A Shi'ite Houthi fighter sits behind sandbags near a checkpoint in Sanaa Dec 17, 2014. (Photo by= Reuters/Mohamed al-Sayaghi) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Wednesday (Jan 19) said his administration is considering redesignating Yemen's Houthi movement as an international terrorist organization following drones and missile attacks on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) claimed by the group. His comment at a news conference came shortly after the Emirati Embassy tweeted that UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba urged the Biden administration to restore the designation in response to Monday's strikes on Abu Dhabi airport and a fuel depot, Reuters reported.
Asked if he supported returning the Iran-aligned Houthis to the US list of foreign terrorist organizations, from which they were removed nearly a year ago, Biden replied, "The answer is, it's under consideration." But he conceded that "it's going to be very difficult" to end the conflict pitting the Houthis against Yemen's internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led military coalition to which the UAE belongs.
Biden's comment reflected the lack of progress toward ending the war since he launched an initiative shortly after taking office a year ago to bolster UN efforts to restart peace talks and end what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian disaster. As part of the initiative he launched last year, Biden named veteran U.S. diplomat Timothy Lenderking as a special envoy. T