Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
A comprehensive meeting chaired by David Hunt, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Department, was held at the British Foreign Office yesterday, Monday. The meeting brought together Yemen experts, several European ambassadors and representatives, and the Yemeni ambassador to Britain.
The meeting delved into the details of the preparations for the upcoming meeting in New York at the UN headquarters, co-organized by Yemen and Britain on January 20th. This meeting is dedicated to discussing issues related to reforms and supporting the steps taken by the Yemeni state towards achieving peace and stability in Yemen.
It is expected that an announcement will be made about the establishment of a support mechanism that will be funded by the British government and a number of countries participating in the New York meeting. This mechanism will be headquartered in Aden.
At the preparatory meeting, the Yemeni embassy in Britain presented a paper containing a number of points and proposals as a contribution to the preparatory process. Most notably, it emphasized that international efforts to achieve peace in Yemen must be rebuilt on tracks that focus on the root causes that have hindered the peace process.
The Yemeni embassy in London pointed out that “the Houthi’s disruption of navigation in the Red Sea is part of this Iranian expansionist project and a natural result of the Houthis’ continued control over parts of Yemen, including Hodeidah and Red Sea ports. It should not be dealt with independently of the core issue.”
It noted that the Yemeni government is committed to a peace process based on the three references and, in this regard, is fully cooperating with “serious” international efforts to bring peace to Yemen. In this context, it sees itself as responsible for the security and protection of Yemeni territory and the rights and gains of the Yemeni people from Iranian interference in Yemen’s affairs and the resulting chaos and destruction, which would lead the country into a tunnel of full-scale wars and chaos.
According to the Yemeni embassy in London, this requires the international community to reshape its cooperation with the Yemeni government by providing full support that enables it to secure Yemen’s role in achieving the security of the region and international shipping lanes and countering terrorism in its various forms and manifestations.
It pointed out that supporting the political, economic, and administrative reform process undertaken by the Presidential Leadership Council and the Yemeni government, and combating corruption inherited from previous eras, which has become part of the political, financial, and administrative structure due to the fragility of state institutions resulting from the war, is part of this process.
It added, “These complex reforms begin with reforming the structure of the political and administrative system, which requires logistical support. We believe that the upcoming New York meeting and its outcomes will help overcome this problem and will provide many of the conditions for engaging the community in addressing the challenges facing the peace process.”
