Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak announced on Tuesday that he instructed his country’s ambassador in Beirut to deliver a letter of condemnation to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry regarding statements made by Lebanese Information Minister George Qardahi in a television program about the Yemen crisis. Bin Mubarak added that the statements "represent a departure from the clear Lebanese stance towards Yemen and its condemnation of the Houthi coup, as well as its support for all relevant Arab and international resolutions."
Bin Mubarak stated on Twitter: "I have directed our ambassador in Beirut to deliver a letter of condemnation to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry regarding the statements made by the Lebanese Information Minister in a television program, which represent a departure from the clear Lebanese stance towards Yemen and its condemnation of the Houthi coup, and its support for all relevant Arab and international resolutions."
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati considered Qardahi’s remarks to be "unacceptable and do not express the government's position at all, especially concerning the Yemen issue and Lebanon's relations with its Arab brothers, particularly with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries."
Mikati emphasized, according to a statement from his office, Lebanon's commitment to the bonds of brotherhood with the Arab brotherly countries, which are clearly defined in the government’s ministerial statement, which he speaks on behalf of, and reflects its policies and principles as a whole.
The statement noted Mikati’s rejection of what was said by Information Minister George Qardahi in an interview before he assumed his ministerial position, asserting that it does not reflect the government’s stance.
At the same time, Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani stated that the statements made by his Lebanese counterpart Qardahi "reflect a blatant ignorance of the Yemeni issue and a blind bias towards the Houthi militia."
Al-Eryani added via Twitter that Qardahi's statements represent "a disregard for Iran's role and its expansionist agenda in Yemen and the region, in managing the coup, escalating the war, undermining efforts for de-escalation, and obstructing ceasefire and peace initiatives."
He continued: "We remind the Lebanese Information Minister that the Houthi militia, at Iran's instigation and planning, is the one that ignited the war by its coup against the state and the national consensus, represented in the outcomes of the Dialogue Conference that included all political parties and national components, including the Houthis, and they continue to reject all initiatives and sabotage all peaceful solutions to the crisis."
Al-Eryani also clarified that what Qardahi said ignores "the systematic Houthi killings of Yemenis."
