Yemeni Prime Minister responds in a TV interview to questions about secession, normalization, and efforts to end the Houthis.. What did he say?

Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak praised US President Donald Trump's decision to re-designate the Houthi group as a terrorist group.

Bin Mubarak also commented in a special interview with Alhurra TV on various issues in the region, including his government’s vision for the future of Yemen and how it can contribute to enhancing stability in the region and whether his country will join the Abraham Accords.

The dialogue was as follows:

Alhurra: What do you think of the new US administration’s move to re-list the Houthis on the list of foreign terrorist organizations?

Bin Mubarak: We appreciate this step and see that it is in the right direction. We have been calling for it for a long time, whether the first listing of the Houthis and then its easing.

We believed that the move sent a clear message to the Houthis that it was one of the important tools that the international community, and specifically the United States, should use to pressure this militia.

There is often hesitation in making such decisions for fear that this will affect the humanitarian aspects, but we always confirm that the humanitarian damages in the presence of the Houthis are greater and more severe.

There are constant contacts between the Yemeni government and the American administration in this regard, as well as exchanged messages. We are happy that this message came directly from the new American administration to confirm the nature of its upcoming approach in dealing with this matter.

Alhurra: What are you looking for in this administration?

Ben Mubarak: First of all, our relations with the United States are strategic and we share major issues with it, in terms of our common understanding of regional issues and partnership in combating terrorism.

Yemen, with its important strategic location, can play a role in regional security and stability. Neglecting Yemen for a long time and looking at it only from a humanitarian angle has caused many repercussions.

Therefore, we see the need to deal with Yemen on the political, security, military and economic levels, in addition to the humanitarian aspects. We want there to be a more comprehensive approach in dealing with the Yemeni crisis.

We certainly appreciate the great interest of the United States in the humanitarian aspects. Washington is the largest supporter of the humanitarian aspect among Western countries, but we want to use greater pressure tools and direct dealings with the Yemeni government, political and economic empowerment, and strategic military and security support.

The main goal of the region, Yemen and the world is to achieve peace and we believe that there are requirements to achieve this peace, and there are many experiences in this regard. Currently, the main challenge facing the world is the crisis in the Red Sea.

We have an ambitious vision and plan to support the Yemeni Coast Guard. This was presented months ago in partnership with the Americans, the British, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. Its main goal is to qualify and enable the Yemeni Coast Guard to play an important role.

There is an international interest in having an effective and strong government on the ground that is able to serve the Yemeni people, achieve peace, and reduce the threats facing the region.

Alhurra broadcaster: Does this mean that you now feel like a weak government?

Bin Mubarak: No, of course not, but we see that this government needs real support. About two and a half years ago, we lost our economic resources as a result of the Houthi militia’s attack on the oil export platforms, which deprived us of more than 70 percent of our resources and made us unable to fulfill our basic obligations.

There are many requirements to achieve peace, play a regional role in security issues, and provide an important model for the rest of Yemen’s governorates, including those controlled by the Houthis, so that the Yemeni citizen can distinguish between a government capable of providing services and militias that suppress freedoms and try to impose their Iranian model on Yemenis and play a role that threatens regional and international stability. Helping and empowering the government, as much as it is a Yemeni interest, also achieves a regional and international interest.

Alhurra broadcaster: It is interesting that the Yemeni government did not present itself as the legitimate party in Yemen and that the world could address it as an entity that could control the adjacent territorial and international waters and deploy a naval force there. This discourse did not emerge even at the height of the days when the Houthis were targeting Israel and ships in the Red Sea?

Bin Mubarak: As I told you a little while ago, for almost two years we have been working hard on this issue. Last November, we reached a joint strategy with our American and British friends and our brothers in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates regarding the Red Sea and the role of the Yemeni government and the Coast Guard to play a real role, and there is a strategy in this regard.

For a long time we have been saying: If the world accepts a militia like the Houthis to control all the coasts adjacent to international waterways, the results would naturally be what is happening now.

So in 2018, we were on the verge of liberating the entire western coast, and there were only a few kilometers between us and the port of Hodeidah. Then, there was great international pressure at the time, which stopped this operation, and after that, we went to the Stockholm Agreement, and decisions were issued by the Security Council, but nothing was implemented.

One of the results of previous approaches to dealing with the Yemeni crisis is what we are witnessing today. Therefore, we are now in a stage in which it is very important to have new approaches that are consistent with the positive climate and the changes taking place in the region and the weakening of the Iranian axis, its allies, and the parties associated with it.

