In an interview with CNN in Arabic from the Jordanian capital, Amman, on the sidelines of an official visit, which is the first to the Kingdom, Bin Mubarak confirmed that the truce did not include any guarantees or mechanisms for oversight for implementation, and that it is based on the extent of commitment and the extent of the keenness and pressure of the regional and international community and the commitment of the Yemeni government.
He said that extending the truce for the third time is a window of hope that must be exploited, and that all the “concessions they made are aimed mainly at facilitating the lives of the people who are under the authority of the Houthi militia.”
And he indicated that there were major issues on the other hand, for which there were no mechanisms, especially with regard to the major violations of the Houthi militias, saying: “On the last day before the truce was renewed, the Houthi militias bombed more than 11 children in Taiz with artillery, and there was no mechanism to control and stop this type of intrusion. “.
He explained that a discussion took place with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen on the main issues and priorities that can be achieved during this period before the new extension expires.
And on the efforts made, whether by the United Nations or the United States, or the efforts of countries in the region, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to ensure the success of the commitment to the truce and the long-term solutions that may follow, he stressed that there are very great pressures exerted on the Houthis to abide by the truce.
The minister indicated that the truce in itself is not a comprehensive cease-fire, and that it is by its nature temporary and subject to revocation by any party, noting: “There is a very keen interest from us as a government, and from our brothers in the region, specifically in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as our brothers in the Sultanate of Oman, in Pushing for this truce, and they played very big roles,” he said, also referring to international efforts, particularly those of the United States of America.
He said: “Very great pressures were applied to discourage the Houthis and push them to abide by the implementation of the truce. We have the issue of the city of Taiz, which has been besieged for more than 7 years and has 4 million citizens. It is besieged by not allowing citizens to move, and it is also besieged by landmines. It is true that military operations have largely stopped in many cases.” The fronts, despite the fact that there are violations, but the rate of increase in casualties due to landmines in Taiz is also very high.”
In his speech, bin Mubarak considered that this type of issue did not make sufficient efforts to address them, saying: “We believe that not enough efforts were made in these issues by the international community to pressure Al-Houthi or to expose him in the extent of his commitment, and therefore we expect that during the next two months there will be international efforts Doubling it and it should be in the direction of pressure to open the siege on the city of Taiz.”
In a political lecture by the minister on the developments of the Yemeni issue at the Jordan International Affairs Association, on Tuesday evening, he described the Jordanian sponsorship of the Yemeni dialogues in Amman as “quiet care” and that Jordan has a role that can be maximized, after hosting meetings of many factions and dialogues held under the auspices of the United Nations.
Regarding this, he explained: “Jordan is part of the Arab coalition and its position has been in support of the legitimate government in Yemen from the very beginning, in this war and before this war and in the transitional period, Jordan had a very big technical role in restructuring the Yemeni army as well as in supporting the peaceful political transition in Yemen “.
The Yemeni minister pointed out that Jordan’s growing role in the Yemeni file was also represented in the diplomatic presence present in Amman, and said: “Now there is a large diplomatic presence for many international missions accredited in Yemen based in Amman, and the office of the United Nations Special Representative in Yemen, and in The past months have held many rounds of subsidiary peace talks, whether the files of prisoner exchange, opening roads, the military committee and monitoring the ceasefire. Jordan is the first country to facilitate the first flights between Sanaa airport and Jordan, and it is keen and sponsoring to advance the peace process and through its presence in international forums supports the efforts of Peace and we salute this role and rely on it.”
Regarding some future political proposals in Yemen, such as the “southern secession”, Bin Mubarak said that the main challenge facing the Transitional Presidential Council and the Yemenis today is to overthrow the “coup”, restore the state and return to the peace process first, and that the current situation is to discuss any political projects. not configured”.
He said: “Yemen has many files before it.. Yemen was on the verge of a new constitution and a new form of the state, and we were just around the corner from the referendum on a new constitution and entering elections that will establish a new era. Then the coup occurred and the war disrupted many political projects in Yemen and brought us back to zero in Many issues, including what was discussed and agreed upon in the southern issue, which is an urgent political issue and has significant political and human rights dimensions.
On the other hand, he stressed that the Southern Transitional Council is a key faction in the authority, and that there is an agreement within it to postpone this discussion, and explained: “The current circumstance is not ripe for discussing any political projects such as secession or otherwise, but the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen is a basic and main faction in power. He has a political project and this project is based on the call for the return of the project of the former southern state, and also in the Southern Transitional Council with the rest of the participating forces there is an agreement to postpone this discussion and all Yemeni forces must now unite in order to restore the state, improve the economic situation, combat terrorism, Red Sea security and major issues concerns Yemen and the region.
In his speech, the minister warned of the dangers of keeping the Safer oil tanker stuck off the Yemeni coast, and said: “This is a time bomb and an imminent danger not only to Yemen, and its direct impact on Yemen is more than 20 billion dollars and complete destruction of the marine environment, and its impact may extend to the shores of the Red Sea, and Jordan is also threatened.” And the brothers in Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Djibouti, and it is said that it will be the second largest disaster in the world.”
Ibn Mubarak indicated that the Houthi has been holding on to the file of the Safer tanker as a hostage for more than 7 years, as it contains more than one million barrels of oil in this dilapidated ship, saying that at any moment it is threatened by an explosion or an oil leak.
And he indicated that previous efforts of the United Nations, made over a period of about 3 and a half years, reached a dead end with the Houthis over the tanker, but he also indicated that there are new efforts being made by the United Nations and funded by some European countries and sister countries in the region to address the matter.
He added, “For now, things are moving very slowly, and I do not think that time will help us. This issue must turn into an international issue, and this file does not have sufficient media coverage. It is a humanitarian environmental issue that should not be subject to any political polarization.”
Regarding the Iranian role in the Yemeni peace dialogue efforts, he stressed that it is a negative role and that there are no direct contacts with Iran, indicating that the general messages sent by Iran are positive, but in reality and in implementation they are negative and conflicting messages, with regard to financial support for the Houthis with weapons or media mobilization.
He pointed out that the US naval units in the past months have seized dozens of shipments on full ships loaded with heavy and medium weapons to the Houthi group, and that endless cross-border smuggling operations and small boats are continuing, and he said, “What we are witnessing on the ground confirms that Iranian support has not stopped.” to ignite and increase the pace of the war in Yemen.
