June 16, 2015

The Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a ministerial-level extraordinary meeting at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah under the chairmanship of H.E. Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait, which Chairs the 42nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, on Tuesday 16 June 2015 (29 Shaaban 1436 H.) upon the request of the Republic of Yemen to discuss developments of the situation in the Republic of Yemen.

Proceeding from the strong commitment of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to support the unity, sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Yemen, to reject interference in its internal affairs, and to stand in solidarity with the people of Yemen and their aspirations for freedom, democracy, social justice and comprehensive development; the Council:

Emphasizes continued support for the constitutional legitimacy embodied in H.E. President Abdu Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, President of the Republic of Yemen, and for his national efforts to bring about security, political and economic stability and the resumption of the political process; and condemns strongly the interference of regional powers, outside the bounds of legitimacy, in the internal affairs of Yemen, and the triggering of sectarianism and factionalism in a manner that fuels conflict among the constituents and factions of the united Yemeni people.

Underscores support for the outcomes and outputs of the comprehensive national dialogue (January 2014) to which all Yemeni political factions, forces and parties have agreed, pursuant to the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its Implementation Mechanism.

Emphasizes commitment to relevant resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council, particularly resolution 2201 (2015), which support constitutional legitimacy in Yemen, condemn and sanction those hindering or undermining the political process, and Security Council resolution 2216 (2015) which called, under Chapter VII, on the Houthis to withdraw their forces from all areas they have seized, and decided to ban supply of weapons to them; as well as the relevant resolutions adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, and the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf.

Welcomes the outcomes of the Riyadh Conference under the theme: “Saving Yemen and Building the Federal State” and the “Riyadh Declaration” which underscores support for the constitutional legitimacy and the rejection of the coup carried out by the Houthi militias, calls for the launching of the reconstruction of the institutions of the Yemeni State; and reiterates all OIC Member States’ solidarity with and support for Yemen in its ongoing war against terrorism.

Supports the call by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdelaziz, the Monarch of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on the different constituents and factions of the Yemeni people to engage in reconciliation and build consensus with a view to establishing a modern State, bolstering the foundations of peace and dialogue and bringing about security and stability in Yemen.

Calls for comprehensive national reconciliation through the resumption of the political process with the participation of all Yemeni parties concerned and all forces and political parties within the framework of an inclusive and comprehensive national dialogue conference for the implementation of the outcomes of the 2014 Yemeni national dialogue and the 2015 Riyadh Declaration, and urges all parties to abide by the decisions of the dialogue for the sake of preserving the higher national interest of Yemen and its people.

Calls on all Member States to act positively towards implementing Security Council resolution 2216 (2015), in commitment to the OIC Charter.

Commends the consultations conducted in Geneva by the United Nations with the Yemeni parties concerned, within the framework of commitment to the implementation of UNSC Resolution 2216 (2015), Riyadh Declaration, the Gulf Initiative and its Implementation Mechanism, and the Outputs of the Comprehensive National Dialogue.

Decides to establish an OIC Contact Group on Yemen, to coordinate the efforts of the Member States towards achieving a political solution, supporting legitimate State authorities, and on humanitarian and development assistance.

Emphasizes its rejection and condemnation of continued unilateral measures and escalation acts by the Houthi group and its armed militias, supported by the militias of the former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, their coup against constitutional legitimacy, and undermining of the transitional political process, and qualifies such acts as a departure from the national consensus embodied in the outcomes of the national dialogue concluded successfully in January 2014.

Holds the Houthi group and militias and the militias of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh fully responsible for the stalling of previous talks between Yemeni political parties, and the exhaustion of all peaceful means to address the Yemeni crisis due to the intransigence of this group, its seizure of power by force and its imposition of a fait-accompli through control of state institutions and refusal to release detainees.

Condemns in the strongest terms the Houthi group and Saleh’s non-compliance with the demands contained in Security Council resolution 2216 (2015), and requests the Security Council to put more pressure on the group to implement these resolutions unconditionally.

Welcomes and supports the military measures “Decisive Storm” and “Restoring Hope” operation to defend Yemen, the Yemeni people and the State legitimate authorities in Yemen at the request of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, President of the Republic of Yemen, in accordance with the provisions the UN Charter, particularly article 51 thereof, and the provisions of the charters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States and the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf.

Reaffirms that these necessity-driven military measures to strike the military capacities of the Houthi and allied militias aim to restore security and stability in Yemen under its constitutional legitimate leadership and to stand up to any attempts on the part of these armed militias to compromise security in Yemen and the region and international peace and security.

Demands that the Houthi group, their militias and the militias of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh withdraw immediately from the capital Sana’a, the province of Aden and from the other cities and provinces, evacuate public institutions and services, return all medium and heavy weapons to the legitimate and constitutional authorities, and allow the State’s legitimate authorities to normalize the security situation in all Yemeni cities and provinces.

Condemns strongly the military acts of the militias of the Houthi and Ali Abdullah Saleh on the Yemeni-Saudi borders and the bombing of installations and citizens inside Saudi territories, including the use of missiles; and considers such a blatant aggression against Saudi territories and a threat to regional security, peace and stability.

Condemns the breach by the alliance of the Houthis and Ali Abdullah Saleh of the humanitarian truce declared by the UN and their continued impeding of humanitarian relief efforts, the blocking of the delivery and confiscation of food and medical aids to civilians, and preventing the recovery of bodies of those killed and the evacuation of the wounded.

Appeals to the OIC Member States and to international and regional bodies and organizations, including the OIC bodies active in the humanitarian field, to adopt urgent measures to coordinate their humanitarian and relief efforts and extend their medical, first aid, food and shelter to the affected and the wounded in the ongoing battles in many Yemeni cities and regions; and requests Member States to allocate part of their aid to Yemen through the humanitarian action coordination mechanism within the OIC in demonstration of Islamic solidarity and the consolidation of the principles of joint Islamic action.

Expresses utmost gratitude to the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, for his donation of 274 million US Dollars for the relief to the Yemeni people in these difficult times that require all to stand by the legitimate Yemeni Government to alleviate the sufferings of those affected by the events; highly commends the establishment of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Centre for Humanitarian Action and Relief for the coordination of all relief actions in favor of the Yemeni people; and commends the State of Kuwait for its US$ 100 million donation to the benefit of humanitarian action in Yemen, as well as the humanitarian aid extended to Yemen by the States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other Member States.

Supports all the urgent measures adopted by the Yemeni Government to address the difficult humanitarian situation resulting from the irresponsible practices of the Houthi militias and the militias of the former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Supports the proposal of the Secretary General to hold a conference to provide humanitarian and development assistance to Yemen with a view to mobilizing the needed emergency resources to address the critical situation in Yemen and the requisites of the next phase in coordination with the Yemeni side and regional and international partners including Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Centre for Humanitarian Action and Relief, and the UN and its humanitarian and development organs, and requests the Secretary General to take the necessary steps for the implementation of the proposal.

Underlines the need for concerted efforts at the level of the international community, and particularly by OIC Member States, to adopt a program for economic and developmental support and reconstruction in the Yemeni Republic, and to enable the country, through its legitimate Government, to address the challenges, achieve security and stability, finalize the provisions of the Gulf initiative and achieve the requisites of the transition period.

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