In my opinion, Yemen is a very important link and it has a ready partner represented by the Yemeni government, which is an effective and present party on the ground. There is a leadership council that includes all Yemeni parties, all of whom agree without exception on the necessity of weakening the Houthis, returning Yemen to its Arab embrace, and achieving security and stability in the region in a way that leads to respect for international law and conventions.

Alhurra broadcaster: You mentioned the existence of a strong and effective Yemeni government. Let me tell you what the Yemenis are saying, especially in the areas controlled by the government. They say that one dollar is worth 2,000 Yemeni riyals, compared to 550 riyals in the areas controlled by the Houthis, and that the situation is not under economic control, as evidenced by the fact that there is another party allied with the legitimate government and disputing with it to control the areas, which is the Southern Transitional Council?

Bin Mubarak: This comparison is incorrect. First, the nominal price is 550 riyals, but the real price and the real purchasing power are not the same in the areas controlled by the Houthis. If we took $100 and spent it and went to the market in Aden and also in Sana’a, the amount I would buy in Aden compared to what I would buy in Sana’a is 10 times the amount. The reason is that there is one police authority that imposes this nominal price in the Houthi areas, but it does not represent the real purchasing power. The situation here is 1000 times better. In Aden, with $100, I can save a higher amount that covers a family compared to Sana’a.

However, coalitions all over the world are difficult, and the Yemeni situation is complex. We do not claim to be perfect. I say that the difference between us and the Houthis is that we are a natural reflection of Yemen as it is. We do not suppress voices and we want these voices to express themselves and not be suppressed as in the areas of the other party represented by the Houthis.

The important thing for us is a major issue and a real problem, which is that Al-Houthi was part of the national dialogue, but he turned into a simple idea that Yemenis cannot accept, which is his claim to divine right and superiority over the rest of the Yemenis. Yemenis cannot accept the authority of the guide in Yemen who is above everyone else, as is happening now with the Houthis.

Alhurra broadcaster: There was talk before October 7 that a dialogue had been opened with Omani mediation, albeit in front of the media, with the Houthis in an attempt to find a solution to end the crisis in Yemen, but things collided with the Houthis’ insistence that if they negotiated, they would only negotiate directly with the Saudis. Do you think this is one of the obstacles that can be overcome?

Bin Mubarak: This is an attempt to escape by the Houthis. We in the National Dialogue had great efforts to ask the Houthis to register as a political party like the rest of the Yemeni parties, but they absolutely refused.

We fought seven military wars with the Houthis, and after the national dialogue we signed and held political negotiations, but the Houthis always made excuses and evaded the real entitlement. They do not accept the presence of a partner in this country.

Alhurra broadcaster: In the end, is the decision in your hands? Some Yemenis still believe that you are a legitimate government, but it is still in Riyadh?

Bin Mubarak: No, there is no government in Riyadh. For example, the longest period I spent in Riyadh was 15 days. Throughout our rule, all of our agencies and institutions were in Aden, and even previous governments were the same.

We are the government of Aden, not Riyadh or hotels. This image has existed for many years and must be changed.

Alhurra broadcaster: How do you view regional changes, such as the Gaza agreement, the situation in Lebanon, and the change in Syria? And to what extent do they affect you?

Bin Mubarak: Certainly all these files are interconnected with each other. In 2014 and 2015, Iran said that we control 4 Arab capitals. And we have been saying since 2012 that Iran is interfering in Yemen and has its eye on the Red Sea. We and the rest of the Yemenis were holding peaceful dialogue while Iran was sending ships loaded with weapons to the Houthis.

At that time there were also members of the Lebanese Hezbollah in Sana'a and a number of them were imprisoned, and as soon as the Houthis entered Sana'a they were released. There was an alliance and a plan for the region and today this has largely disintegrated.

Since you mentioned Gaza, our position as a Yemeni people and political parties is a genuine position. We are very optimistic about the agreement and hope that it will be a prelude to stability in the region and contribute to alleviating the suffering of the people of Gaza. There are also positive changes in Syria, which we welcomed, and in Lebanon as well.

Alhurra broadcaster: Regarding the current US administration’s efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, are you open to that?

Bin Mubarak: We are with the Arab consensus and what the Palestinian people accept and implementing the Arab League resolutions related to establishing a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Currently, our main issue is to restore our country, end the coup and return things to normal in Yemen.

Alhurra broadcaster: Finally, there is talk of an expected government reshuffle in Yemen. Is that true?

Ben Mubarak: The Leadership Council was clear from the beginning that the current government must take a series of measures and implement real reforms. There will be an evaluation of the performance of the government and ministries, and based on that there will be a ministerial reshuffle.

We are doing this under the full supervision and coordination of the Leadership Council, and the main goal is how to be more representative and able to serve the people and deal with the major challenges that are happening in the region.

Source: Alhurra