Iran, Sweden Review Plans for Settling Yemen Crisis
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ranking diplomats from Iran and Sweden discussed ways to resolve the crisis in Yemen and ensure the establishment of ceasefire and peace in the Arab country.
Sweden's Special Envoy for Yemen Peter Semneby and Ali Asghar Khaji, the Iranian Foreign Minister's senior adviser in special political affairs, held a meeting in Tehran on Saturday.
The two diplomats discussed Yemen’s latest domestic developments and the areas where Iran and Sweden can cooperate regarding the Yemen crisis.
They also talked about the latest regional consultations by the Swedish special envoy for Yemen and the efforts of Iran to lift the siege against the Yemeni people, establish a ceasefire and peace process there, and eliminate the risk of oil spills from the Safer tanker, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website reported.
The Iranian advisor also underlined the need for resolving the Yemen crisis through political means, holding intra-Yemeni talks and forming an inclusive government in Yemen with the participation of all political groups and factions in that country.
For is part, the Swedish envoy emphasized the prominent role of Iran in contributing to peace in Yemen and the region and outlined the UN efforts to establish a ceasefire, lift the economic blockade and resume political talks in Yemen.
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out deadly airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, and resulted in what the UN has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Some 3.3 million people have been displaced from their homes and 24 million, or more than 80 percent of the population, are in need of aid, according to the UN.
