Seminar Trends.. The Houthis pose a “threat” to regional security
Experts agree that the Houthi threat to regional security requires a unified international stance that would return militias to the terror list.
This came in separate speeches during a teleconference held Wednesday by the Trend Research and Consulting Center, which addressed the crimes of the Houthi terrorist militia, their targeting of civilians, and the threat to regional stability.
The seminar, is titled Houthi Threat to Regional Security via live broadcasts on Twitter.
Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Somiya Al-Hadhrami, Director of Conference Management at the Trend Research and Consulting Center, said that it has become necessary to reclassify Houthi as a terrorist organization, not only in the United States but also in the major powers and the UN Security Council.
Khalfan Obaid al-Kaabi, a political and military expert in the UAE, spoke about the position of the Arab coalition on the Houthi attacks, which he divided into four axes: the political and military situation, the improvement of the internal Yemeni environment, and the humanitarian and development situation.
“The UAE has made clear moves, and we are witnessing a UAE-Saudi move in the United States”, the expert said, referring to recent diplomatic moves following the Houthi attack on civilian sites in the UAE.
He added: “There are moves to reclassify Houthi as a terrorist organization, and to mobilize international positions that correspond to the direction and role of the coalition”, he said.
“The recent victories in Shabwa and the outskirts of Marib are evidence of progress and a new spirit and style”, he said.
“Houthi militia has not stopped bombing the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and we see full preparations by both countries to confront this aggression”, he said.
He added: “We raise the hat for the men of the UAE and Saudi Arabia armed forces for their efforts to thwart the Houthi subversive scheme”.
Al-Kaabi said he hopes there will be “a change and a change in the Yemeni army’s structure and fortify this institution to defeat Houthi”.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are working extensively in this regard through the UAE Red Crescent, the King Salmane Center and international charities to support the Yemeni people, he said.
“We must punish Houthi militia and classify him as a terrorist group”, he said.
Double standards
In his speech at the same symposium, Dr. Faisal Al-Aiyan, Vice-President of the Rabdan Academy, spoke about the international position required to deal with the Houthi militias.
Houthi’s message, which he is trying to deliver under the guidance of non-Arab regional powers, specifically Iran, is an attempt to show capabilities that threaten the interests of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, he said, adding that “this is a desperate logic for Houthi”.
“There is a difference between those who build a human civilization and those who want to tamper with the people’s capabilities and stability, and those who are acting against national interests”, he said.
The UN envoy failed to address the Yemeni issue, he said, adding that “the problem with the international community lies in double standards”.
Al-Aiyan said the path to the negotiating table is different from carrying arms and terrorizing citizens in the Houthi methodology, adding that the international position has failed to reach some solutions with the Houthis.
Asked whether regional countries should find solutions to the Yemeni crisis, al-Aiyan said, “There is no doubt that Iran has an active role in the Yemeni crisis, and Western and regional countries should put pressure on Iran to end its support for Houthi. Iran is the main driver”.
Terrorism list
Speaking at the symposium, Fahed alshelaimi, president of the Gulf Forum for Peace and Security in Kuwait, spoke about “the importance of putting Houthi on the terrorist list.. opportunities and obstacles”.
He said that the international community only provides condemnation and denunciation, and does not measure the guilt of the perpetrator, but he added: “However, there is an opportunity that must be exploited by the international, Arab and regional community, and that is the presence of total condemnation of a terrorist act (in reference to the UN Security Council meeting and the Arab League meeting)”.
“Criminalizing Houthi as a terrorist is important so we can prevent countries from dealing with him”, he said, calling for the Arab League to start classifying Houthi as a terrorist group.
He continued: Action must be taken through the UN Security Council, and here I must applaud the UAE’s diplomatic action in the Security Council, and this diplomatic and media momentum must be crowned with the designation of Houthi as a terrorist group.
Qatar’s Al-Jazeera “has become hostile” with regard to Yemen, he said.
“Any threat to the UAE is a threat to Kuwait and we reject this threat,” he warned.
“Hassanein Tawfiq Ibrahim, a professor of political science at Zayed University in the UAE, discussed the threat of militias to regional security.
He said in his speech: “No State permits the presence of militias on its territory, the State by definition has a monopoly on the legitimate right to use force”.
He said militias represent one of the biggest challenges facing many Arab countries, noting that Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and the Popular Mobilization Units in Iraq are all groups linked to Iran and serve Tehran’s agenda of regional expansion.
He warned that militias may target neighboring countries directly, as was the case with Houthi’s attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and this is a threat to security in neighboring countries.
Houthi threatened global maritime navigation with landmines and booby-trapped boats, he said.
