Dialogue only option to solve Yemen crisis: FM

CAIRO

A senior Yemeni official said Sunday that political dialogue would be the only option for his country to resolve its political crisis, especially after an ongoing Saudi-led military campaign comes to an end.

"There is no other option," Yemen's acting foreign minister Riyad Yassin said, describing the Saudi-led campaign as both "necessary" and "temporary."

"We are not against political dialogue once matters settle down in the light of the Gulf initiative," the acting Yemeni foreign minister added following the Arab summit, which was held for two days in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Nevertheless, Yassin said dialogue could not be imposed at gunpoint.

He accused Iran of supplying his country's Shiite Houthi group with logistical support, noting that Iran was doing this to "turn the table" in Yemen.

Yassin said Yemen's Houthis had to return the arms they seized from Yemeni army camps, even before any dialogue started.

The Yemeni official, meanwhile, said the Saudi-led campaign aimed to restore legitimacy in Yemen, adding that this legitimacy was represented by President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Earlier Sunday, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said the campaign would not end before the end of the "coup" staged in Yemen by the Houthis.

Several Arab states have joined the Saudi-led offensive which kicked off late Wednesday with a string of airstrikes against the positions of the Houthi group in Yemen, including some in capital Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia said the strikes were in response to calls by Hadi for military intervention to "save the people from the Houthi militias."

Several Gulf countries accuse Shiite Iran of supporting the Houthi insurgency.