Cairo: Decisions of the new US administration on Yemen can be misread by Al Houthi rebels and their supporter Iran, Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awwad has said.
Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden declared a halt to his country’s support for a military campaign in Yemen, pushing for a political solution there.
The US has also said it intends to revoke the designation of Al Houthis as terrorists due to the humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country. The designation was a last-minute decision adopted by the administration of former president Donald Trump.
Over the recent days, Al Houthis have stepped up their attacks inside Yemen and on neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
“The new US administration has put the Yemen issue on its priority list, but the messages of this administration will be misread by Al Houthis and the Iranians,” Awwad told Egyptian satellite television Ten in an interview.
Terrorist group
“The American administration says it will cancel the designation of Al Houthi as a terrorist group so that there will be no effects on the humanitarian situation, but this designation represents a political pressure card in the hands of Al Houthi militia. I hope it will be used in the interest of the Yemeni people,” he added.
The official renewed the Yemeni government’s support for ending the war. “But Al Houthis do not do this. They have launched a fierce attack on Marib [in central Yemen] without heed to the humanitarian aspects,” Awwad said.
Al Houthis plunged Yemen into a devastating war in late 2014 when they unseated the internationally recognised government and seized parts of the country, including the capital Sana’a.
