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Yemen Foreign Minister challenges Iran
[Yemen Post] As Yemen-Iran arm smuggling crisis is gaining momentum with the involvement of the UN Security Council, Yemen Foreign Minister Abu Baqr al-Qirbi challenged Tehran further on Sunday by demanding an explanation.

"The Yemeni government will not allow interference in its internal affairs from any party, or for its territories to become a site for proxy wars," he told Iran's ambassador to Sana'a, Mahmud Hassan Zada, stressing he will need Iran to explain just its weapons ended up on a ship bound for Yemen.

So far the government is adopting the theory that Iran is arming the Houthis - Shia rebel group based in the northern province of Sa'ada - in a bid to counterweight Saudi Arabia's involvement in Yemen and assert its own influence over the region.

It is important to note that the belief of an Iranian/Shia plot in the Arabian Peninsula has been driven for the most part by Saudi Arabia's belief, or shall we say al-Saud's belief Shiite Iran is seeking to overtake Sunni Islam.

And since the Houthis sit directly south of Saudi Arabia's borders with Yemen, the fact the tribe shares Iran's religious and political stance one can understand how troublesome a military alliance between the two would be for the kingdom.

Yemen's National Security Chief, Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi warned against Saturday of Iran's ill intents in Yemen telling reporters in Sana'a, the capital "Such a shipment cannot be made by traders or smugglers... Only an official power stands behind it," and "We have repeatedly urged our brothers in Iran to reassess their stances towards Yemen. They had always denied any interference, but this shipment sadly affirms that they insist on damaging Yemen."

Politicians close to the Houthis have argued that al-Ahmadi was less than objective on the matter since his agency was directly under the control of the United States of America, which for tactical and economic reasons was supporting Saudi Arabia''s claims against Iran.

Posted by: Fred 2013-02-11
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=362068