Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak stressed on Monday the legitimate Yemeni government’s rejection of the was imposed by the Iran-backed Houthi militias on Yemen.
“We do not want this war imposed by the Houthi militias,” said bin Mubarak after meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, in Rabat.
According to bin Mubarak, more than 1,400 people have been killed or wounded in the past six months despite a nationwide truce with the Houthis.
The truce, which was adopted in April and extended twice since, expired on Sunday.
“We have kept silent out of keenness to give peace a chance,” commented bin Mubarak.
Despite Houthi intransigence and violations of the ceasefire, the government remains committed to peacemaking efforts.
“We still hold our firm position on supporting any effort that leads to a comprehensive sustainable peace, based on the three references and international resolutions,” said bin Mubarak.
“We and our brothers in the Arab Coalition, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are working to provide all possible conditions to achieve peace and restart talks,” he asserted, explaining that it is the Houthis that have constantly held back the peace process.
On government concessions made to maintain the truce, he pointed out that thousands of Yemenis have been able to use the Sanaa International Airport and that more than a 1.5 million tons of oil byproducts have entered Houthi territories.
The Houthis, however, did not use the profit made from the oil deliveries, which is estimated at 200 billion Yemeni rials, to pay the salaries of public servants.
For his part, Bourita expressed Morocco’s solidarity with Yemen.
He also stressed the “strong and constant” support of Morocco’s monarch, King Mohammed VI, to the legitimacy in Yemen.
Bourita said that his meeting with his Yemeni counterpart was an occasion to evoke the depth and strength of the relationship that unites Morocco and Yemen and their peoples.
