Yemeni Minister of Transport for Al-Jazeera Net: The UAE made the Riyadh agreement to win what it lost in the war

Interviewed / Abdul Hamid Qutb

Yemeni Minister of Transport, Saleh al-Jabwani, said that the UAE made the Riyadh agreement to win what it lost in the Yemeni war, noting that the agreement ranges in its place, and that its aim is to strike legitimacy at the core.

In a dialogue with Al-Jazeera Net, Al-Gabwani revealed that a Yemeni-Turkish technical committee had been formed in preparation for signing an agreement with Turkey to develop Yemeni ports, airports and road networks in the next stage.

He explained that the Yemeni people are determined to topple the coups of Sanaa and Aden, and to build the new Yemeni state.

The following is the text of the interview:

What has been implemented so far from the Riyadh agreement signed early November between the legitimate government and the transitional council and sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the UAE?

Indeed, until now, nothing has been implemented from the Riyadh agreement, except for the return of Prime Minister Moeen Abdul Malik to Aden, under pressure from Riyadh to cover the coup d'état.

Did you clearly declare your refusal of the agreement ... What are the motives for this refusal?

- Personally, I consider that the Riyadh agreement struck legitimacy at the core, emptied it of elements of its own strength, and gave the transitional council official recognition, although everyone knows that this council is a group of mercenaries used by the UAE to implement the coup plot against legitimacy in Aden.

Consequently, the signing by the Yemeni government of the Riyadh agreement, with the participation of the Transitional Council as a second party, is recognition of this council, and therefore our position was to reject this agreement. In my estimation, the UAE "made" the Riyadh agreement to win what it lost in the Yemen war.

Is your rejection of the Riyadh agreement because it is a political agreement that recognizes the illegal entity "the Transitional Council" as you consider it, or for considerations related to some of its provisions?

[Asharq Al-Awsat] As I said, the agreement recognized the transitional council, and considered the coup in Aden as a reality, as the Stockholm agreement recognized previously by the Houthis.

Although it is an admission that resulted from coalition pressure, it has not yet granted the transitional legitimacy, because obtaining legitimacy requires some demands such as entering the state, and recognition of the three references represented in the UN Security Council resolutions, the Gulf initiative, and the outcomes of the national dialogue.

You said that the Riyadh agreement is in its place .. What are the signs for that?

- Yes, his place ranges, as I said, until now, nothing has been implemented from the terms and conditions of the agreement, except for the return of Prime Minister Moeen Abdul Malik, and if the terms and points of any political agreement are not implemented, it must fail, as long as the sponsors of the agreement are not keen to implement it.

If the Riyadh agreement guarantees the return of the Prime Minister to Aden, then what prevents President Hadi from returning?

- I think that the return of President Hadi to Aden is very difficult and not possible at the present time, especially in light of the continuation of the coup in Aden, and because his return there specifically means ending the coup, but it can return to another province.

It is worth noting that King Salman had committed to the return of President Hadi and all members of the government to Aden, and ordered the end of the coup, but the UAE was quick to conclude the Riyadh agreement in order to circumvent his orders, impede the return of legitimacy to exercise its functions, and block the path of any political solution to the Yemeni crisis.

For your information, if I am asked to return to Aden personally, I will refuse, and I will not return until after the coup is over.

In your opinion, what is the future of Yemen under the Houthi control of Sanaa and the Transitional Council over Aden?

- Talking about the future of Yemen. Talking about an unknown future. If the "Decisive Storm" came to Yemen to support legitimacy and topple the Houthi coup in Sana'a, the future would be known and clear, and we would have been able to strengthen the state’s authority, restore its institutions, and rebuild the national army and security services effectively, and we would have prepared Sanaa Of the putschists. Unfortunately, however, the "Decisive Storm" came to Yemen for purposes other than those announced, and this is in my estimation what has brought Yemen into the corridors, conflicts and countless problems.

Will the Yemeni people accept this situation continuously?

- The Yemeni people are determined to overthrow the coups of Sana'a and Aden, restore the Yemeni state, and start implementing the outcomes of the national dialogue that provided for the building of the new federal state with its six provinces and their executive, legislative and judicial bodies, and implement everything that came in the dialogue document, in the forefront of achieving equality, justice, and the distribution of wealth and power Among Yemenis equally, according to the federal system.

These demands, I believe, are what have fought the Yemeni majority for the past five years in order to achieve them, and they will continue until they are fulfilled.

Is there a conflict in the Saudi position towards the Yemeni file?

This question is asked by the Saudis themselves, but we, as Yemenis, have not yet seen any Saudi tendency to implement the Riyadh agreement and end the transitional council coup, despite the presence of the Saudi army forces in Aden.

We say to the Saudi sister: If you want to help the Yemeni people achieve their aspirations, then you are welcome, and if you abstain, we will work to reach our goals, even if it is required that we fight the next 100 years.

You visited Turkey in the past few days. Have you signed agreements with them in the field of transportation and communications? Are we witnessing in the next stage a Turkish developmental role to develop Yemen's infrastructure and operate its ports?

- During my visit to our sister Turkey, we agreed with the Turkish Minister of Transport, Cahit Turhan, to form joint Yemeni-Turkish technical committees to study the files related to the maritime, air and land transport sector in Yemen, and how to provide support for this sector and invest in Turkish brothers in it.

After the technical committees complete their work, we will sign an agreement with Turkey to take advantage of its specialized companies in the field of transportation, especially as these companies have proven successful on the global level, which encourages us to conclude partnerships and agreements with them.

It is known that we have more than 10 ports overlooking the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, and we have many airports and an extensive road transport network, and this makes us excited to partner with Turkey and seek the expertise of Turkish brothers to rebuild the infrastructure and operate these ports and airports, and to repair roads and transportation.