Dr. Khalid Al-Shafi
The visit of Abdul-latif Al Zayani, secretary general of the GCC to Yemen, and his meeting with President Hadi who withdrew his resignation has conveyed a strong message that the GCC countries stand united and are committed to bringing the situation back to the pre-coup level. The visit was followed by the return of ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait to Aden to resume their work from there. Other GCC diplomatic missions are also expected the resume their work from Aden, and this means the conflict in Yemen has entered a new era opening the door to different scenarios that will redraw the map of Yemen.
At the same time, the latest developments indicate that the GCC states are still unable to formulate a common strategy on Yemen and also reveal the weakness of their intelligence and inability to predict future developments, which can turn the situation from bad to the worst.
A report prepared by an expert team of the UN Security Council said that former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh was the biggest Satan in the Yemen imbroglio. He helped Houthis and Al Qaeda expand their control in the north and south of the country.
He was running powerful financial, security, military and political networks to avoid sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council.
The report said that he amassed wealth to the tune of $60bn during his 30-year rule through corruption, embezzlement and commissions from petroleum companies. He deposited this money in the accounts of companies and individuals spread over some 20 countries.
On the other hand, Iran is trying to change the regional balance by controlling the fourth capital (Sana’a) after taking over Baghdad, Damascus and Beirut using sectarian tools. This has escalated the conflicts between Sunnis and Shias and exacerbated extremism and terrorism by creating new spots for tension and conflict, creating a fertile environment for jihadists coming from different parts of the world.
Perhaps, this will also encourage IS — the Sunni extremist group — to get involved in the conflict against Houthis which is a Shia group, thus turning the Yemeni differences into a sectarian issue which is dangerous not only for Yemen and the region but also the entire world.
There are no easy solutions to the crisis. And any solution is possible only through a political process, through the GCC initiatives, resolutions of the Security Council and national dialogues. To begin with, all public and constitutional institutions should resume their activities and hold talks with national authorities in Aden and Sana’a. The Peninsula
