Coalition should stop airstrikes in Yemen - Lavrov

MOSCOW, March 31. /TASS/. The situation in Yemen should not deteriorate into a Sunni-Shia standoff, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday. "We are deeply concerned about what is happening in Yemen. The situation should not get out of control," Lavrov said. "Our approach is that it is necessary to stop any use of force," he said. "The Ansar Allah group should stop military activities in the south of Yemen. The coalition should stop delivering air strikes at the territory of Yemen. Both sides - the side of President [Abd Rabbuh Mansur] Hadi who fled the country, and the side of so-called Houthis - should restart negotiations. They had contacts before the conflict moved into the hot phase," Lavrov said. "There is understanding that the talks should be [held] on neutral territory," the foreign minister added. This issue was also discussed in Lausanne with US State Secretary John Kerry, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Lavrov noted. "They shared our concerns," he stressed. "If we are talking about a regional, geopolitical situation - it cannot be allowed for this to deteriorate into a Sunni-Shia standoff," Lavrov stressed. "We have been warning about the serious threat of such a split inside Islam from the very start of the Arab Spring. We were not heard very well, or maybe we were heard, but they just chose not to take this into consideration. We cannot allow for this situation to turn into an attempt to unleash an open conflict between the Arabs and Iran," the foreign minister said. "Those who are now consciously facilitating the deterioration - acute, forceful deterioration - in disagreements between Sunnis and Shias, take upon themselves a colossal responsibility," he added. Lavrov reminded that the Russian side maintains regular contacts with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries. CRISIS IN YEMEN Since August 2014, Yemen has been hit by a severe political and security crisis. In late January, the armed groups of Ansar Allah (Houthi rebels) forced the president and the government to announce resignation. The rebels later took control of the country’s capital and several northern provinces. They also announced the adoption of the so-called constitutional declaration. Overnight to March 26, Saudi Arabia launched a military operation in the neighboring country and delivered air strikes at several Houthi positions. Pro-government forces regained control of the Aden airport last week, while Yemeni President Abd Rabbah Mansur Hadi fled the country to Saudi Arabia. Read more