking to a delegation from the Chatham House Institute, headed by Dr. Sanam Wakeel, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program, about developments in the national situation and the approaches required to end the suffering created by the Iranian regime-backed Houthi terrorist militias.
The President said, “Genuine peace in Yemen does not mean fragile truces or a ceasefire, but rather building a state that guarantees rights and freedoms for all citizens” adding that, “dealing with the Houthi militias as a normal political party or a fiat accompli authority grants legitimacy to the idea of divine right, reinforces racism and legitimizes the presence of weapons outside the state”‘
In his remarks on some Western approaches to Yemen, President al-Alimi said that some of researchers mistakenly do not differentiate between cities under forceful control with pluralistic societies.
He noted that the excessive security grip in Houthi areas does not mean that there is a normal or safe political or social life.
He added that the Houthi group “has gone far beyond terrorist organizations in its practices” through the use of ballistic missiles, drones, naval mines and car bombs, and by targeting international navigation, as well as destroying public life and its desperate attempt to entrench racism and restrict freedoms.”
The President also linked the security of the Red Sea to the future of regional stability, saying that protecting international navigation does not start from the sea alone, but from ending sources of threat on land.
The Chairman of the PLC asserted that the partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents a geographical, security and strategic necessity, imposed by geography, borders, and shared interests.
The President pointed out that Saudi Arabia’s generous support for Yemen was not limited to the military and security aspect, but also included the economy and services, saving lives, and rebuilding state institutions.
The security of Yemen and the Gulf has become more interconnected than ever in light of current challenges, he stressed.