Saudi Arabia Talks about Peace efforts in Yemen and Iran’s Threat at Rome meeting
Saudi Arabia's Minister of State forForeign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said there is a possibility of calmingthe situation in Yemen as a prelude to reaching a settlement in the four-yearconflict, Saudi-owned channel Al-Arabiya cited him as saying on Friday in the MediterraneanDialogue Conference.
Saudi Arabia released at the end ofNovember a group of Yemeni prisoners belonging to the Iran-aligned Houthigroup, a step that may support efforts to reach peace in Yemen.
"There is a possibility to calmdown the situation that will be followed by a settlement in Yemen,"Jubeir told the conference in Rome, according to Al-Arabiya.
Al-Jubeiradded, that Iran threatens the entire region and its aggression can no longerbe tolerated. "We support the campaign of " harsh pressure,"stressing that Iran must be deprived of the tools that threaten the region andthe world."
He pointed out that "Iran believes in the principle of exportingrevolution and does not respect the sovereignty of states," adding that"we must show rigor with Iran and no one seeks war."
On the situation in Yemen, Al-Jubeir said: "The only solution inYemen is political, and the Houthis are the ones who started the war, notus," reaffirming that" all Yemenis, including the Houthis, have arole in the future of Yemen."
There is a possibility, he made clear, of a truce followed by asettlement, in Yemen, he stated.
"Yemen is of special importance for the Kingdom, and Iran'sinterference in its affairs is devastating," he elaborated.
On the Saudi-American relations, he remarked that: "The relationsbetween us and the United States are strong and are well established, whateverthe ruling party is," adding: "We will work with Washington to confrontIranian interference as we have fought together against terrorism."
On the Palestinian issue, he said that "We confirm our support forthe principle of a Palestinian state with Al-Quds (East Jerusalem) as itscapital," concluding that: "We have also informed Washington that itspositions on the peace process weaken the two-state solution."
