Tehran, IRNA – Yemeni Ambassador to Iran Ibrahim al-Dailami said on Wednesday that Yemen stands firm in preserving its sovereignty.
Ibrahim al-Dailami made the remarks during an exclusive interview with IRAN DAILY on Wednesday.
“We have declared our legitimate, rightful demands,” he said, explaining that the Yemeni resistance will not give up on its rights.
The full text of the interview is as follows:
It seems that the balance of power in the Yemen war is changing in favor of Yemeni forces. What are the factors causing this change?
First of all, welcome to the Yemeni Embassy in Tehran. Eight years have passed since the invasion of our country. Yemen’s regular army and popular forces have expanded their capabilities, whereas the invaders have only managed to target young Yemeni heroes of the war.
Can you tell us about the roots of the conflict?
On September 21, 2014, our people rose to stand up against corruption and dependence of the Yemeni government, against which Ali Abdullah Saleh was fighting. Our revolution aimed to establish our independence from Zionists and Americans. Therefore, we should not say this is solely a Saudi war against Yemen. Rather, it’s a Saudi and American war waged against Yemen.
Do you have updated figures on the humanitarian catastrophe that Saudi Arabia has created in Yemen?
I cannot say an exact number for our casualties for a simple reason: The number of our martyred, wounded, and disabled people is increasing by the day. We are talking about tens of thousands of martyrs, including women, children and the elderly.
And this is not just the direct result of military aggression, right?
Of course not! I must say that sanctions imposed on us are another manifestation of aggression. The onslaught is manifested in mortar attacks and bombings, on the one hand, and in the sanctions, on the other. The sanctions have prevented food and medicine from entering Yemen. We are talking about thousands of Yemenis who need hospital services and food. We are talking about tens of thousands of injured people who cannot go to other countries for treatment through the Sana’a airport. This has had serious effects on the Yemeni people. And it shows the ugly face of the United States and Saudi Arabia.
What do Yemeni people want the international community to know?
The Yemeni people call on the international community to bring food and medicine to Yemen. This has not yet happened for the Yemeni people. These sanctions on our people must be lifted. The international community must reopen the airports to deliver much-needed help. Ports must be reopened and sanctions must be removed, immediately. We are witnessing a human catastrophe unfolding in Yemen. This situation needs to stop.
Which countries are helping your resistance in this war? What is the role of Iran?
All countries helped the enemy in its invasion. Except, of course, Iran, which raised its voice and called on the international community to lift our siege and deliver humanitarian aid. Iran stood with us, for which we are grateful. In fact, Iran is the only country that has an embassy in Sana’a. Save the Islamic Republic of Iran, no other country has been there for us.
Several proposals have been made for peace and a cease-fire. Why did such proposals fail to come to fruition?
In all fairness, we cannot consider the UN as an impartial party on the issue of Yemen. When I take a good look at the UN efforts to bring peace to Yemen, and the performance of the UN special envoys, the UN does not seem to be serious about this. So far, the organization has appointed four envoys for the war in Yemen, their efforts and missions have failed due to their lack of impartiality. A simple evidence of their partiality, to begin with, is the fact that they refuse to recognize Saudi Arabia and its coalition of forces as the aggressors who invaded our country.
So, has the UN been a hopeless venue for bringing peace to the region?
It’s been hopeless so far. The problem which has kept peace and cease-fire from happening is our distrust in the UN mechanism due to the experiences we have had with it. Several rounds of talks in Switzerland, Sweden, Kuwait and Oman have not only yielded no fruit but also made us more distrustful of the UN. In fact, the UN seems to think that the war is a domestic affair of Yemen, totally overlooking the complicating foreign factor, which is Saudi Arabia, which is very unreasonable.
What do the Yemeni people seek to achieve?
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has sought to interfere in our internal affairs. This issue is well documented in contemporary history. That interference, unfortunately, has caused a lot of hardships for the Yemeni. In contrast, we seek to preserve the independence of Yemen through our struggle. They seek to undermine Yemen’s sovereignty, even though in their onslaught they have come to see firsthand how resilient the Yemeni people are.
And in their aggression, they even didn’t hesitate to commit the assassination.
