In an interview with Asharq AlAwsat Sunday, June 7, Mehdi Karroubi, head of the Etemad-e-Melli party and a Reformist candidate for President, described current relations between Iran and the GCC, Egypt and Yemen as ‘tense’. Karroubi, a.k.a. the “Reform Sheikh”, attributed this to mis-understandings between each side regarding the ultimate goals and political ambitions of the other. He said further that the Gulf region must be a place of lasting peace, free of “constant sectarian recriminations. ” With respect to Yemen, Karroubi said he felt that much of the tension in relations sprang from current problems within Yemen.
In an interview with the same publication the following day, and presumably partly in response to Karroubi’s statements, Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi said Yemen was in favor of better relations with Iran, based on “non-intervention in domestic affairs.” He added that he did not believe that Iran was backing Zaidi (Shiite) Houthi Rebels in Northern Saada provice—at least not as a matter of policy. –EDC
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