"Ending the war would benefit everyone. If there is no peace, chaos will begin to expand to neighboring countries, and no one will escape. Ending the war is the key demand of our people, which is necessary for the return of our life, our country, security, stability, sovereignty and a life that the Yemenis deserve," writes Ali Naser Mohamad, President of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (1980-1986), who took part in the Valdai Club Middle East conference in Moscow on February 19-20, 2018.
Last year I called for resolving the accumulated problems, including ending the ongoing wars, combating international terrorism and arms trafficking, the development of a fair economic system, the cessation of support for armed groups that destroy the lives of individual countries and threaten security and stability around the world. Progress in this direction should contribute to the establishment of peace and the termination of military conflicts. Regarding Yemen, the UN and the great powers should exert the necessary pressure to end the war and launch a political process. However, a year later nothing has changed; on the contrary, the situation is going from bad to worse.
Next month, the war in Yemen will have continued for three years. The humanitarian situation for millions of people remains very difficult and there is still no hope for improvement. At the same time, humanitarian aid is not enough, because it is essential to resolve the political crisis first. It is necessary to immediately stop the war, begin a political settlement, and restore the destroyed facilities. Then the country will be able to receive humanitarian aid, unhindered, for people who suffer from hunger and disease, have lost housing and work, or have no access to education.
When the war ends, people will no longer be afraid of being killed, of dying of hunger or disease. Millions of Yemenis will be able to return to their homes, villages, cities, and a normal peaceful life will begin. Then there will be no need for humanitarian aid, which is now mostly falling into the hands of traders or goes to black markets ...
From the first day of this war, I opposed it. It did not solve the Yemeni crisis; it only brought more problems. With like-minded people from Yemen and other countries, I tried to do my best to stop it. We put forward several initiatives to find a political solution that would satisfy all parties.
I made public one of the initiatives here in February 2017. I sent one more to the UN envoy and the secretary general of the LAS in late 2017. In both cases, as you have probably understood from my presentations, I always prioritize the need to end the war. This is the most important thing for Yemen. I do not underestimate the importance of humanitarian problems, but it was the war that caused all the ills that made millions suffer. It is because of the war that the infrastructure, airports, seaports, military and civil institutions, and cultural and historical heritage sites are destroyed. It is because of the war that millions of Yemenis are on the street without food or medical assistance. It is because of the war that the country is in ruins, the government and civilians have been expelled from Sanaa, Aden, and Mariba. It is because of the war that the Yemenis, both in the south and in the north, are deprived of normal life, security and stability.
To my great regret, Yemenis cannot cope with the situation on their own. But major players in the region and the international community can help, because it is in their hands that the solution exists. Therefore, we ask them to help our country and our people to end the war, to seat the warring parties at the negotiating table, to begin a search for a solution that will meet the interests of all forces in Yemen, the region and the world. Security and stability in Yemen are an integral part of security and stability in the region and the world. Yemen occupies an important geostrategic position and can influence the situation in the Bab el Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, the Horn of Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, and the Arabian Peninsula.
Ending the war would benefit everyone. If there is no peace, chaos will begin to expand to neighboring countries, and no one will escape. Ending the war is the key demand of our people, which is necessary for the return of our life, our country, security, stability, sovereignty and a life that the Yemenis deserve.
I repeat once again that the solution to the Yemen crisis is as follows:
1. End the war and create an appropriate political climate for working out a (peaceful) solution.
2. After a ceasefire, the following steps should be taken to establish trust between the opposing sides:
- set up a five-member Presidential Council that would rule the country during the transition period
- form a government of accord that would include all political forces.
3. Organize local, regional and international military committees that would collect heavy and medium weapons from armed groups. The arms would go to the Ministry of Defense.
4. Initiate a dialogue between all the political forces on the establishment of a two-region federal state.
5. Organize a Constitutional Committee for considering proposed drafts of the constitution.
6. Organize an Election Commission to begin preparations for future presidential and parliamentary elections.
7. Conduct an international conference to attract funding for the restoration of the country after the war.
8. Secure assistance from the UN Security Council for the adopted plan to be implemented.
