Yemen PM Stresses Need to End Iranian Meddling

Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher attends a conference to raise funds for Yemen on April 25, 2017 at the United Nations office in Geneva. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP
Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher attends a conference to raise funds for Yemen on April 25, 2017 at the United Nations office in Geneva. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP
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Yemen PM Stresses Need to End Iranian Meddling

Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher attends a conference to raise funds for Yemen on April 25, 2017 at the United Nations office in Geneva. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP
Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher attends a conference to raise funds for Yemen on April 25, 2017 at the United Nations office in Geneva. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Dagher has called for halting Iranian meddling in his country and ending the Houthi coup against legitimacy whether through a peace deal or a military solution.

According to Saba Net, bin Dagher said during a meeting on Thursday with the British ambassador to Yemen, Michael Aron, that the Yemeni government and people highly appreciate British efforts to achieve security and stability in Yemen.

He also praised UK’s support for the legitimate Yemeni government.

The prime minister briefed the newly-appointed diplomat on the situation in Yemen and UN and international efforts to solve the war politically.

Bin Dagher and Aron jointly stressed the importance of making the new UN envoy's mission successful.

The Yemeni prime minister stated that the legitimate government will deal constructively with UN initiatives for new consultations, provided that the militia proves its intention to solve the country’s crisis rather than trying to waste time.

Bin Dagher said: “The Arab Coalition’s intervention came in response to a call made by the legitimate Yemeni President after the Houthi militia took over several provinces, reaching Aden, Taiz and Marib.”

The Houthis “took up weapons against the State, cracked down on citizens and posed an existential threat to Yemen and its Arab neighbors and threatened international navigation ... to carry out Iran's agenda and plan in the region with the aim of blackmailing the international community,” he added.

The meeting also addressed the government's ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and normalize the situation in government-held areas.

For his part, the British ambassador reiterated support for Yemen’s unity, security and stability, and rejection of Iranian interference in the country’s affairs.



US Denies Plan to Reduce Its Diplomatic Footprint in Africa

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Reuters)
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US Denies Plan to Reduce Its Diplomatic Footprint in Africa

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Reuters)

The United States would drastically reduce its diplomatic footprint in Africa and scrap State Department offices dealing with climate change, democracy and human rights, according to a draft White House order published by The New York Times newspaper.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied the report. He said The New York Times had fallen “victim to another hoax.”

“This is fake news,” Rubio posted on X.

However, a copy of the draft viewed by AFP calls for “full structural reorganization” of the State Department by October 1 of this year.

The aim, the draft order says, is “to streamline mission delivery, project American strength abroad, cut waste, fraud, abuse, and align the Department with an America First Strategic Doctrine.”

The biggest change would be organizing US diplomatic efforts into four regions: Eurasia, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific -- with no equivalent focus on Africa.

The current Africa Bureau would be eliminated. In its place would be a “Special Envoy Office for African Affairs” who reports to the White House's internal National Security Council, rather than the State Department.

“All non-essential embassies and consulates in Sub-Saharan Africa shall be closed,” the draft order says, with all remaining missions consolidated under a special envoy “using targeted, mission-driven deployments.”

While the draft executive order obtained by AFP has not been discussed publicly by officials, it comes amid a flurry of moves to cut decades-old US initiatives and to question long-held alliances, including with NATO.

An earlier proposed plan leaked to US media would see the State Department's entire budget slashed by half.

The new draft order says current offices dealing with climate change, oceans, global criminal justice, and human rights would be “eliminated.”

The US footprint in Canada -- a historic US ally that President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested should be annexed and made a 51st state -- would likewise get a downgrade.

The diplomatic presence would see a “significantly reduced team” and the embassy in Ottawa would “significantly downscale.”