Yemen Mobilizes European Efforts to Pressure Houthis, Support Economic Reforms

The head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, in Munich Security Council (Saba)
The head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, in Munich Security Council (Saba)
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Yemen Mobilizes European Efforts to Pressure Houthis, Support Economic Reforms

The head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, in Munich Security Council (Saba)
The head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, in Munich Security Council (Saba)

The head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, intensified his meetings with European officials to mobilize European efforts to pressure the Houthi militia and support economic reforms.

Alimi, who is visiting Brussels, is heading back to Munich to participate in the Munich Security Conference. He is scheduled to speak at a dialogue session on the developments in Yemen, opportunities for restoring peace and stability, and ending the worst human suffering in the world.

On the sidelines of the conference, Alimi is scheduled to meet several international leaders and officials participating in the global gathering to discuss common challenges and ways to coordinate positions and visions at various levels.

Alimi and council member Faraj al-Bahsani met the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

The meeting addressed the local developments and needed European involvement to reduce humanitarian suffering and support resorting peace, stability, and development.

The head of the Council stressed the importance of an advanced understanding of the Yemeni issue based on correcting misleading narratives about the roots of the crisis.

Alimi noted that reaching sustainable peace in Yemen was difficult without pressuring the militia and their Iranian supporters.

Also in Brussels, the Yemeni leader met the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, and reviewed the Yemeni developments and the European pressures required to push the Houthi terrorist militias to deal seriously with efforts to establish peace.

He asserted the need to pressure the militia to prioritize the Yemeni interests over the Iranian regime and its regional project.

The meeting touched on economic and service reforms led by the Presidential Leadership Council and the government and the challenges faced by the Yemeni state to alleviate human suffering in the wake of the Houthi terrorist attacks on oil facilities and global energy supplies.

Saba news agency quoted Urpilainen as confirming the EU's commitment to supporting the Council and the government through a larger package of humanitarian and more sustainable financial aid.

The European official also affirmed the EU's readiness to provide technical support and assistance to promote comprehensive institutional and economic reforms in Yemen.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik said the efforts to renew the UN armistice have collided with the Houthis' intransigence since last October.

Abdulmalik explained that not renewing the ceasefire and the Houthi terrorist attacks on oil facilities complicated the situation.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of having the necessary guarantees that ensure Houthis would take advantage of the situation and return to violence, calling for a real path to peace.

He stressed that illogical and unrealistic solutions may further exacerbate the crisis and that half-solutions cannot lead Yemen to any sustainable solutions for peace.

Abdulmalik accused the Houthis, backed by Iran, of continuously breaking many rules by allowing the entry of oil shipments from Iranian funding sources.

Iran supports Houthis with weapons and fuel, said Abdulmalik, adding that the militias' terrorist acts threaten to break many mechanisms, including the weapons inspection mechanism.



Aoun Wants Formation of ‘Consensual’ Lebanese Govt Representing All Components

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
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Aoun Wants Formation of ‘Consensual’ Lebanese Govt Representing All Components

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is advocating the formation of a government of “consensus” that includes representatives from all political factions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam has requested that parliamentary blocs submit non-partisan nominees for ministerial positions, emphasizing that they must not belong to any political party.

Aoun stressed on Tuesday that all components of society have the right to be represented in the government, parliament and public administration, as this is already practiced in the army.

“We have significant opportunities that we hope to seize by uniting all elements of Lebanese society—civil, spiritual, and political. Together, we can rebuild our nation,” he declared.

Highlighting the importance of meeting international expectations, Aoun hoped for the rapid formation of a government to achieve political, economic, and security stability, which would allow citizens “to live with dignity, not merely in relative comfort.”

During meetings with professional delegations at the Presidential Palace, Aoun said: “We are at a crossroads. Either we take advantage of the current circumstances and rise above sectarian, religious, and political divisions, or we head in a different direction and bear full responsibility for failing to fulfill our duties.”

Negotiations between Aoun, Salam, and political factions over the formation of a government are ongoing. The discussions, which kicked off last week, have reportedly made progress, with efforts directed toward expediting the government formation process, issuing decrees, preparing a ministerial statement, and securing its vote of confidence from lawmakers.

While the Shiite duo of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement appear to have finalized their proposed nominees for the government, disagreements over the ministerial statement remain.

MP Waddah Sadek, who is backed by the opposition, firmly rejected the inclusion of the “Army, People, Resistance” term in the statement. He declared: “No ‘blocking third’ in the government, and no unconstitutional gimmicks. The slogan of the new phase in Lebanon should be: the ‘Army, People, and State.’”

The Kataeb Party echoed this stance, stressing that Lebanon, emerging from a devastating war between Hezbollah and Israel, must align with the Aoun’s inaugural speech and Salam’s remarks by ensuring the ministerial statement exclusively underscores the state’s monopoly over arms and the defense of the nation.

“The government must act decisively, dismantle militias, strictly enforce the ceasefire, and uphold its provisions across all Lebanese territory,” it demanded.

The Kataeb Party also urged Aoun and Salam to resist the “great extortion” by Hezbollah and Amal to secure specific ministries or positions, in violation of the inaugural speech, calling instead for the application of uniform standards to ensure the government’s success.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah adopted a more confrontational tone.

MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, a member of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, commented: “To those betting on Hezbollah’s weakness or the weakness of the Hezbollah-Amal alliance, what will you say when the government is formed? What will you say when you realize the strength of Hezbollah, the alliance, and the resistance’s supporters across all segments of Lebanese society? What will you say when you see the unwavering determination and unity of the resistance at every critical juncture?”