Less than a week after Iran strongly denied having tried to influence or meddle within Yemen internal affairs, former South Yemen President, Ali Salem al-Baidh defiantly admitted to have politically leaned on Tehran to further his secession bid.
A veteran politician, former President al-Baidh has called from his residence in Lebanon for a clean institutional break with Sana’a central government, arguing that since former President Ali Abdullah Saleh had betrayed the spirit of unification by turning South Yemen into a northern colony in 1994, southerners had earned the right to secede. Opposed to federalism, al-Baidh’s campaigning and his systematic refusal to negotiate with senior government officials often landed him in hot waters, both within and without Yemen.
UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar did hint on several occasions that he would personally call for sanctions against “difficult” individuals, should they continue to hinder Yemen’s political recovery and transfer of power, referring to former President al-Baidh.
Somewhat of a controversial figure of Yemen’s politics, former President al-Baidh openly admitted strong ties to Iran, at a time when Tehran is less than popular with President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Yemen’s President made little effort over the past 18 months to veil his profound distaste toward Iran’s invasive foreign policy in the Arabian Peninsula, especially towards Yemen as its alleged support of dissident groups, namely the Houthis (Shiite group based in northern Sa’ada) and al-Harak (Southern Secessionist Movement) has disrupted the country’s fragile political balance.
He noted in an interview earlier this week, “Iran is a state located in the region, a country which has weight and relations with everyone, we [secessionists] will entertain close relationship with whomever will support our cause and understand the legitimacy of our demands.”
Government officials have yet to react to the comment.