Source: Prime Minister’s Office
Yesterday, Tuesday, Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Dr. Shaya’ Al-Zindani chaired the proceedings of the 162nd session of the Arab League Council at the foreign ministers’ level, taking over the rotating presidency from Mauritanian Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug.
In his address to the council, Minister Al-Zindani expressed his pride in Yemen’s assumption of the rotating presidency, stating, “The national and historical responsibility placed upon joint Arab action requires us to make this session a new starting point for resolving ongoing crises and overcoming all challenges with pure Arab will.”
He added, “The Republic of Yemen, under the directives of His Excellency Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, is keen on advancing joint Arab action and cooperating to elevate it in defense of our Arab nation’s causes and the interests of its peoples.”
The Foreign Minister touched upon the suffering of the Palestinian brethren, now in their eleventh month of enduring brutal crimes at the hands of Israeli occupation forces, emphasizing the importance of developing a unified Arab action plan to rally international pressure on Israel to halt its crimes in Gaza, the West Bank, and across all occupied Palestinian territories. He urged the UN Security Council to provide guarantees for the protection of the Palestinian people.
Al-Zindani called for intensified Arab efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, appreciating the efforts of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the state of Qatar towards reaching an urgent agreement to stop the aggressive war and end the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people. He advocated for working with all peace-loving international partners to launch a peace process leading to a just peace that ensures the Palestinian people’s legitimate national rights and the establishment of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Minister Al-Zindani also highlighted the ongoing efforts of the Yemeni government to achieve peace and halt the escalation by the Houthi insurgent militia, including their threats to navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas, with catastrophic consequences, most recently targeting the oil tanker “Sounion,” which now represents a ticking environmental bomb threatening Yemen and neighboring countries. He appreciated the international and regional efforts, particularly those by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman, to map out a roadmap that could contribute to paving the way for a political solution if the difficulties and obstacles presented by the Houthis’ intransigence are overcome.
Attending the meeting were Yemen’s Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States, Ambassador Riyadh Al-Akbari, and the Head of the Minister’s Office, Ambassador Abdulqadir Hadi.
