The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen, expressed disapproval and rejection of the statement made by the Lebanese Minister of Information, George Qardahi, regarding the situation in Yemen, and his offensive comments about Saudi Arabia, the chair of the Islamic Summit, and the United Arab Emirates.
He berated the Lebanese Minister’s comments as “an irresponsible statement and a nonchalant disregard of the interests of the Yemeni people.”
He went on, “The OIC appreciates the Yemen’s pro-government Saudi Arabian-led Coalition efforts to restore peace and stop the Houthi coup d’état of September 2014, paying tribute to Saudi Arabia for the great humanitarian aid delivered to the Yemeni people through the King Salman Relief and Humanitarian Center.”
Dr Al-Othaimeen stressed that the Lebanese Information Minister’s statement ignored the efforts deployed by Saudi Arabia for peace and ceasefire, amid persistent Houthi-launched ballistic missile and aircraft aggression on the Yemeni people and civilians in Saudi Arabia, targeting Saudi territory, citizens and residents inside the Kingdom.
The Lebanese Minister should apologize immediately to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and be respectful of the feelings of the Yemeni people, who continue to suffer from the Houthi coup against legitimacy, security, humanity and economic growth, Dr Al-Othaimeen said.
He underlined, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been a champion of dialogue for a comprehensive solution to the Yemeni crisis, in line with the three terms of reference, namely the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its operational mechanism, the Outcome of the Yemeni National Dialogue Conference and Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015).”—PR
