Yemen action ‘to continue until Hadi is back in power’

The operation in Yemen would continue until the legitimate government is back in power, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said on Tuesday.
Briefing Shoura Council members at their 26th session chaired by Abdullah Al-Asheikh, Prince Saud also lashed out at Iran for what he described as its divisive policies in the Middle East, including its involvement in Syria and Iraq.
“Saudi Arabia has spared no effort, along with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and international parties, to reach a peaceful solution that will defeat the conspiracy against Yemen, solve its problems, and return it to a path of construction and development rather than bloodshed,” he said.
He said the Houthi militia and “agents of the former president, supported by Iran, insist on meddling in Yemen.” These forces had rejected all attempts to resolve the situation peacefully, and stolen weapons to carry out their “seditious” actions in Yemen, said Prince Saud.
“We are not warmongers, but if the drums of war are beaten, we are ready for them. The security of Yemen is part and parcel of the security of the Kingdom, the Gulf and Arabs. The coalition was in response to a distress call from a neighboring country with legitimate leadership, appealing for an end to the tampering with Yemen ...”
Prince Saud also described the situation in Syria as a tragedy, which has now seen over 500,000 people killed, including those not declared, and more than 11 million displaced.
He said Saudi Arabia has called for the end of this humanitarian disaster by having the international community implement the resolutions of the Geneva 1 Declaration, which calls for the formation of a transitional governing body with wide political, security and military powers.
This body should not have the current president Bashar Assad on it or those who have blood on their hands. This would enable Syria to restore itself to its former glory, he said.
Referring to the situation in Iraq, the minister said: “Baghdad has suffered at the hands of several of its sons, driven by external parties desiring discord, division and rivalry. They did not desist from committing crimes and spreading hatred.”
He said he was optimistic when the new Iraqi government was formed, especially when it announced its intention to rebuild the country by including all citizens regardless of race, sect or doctrine, and eradicating terrorism and disbanding armed militias.
He said the Kingdom has shown its commitment to the new government by opening its embassy in Baghdad, in addition to its participation in the international coalition to fight the terrorist Islamic State organization.
Speaking on Iran, the minister said: “We were pleased when the Iranians called their revolution the Islamic Revolution. We were expecting it would champion Arab and Islamic causes, and help consolidate security and stability in the region. But we were surprised by the policy of exporting the revolution and destabilizing the region’s security and peace.”
This policy has seen other countries raise questions about the motives of Iran, he said. “Today, we are not going to condemn Iran, but we will test its intentions by extending our hands to it as a Muslim neighbor to open a new page.”
He said the Kingdom does not want to destabilize Iran because it is considered a civilized and Muslim country that follows the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, the Prophet (peace be upon him).
It is the duty of the Kingdom to support such a country, he said.