Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ismail Baghaei, said on Tuesday that Tehran opposed the inclusion of two items related to Yemen in the final statement of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which concluded its work on Sunday in Baghdad, stressing that his country prevented their inclusion, as they provoke division among Islamic countries.
Regarding the situation in Yemen and what he described as “the participation of some countries in the Saudi attacks,” Baghaei said, “The Yemeni file is raised in all our talks, including discussions with the foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Security in the Arabian Peninsula is of great importance to us, but we do not see any additional intervention as an interest for the security of the region,” according to the semi-official Iranian “Tasnim” news agency.
Tasnim News Agency quoted Baghaei as saying, during a press conference on Tuesday, that “the solution to the Yemeni issue must go through dialogue and the road map that was drawn up several years ago.”
He added: "We emphasized in our discussions with our Egyptian counterpart that we do not believe that any additional intervention by Islamic countries will lead to improving the situation. Rather, quite the opposite, it will result in the situation worsening and escalating."
Speaking about the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting and the statement issued by it, Baghaei stressed the necessity of distinguishing between the statement and the resolution, saying: “The statement and the resolution must be separated. The most important document of the Council of Ministers is the final statement that is approved unanimously. What Mr. Araqchi put forward is the necessity of not including issues in the text of the statement that lead to division between Islamic countries, specifically what concerns Yemen.”
He added, "Attempting to stigmatize an Islamic country in an Islamic meeting is completely inconsistent with the objectives of establishing the organization. We presented our position firmly, and prevented the inclusion of two specific items that were related to Yemen."
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed that his country believes that addressing the Yemeni issue should be done through dialogue and reconciliation, saying: “We have repeatedly stressed that the Yemeni issue must be resolved through dialogue and reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, as they have been subject to a siege for more than a decade, and the issue cannot be resolved by force.”
Regarding the decision issued by the organization’s meeting, Baghaei said that Tehran announced its position on including a resolution on Yemen, considering that the mechanisms approved within the organization were not taken into account in this regard, and that the decision should have been discussed in advance.
On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called on the House of Representatives to hold an emergency session to give him a mandate to take the necessary measures to defend Saudi Arabia “if the Kingdom requests it.”
In a meeting chaired by Sisi, the National Defense Council affirmed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia, and decided to provide it with the necessary and possible forms of support to defend its security and stability and preserve its lands and Islamic sanctities, in addition to intensifying political and diplomatic efforts to reduce escalation and settle regional crises peacefully.
The Egyptian House of Representatives extended its discussions regarding Sisi’s request for authorization to send Egyptian forces to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, amid expectations that the request will be approved, in light of the tendency of the majority of members of the House to approve it.
