Iran’s 4-Point Yemen Peace Plan Still Workable: Spokesman
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A four-point plan that Iran proposed some six years ago to ensure peace in Yemen is still a viable option, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson said.
Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh highlighted Iran’s role and position in the settlement of the crisis in Yemen, saying Tehran’s four-point plan can be carried out even today.
Iran’s proposal entails a cessation of hostilities in Yemen, immediate medical aids, inclusive Yemeni-Yemeni talks, and the subsequent formation of an inclusive government, he added.
There will be no peace in Yemen unless the foreign governments facilitate that process, he stated.
“The Saudi invasion is the root cause of Yemen’s crisis. If Saudi Arabia stops the massacre today, cessation of hostilities will take place tomorrow,” the spokesman said.
Highlighting the good offices of Iran and its efforts to resolve the Yemen crisis, Khatibzadeh called on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to do the same, but emphasized that Yemeni groups alone should decide the fate of their country through negotiations.
The UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is currently in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials.
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out deadly airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, and resulted in what the UN has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Some 3.3 million people have been displaced from their homes and 24 million, or more than 80 percent of the population, are in need of aid, according to the UN.