Mottaki warns regional countries not to interfere in Yemen conflict

November 11, 2009 - 0:0

TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki said here on Tuesday that instability in any regional country will affect security in the entire region and regional countries should not interfere in Yemen’s internal affairs.

Since the beginning of November, Saudi forces have attacked residential areas and border villages in Yemen, killing and injuring many people.
The Saudi Army has deployed one of its main brigades, which consists of at least 13,000 troops, to northern Yemen.
Mottaki expressed concern about the current situation in Yemen, saying the country has a number of serious problems.
Terrorism and extremism are the most serious problems in Yemen, and certain people are trying to turn Yemen into a center for terrorist activities, the foreign minister added.
He went on to say that separatist movements are also posing serious challenges for Yemen.
Mottaki said the conflict between the Yemeni government and the country’s Shia population is another problem the country is facing.
“We have expressed our readiness to cooperate to resolve these problems” and an Iranian delegation will be visiting Yemen in the near future, Mottaki stated.
But the Islamic Republic of Iran’s security will not be affected by the crisis since it is situated in a dangerous, war-torn region and has thus learned to defend itself, he added