Yes. A notable example was Yemeni president Saleh al-Sammad, who was shot and martyred by Saudi planes. That great man was a prime example of our heroes. He was present and active in various political, economic, security and military fields. He was a role model for all the free spirited, honorable people and officials across the globe. We are proud of him because he sacrificed his life for the cause of Yemen.
Yemeni resistance forces have recently carried out attacks against targets in the UAE. What message did they intend to convey? Would such attacks continue to happen?
It would be better to ask the UAE what it wants from the Yemeni people in its killing our people, occupying parts of Yemen, and participating in the aggression. We have seen the atrocities they have committed in Sa’dah and Hudaida, as well as their constant presence in the war. Our confrontation with them is just a part of our broader struggle against aggression by our enemies, whether it’s the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the United States, or others. The whole world should ask the UAE what it wants from Yemen and why it is fighting Yemen. We are just defending Yemen, and that’s it. We continue to purge our land from aggressors and occupiers until the Almighty decides that our time to win has arrived.
How is the war progressing?
What I can tell you is that Yemen stands firm in preserving its sovereignty and independence through its regular army and popular forces. Some parts of our Hudaida Province is currently occupied, which is one front in our war against aggressors. Military war, continuous air, and missile bombardment, and defensive warfare in Riyadh and Dubai help us achieve our goal. We are going to free the lands they have taken by military force. And this is going to be a fierce war. However, we have no choice but to ask the Yemeni people to continue to confront the aggressors.
What is the situation of Yemeni civilians?
The situation is very grave for the civilians. They are prevented from going abroad for treatment. The whole world is hypocritically silent, a silence which effectively helps Saudi Arabia. Even the United Nations occasionally sends us bad food and drugs.
Have you ever been asked to compromise?
We do not compromise on political, military, or field issues to achieve our human and natural rights. The blockade imposed on us is absolutely illegal. It’s not even sanctioned by the UN Security Council and, therefore, lacks international legitimacy. It only follows the logic of conquest and arrogance, which will be unfruitful.
What we have told many officials, including officials from Oman and the UN, is what we have always publicly stated: Humanitarian issues, diplomatic efforts, and armed conflict should be distinguished from each other. If there is going to be a discussion about a cease-fire, it should be a negotiated agreement through the UN, with it playing an effective, impartial role. Announcing this or that initiative by themselves won’t resolve the problem.
Are you currently receiving humanitarian aid?
Let me make one thing clear: We do not ask anyone for help and we do not want anyone to give us alms as we are able to provide for our needs. We expect others to neither fight us nor help us. The humanitarian condition in our country is, of course, very bad. But that’s not because we ‘need’ help. We actually pay for food and fuel with our own money, but then Saudi Arabia prevents us from importing them.
President Biden promised to help end the war in Yemen at the beginning of his presidency. Was he helpful?
Biden is a liar, quite like all American statesmen. No one believes a word they say, except a fool. The new American administration is even more of a liar and a hypocrite than others.
Biden had said he wanted to start diplomatic talks, but after he won the election it became clear that he had lied to American voters. He continues to support sanctions against the Yemeni people. He continues to support the blockade against Yemen. He has not fulfilled any of his campaign promises about Yemen. We, of course, did not count on American promises, because it was during the time of the Democrats and the Obama administration that the war against the Yemeni people began. Biden’s promises about Yemen have not been fulfilled, and that’s one reason why he is the most important partner in the crime committed against us. They only seek to support the militias which they have used in this war against us.
How exactly do you propose an end to the war?
We do not set conditions. We have declared our legitimate, rightful demands to the world. First, aerial, naval, and land blockades of Yemen must be lifted. Second, aggressors, including terrorist Daesh (ISIS) forces, must leave our country. And third, there is the matter of reparations which they must pay us because it was them who attacked our country.
Many photos of afflicted children in your war-torn country have been published by the media across the world, showing their deeply disturbing and horrifying situation. How do you cope with such matters as a diplomat?
I just try to keep my composure, especially as I witness the silence of Arab countries toward the tyranny and oppression which is unfairly done to us.
Source: Islamic Republic News Agency – IRNA
