Bahrain: Former Yemeni President Ali Abdulla Saleh has been accused of inciting terrorism in the state.
Yemen’s Foreign Minister Riad Yassin said civil war raging in his country was the doing of Mr Saleh and not threats from the Islamic State (IS).
He was speaking on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue 2015, the 11th regional security summit hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in co-operation with Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry.
“There is no threat of the Islamic State in Yemen, it is only terrorism incited by the former Yemeni president Ali Abdulla Saleh,” Mr Yassin told the GDN.
“What we face in Yemen is our former president who is using his last cards to create problems in the country and then claiming that these are acts of terrorists like the Daesh (IS).
“In fact, it is his doing and he’s inciting terrorism.”
Mr Yassin said a political solution in Yemen could only be reached if everyone involved complied with the UN resolution 2216.
The document adopted last month demands that Houthis withdraw from all areas seized during the latest conflict, relinquish arms seized from military and security institutions, cease all actions falling exclusively within the authority of the legitimate Yemeni government and fully implement previous resolutions.
It also calls on all Yemeni parties, in particular the Houthis, to abide by the GCC initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outcomes of a comprehensive national dialogue conference and relevant Security Council resolutions.
“There is no place for a political solution in Yemen unless all those concerned abide by all these conditions,” added Mr Yassin.
“The (Houthis) have to stop violence, withdraw their militia from all the cities and places they occupy, and release those they are holding hostage.
“Only after this can we go in for an all-inclusive political dialogue.”
The three-day forum, at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa, ended yesterday.
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