To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Houthi rebellion in Yemen on stability in the Middle East.
Answered on
24 March 2015
The Houthi take-over in Yemen is a violation of the 1994 constitution and the principles of the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative. As a long-standing principle, we do not support military intervention to achieve political aims. If a political settlement to the current crisis is not reached, the likelihood of civil war, economic collapse, and a humanitarian catastrophe will increase, which will in turn threaten stability in the wider region. Further instability could also create space for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and other emergent terrorist groups to mount opportunistic attacks both within Yemen and beyond its borders. Instability, as well as a deterioration in the economic situation, is likely to cause an increase in humanitarian needs. Instability in Yemen could also threaten the wider region.
The UK continues to believe that an inclusive political settlement is the best way to ensure long term stability and avoid civil war, economic collapse, and a humanitarian catastrophe. We continue to support Abu Rabbuh Mansour Hadi as the legitimate President of Yemen, and are working to encourage all parties to engage in good faith in the UN-led talks to establish an inclusive government that that commits to implementing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative and its Implementation Mechanism, the National Dialogue conference outcomes, and the Peace and National Partnership Agreement.