Egypt calls for political solution to Yemeni conflict

By Hussein Qabani

CAIRO

Egypt on Sunday called for a political solution to the conflict in war-torn Yemen.

“There is no military solution to the Yemeni crisis,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Soukry said following talks with his Yemeni counterpart Abdel Malek Al-Mekhlafi, according to a statement issued by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry.

He underlined the importance of “reaching a political solution to the current crisis” in Yemen.

Talks between the two ministers tackled political developments and “the balance of powers in the Yemeni arena”, according to the ministry.

Shoukry said Egypt was ready to “provide political support for efforts aimed to achieve peace and reach a political solution to the crisis as well as UN mediation efforts”.

Yemen fell into civil war in 2014 when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa, forcing Yemen's Saudi-backed government to set up an interim capital in Aden.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as an Iranian proxy -- launched a massive military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.