Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Iranian-backed Houthi militias and forces allied to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh are ruining Yemen, said Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal on Tuesday. “We are not advocating war, but we are ready for it,” Prince Saud said while addressing the 26th session of the Shoura Council, which was chaired by its President Sheikh Abdullah Al-Asheikh, the Saudi Press Agency reported. “Operation Decisive Storm will continue to defend legitimacy in Yemen,” he said, adding that the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen will persist until the country is stable and unified again. Prince Saud said the Kingdom has no plans for a ground offensive in Yemen. “Yemenis are capable of carrying out their responsibilities in confronting Houthis, especially in view of the fact that several military personnel and civilians have joined the legitimate forces in the country.” Prince Saud said Saudi Arabia and its allies spared no efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Yemeni crisis. “The Houthi militias and their ally, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, decided, with the support of Iran, to destabilize Yemen, confuse the issue, carry out a coup against the constitutional legitimacy, and reject all peaceful solutions with the force of the looted weapons,” he said, adding “we are not warmongers but if the drum beats for it we are ready for it.” Prince Saudi asserted that the security of Yemen is integral to the security of the Kingdom and other Gulf and Arab states. How can we ignore the distress call when it came from a neighboring country with a legitimate leadership and traumatized people who pleaded for help? In the backdrop of this, the coalition came to defend the legitimacy of Yemen with the massive blessing and total support of the Arab and Muslim Ummah as well as the global community. Referring to Iran's role on Yemeni issue, Prince Saud said: “We expected that the Islamic revolution would be supportive of the Arab and Islamic issues and helpful in serving the Islamic Ummah and consolidating the security and stability in the region. But we are surprised to see (Iran's) policy of undermining security and peace and its flagrant interference in the affairs of the countries in the region as well as its role in inciting sedition and creating division among the followers of the same ideology.” “This raises several questions with regard to Iran's vested interest by dividing the Arab and Islamic world,” he said, urging Iran to work for fostering Islamic solidarity rather than moving toward exporting its revolution. Prince Saud also warned that Iran's nuclear file has become one of the grave concerns pertaining to the region's safety and security. He also reiterated the Kingdom's support to find a peaceful resolution to the issue by guaranteeing the right of Iran and other countries in the region to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes. Speaking about the conflict in Syria, Prince Saud said that Saudi Arabia will stand behind any effort to “revive the Arab and international conscience to put an end to the humanitarian crisis in Syria.” “What is happening in Syria is shameful,” he added. “The solution to the Syrian crisis is based on the principles of Geneva II (Conference),” said the foreign minister, adding that a military balance should be achieved in Syria to force “Damascus' butcher” to respond to peaceful resolutions. He said the Syrian tragedy has exceeded all limits and has become a shame for all who want to see a victory for the Syrian oppressed people. “The number of the dead crossed half a million and those who took shelter in the neighboring countries as refugees exceeded 11 million. We are facing a horrific human tragedy for which there is no similar example in contemporary history,” he said.
