Source: Saba News Agency
The Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Muammar Al-Eryani, met today in the city of Mukalla, Hadramout Governorate, with a delegation from the UN envoy’s office, headed by the chief advisor to the office, Zahra Lankai, and the Qatari representative of the United Nations Women’s Agency, Dina Zourba.
Minister Al-Eryani welcomed the visiting UN delegation, reiterating the government’s steadfast and principled position in supporting efforts to achieve comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace. He pointed to the significant concessions made by the legitimacy to achieve peace that ensures the end of the war and prevents its recurrence, as well as its positive engagement with all efforts in various rounds of dialogue.
Al-Eryani emphasized that the Houthi militia relies on war as a means of livelihood, and its current escalation proves its unwillingness to engage in peace. He also reviewed the regional and international peace efforts that have collided with the practices of the Houthis in all rounds of dialogue, which the Yemeni government welcomed and supported.
He highlighted the continued crimes and violations committed by the Houthi militia against the Yemeni people, including acts of killing, looting, and seizing the funds and properties of Yemenis, as well as recruiting children and sending them to the frontlines, indoctrinating them with racist and terrorist ideologies through the training courses they conduct, which turn them into ticking time bombs that will explode in the world’s face.
Al-Eryani pointed to the piracy and ongoing assaults conducted by the Houthi militia against commercial ships and oil tankers in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden, which have resulted in significant damage to the Yemeni people, who are adversely affected by the rising insurance costs, impacting their lives and livelihoods.
He mentioned that the government had begun paying salaries to employees, with wages disbursed to approximately 60% of state employees; however, the Houthi militia took unilateral steps to prevent the circulation of the official currency in areas under its control, which hindered the continuation of salary payments. Furthermore, it targeted oil facilities and prohibited oil exports, preventing the government from paying employee salaries in liberated areas, where more than 4 million displaced people reside.
Al-Eryani affirmed that if it were not for the efforts of the brothers in the Coalition to Support Legitimacy, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the government would not have been able to pay salaries to employees in the liberated areas. He praised their ongoing and generous support in all humanitarian, relief, and developmental aspects, while Iran continues to smuggle weapons and experts to the Houthi militia to kill Yemenis and destroy the foundations of life.
Al-Eryani expressed his hope that the UN Secretary-General’s envoy to Yemen would review his approach in dealing with the Houthi militia, emphasizing the suffering of thousands of forcibly abducted individuals in the militia’s detention centers, including those working for international organizations and the American embassy.
He clarified that the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism is working to revive the culture and concepts of peace, enhance identity, and stimulate the creative energies of youth, launching numerous events and festivals, including heritage symphonies in Cairo and Paris in collaboration with the Hadramout Foundation for Culture, and the Town Festival in Mukalla in partnership with the local authority led by the Governor of Hadramout, Mabkhout bin Madi.
For her part, the chief advisor in the UN envoy’s office in Yemen reviewed the office’s strategy and its foundational vision for peace, which aims to promote sustainable peace in Yemen. She confirmed the office’s commitment to holding a consultative meeting coinciding with the Town Festival season in Hadramout, to take advantage of the large number of people present during this season and to give a positive image of the situation in Yemen.
