Yemeni Minister of Foreign Affairs Khaled al-Yamani has accused Iran of sticking to its policy of expansion in the region and to its support of Houthi militias in Yemen. Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani and Yamani took part in the opening of the Conference on Yemen entitled “Challenges of Political Solution, Humanitarian Action, Restoring Stability and Reconstruction.” The conference, which was held in New York on the eve of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, was attended by dozens of US, European, Arab and other officials and diplomats, in addition to delegations representing the Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, especially from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Yemen’s FM stressed the importance of cooperation among states to put pressure on Houthis and force them to comply with the aspirations of the Yemeni people, face Irans terrorist agenda in the region and reach lasting and sustainable peace in Yemen. He explained that, among others, these objectives could be achieved by committing to the three UN references. “The Yemeni government has always been and will continue to work on reaching a sustainable peace based on the three references, which we emphasize on during today’s meeting, mainly the Gulf Initiative and its Executive Mechanism, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference and Security Council resolutions, in particular Resolution 2216, said Yamani. “In this context, the government delegation accepted (UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin) Griffiths’ invitation to the Geneva consultations earlier this month, hoping to discuss confidence-building measures as a first step towards the full implementation of Resolution 2216, which would have contributed to alleviating the suffering of thousands of Yemeni families that need humanitarian and international support.” “However, despite all the attempts made by the UN, Saudi-led Arab Coalition states and the ambassadors of the countries sponsoring the political process in Yemen, the intransigence of the Houthi militias and their irresponsible behavior towards the Yemeni people prevented this from happening,” Yamani added. Zayani, for his part, accused the Houthis of obstructing the United Nations’ efforts aimed at reaching a political settlement, stressing that the three references reflect the Yemeni people’s will. “The GCC states will continue to intensify the provision of relief and assistance to Yemen’s various areas, including those controlled by the Houthis through KSRelief, Red Crescent Societies and other Gulf charitable organizations in coordination with relevant UN organizations,” he said.