Symposium on Arab Mediation effort in Yemen

Cairo – 7/6/2024
The Mokha Center for Strategic Studies, in partnership with the Al-Hiwar Center for Political and Media Studies – Egypt, organized a political symposium titled “Peace in Yemen… through a Tripartite Arab Mechanism: Egyptian-Saudi-Omani.” The symposium was chaired by Dr. Mervat Al-Talawi, former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Mr. Ateq Jarallah, head of the Mokha Center for Strategic Studies. Major General Hamdi Labib, head of the Al-Hiwar Foundation for Studies, and Yemeni diplomat Bushra Al-Eryani, head of the Yemen Program at the Al-Hiwar Center, also participated. The event featured an elite group of former ministers, members of parliament, ambassadors, and military and strategic experts from both Egypt and Yemen.
The symposium highlighted the increasing interest in the importance and necessity of bringing peace to Yemen and building on previous Yemeni consultations to achieve a permanent cessation of the war. The speakers discussed topics related to the Yemeni crisis, the Arab role in general, and the specific roles of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.
Key recommendations included emphasizing Yemen’s position as a fundamental pillar in Arab national security, given its strategic location linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The significance of Yemen and Egypt controlling the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Suez Canal, two main gateways to the Arabian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, was also noted.
The symposium underscored the roles of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Oman in promoting peace and stability in Yemen through various political, economic, security, developmental, and humanitarian efforts. Participants stressed the importance of the Arab tripartite mechanism (Egypt – Saudi Arabia – Oman) in achieving security and stability in Yemen, based on their shared consensus and aligned positions.
The importance of Yemeni national media in framing, communicating, and publishing facts to strengthen Yemeni national security was also emphasized, particularly in combating psychological warfare aimed at undermining Yemeni cohesion, which is crucial for building a unified Yemen that includes all factions.
The papers presented condemned the actions of the Houthis in Yemen, which target the unity and stability of the country, and called for a unified Yemeni front against the Houthi threat, likening it to the dangers posed by ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the region.
This symposium is part of a series of joint activities organized by the two centers focusing on the Yemeni crisis and its developments.