Yemeni authorities demand Iran ceases all interference in Yemen's internal affairs after alleged spy ring is caught, writes Nasser Arrabyee Yemen and Iran are in conflict. It's a political and diplomatic conflict based on Iran's alleged interference in Yemeni internal affairs. Iran is accused of doing everything it can to foil a Saudi-sponsored and American supported settlement to end the political crisis in Yemen. The accusation has been leveled from the highest political office. Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi warned Iran of "painful strikes" if it did not stop interfering in his country's internal affairs. Meanwhile, the Yemeni government arrested an Iranian spy cell that has allegedly been working for seven years. An ex-commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards was allegedly supervising the spy cell, which was working in Yemen and the Horn of Africa, according to Yemeni authorities. Iran is accused of sabotage and supporting Al-Houthi Shia rebels in the north and separatists in the south. It is accused of providing financial and logistical support for both groups by training armed elements and using politicians, activists and journalists to implement its plans. But not all are convinced. Sultan Al-Samee MP said: "This battle aims at diverting the public's attention from the government who failed to reveal who was behind the terrorist bombings in Sanaa and Aden." He added: "The government also wants to appease some regional forces by this delusive battle," referring to Gulf States who does not want Iranian interference in Yemen. Al-Samee is one of the Yemeni politicians accused of receiving support from Iran. On Monday, 23 July, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), issued a statement in support of any Yemeni steps against Iranian interference in Yemen's internal affairs. The secretary general of the GCC, Abdel-Latif Al-Zayani, said in the statement: "The GCC supports all steps and efforts exerted by Yemen to enhance and maintain security and stability and to preserve its sovereignty, unity and independence." "We would continue to support the implementation of political reforms in Yemen through the national comprehensive dialogue, and amendment of the constitution according to the GCC Initiative," Al-Zayani added. The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. For its part, the Iranian embassy in Sanaa denied rumours that its diplomats were given an ultimatum of 72 hours to leave the country. "We deny the rumours that the Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned a number of Iranian diplomats working in the embassy in Sanaa, or that they were told to leave Yemen within 72 hours," said an embassy statement Monday. Yemen is insisting to put on trial the alleged spy cell as soon as investigations are over. On the internal political level, President Hadi is insisting to fully implement all the steps of the GCC Initiative, which was supported by United States and European Union, to end the Yemeni political crisis. The transitional period is two years, starting 23 November 2011, when former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his political opponents signed the GCC Initiative. The first stage of the transitional period ended 21 February 2012 when Hadi was elected president by consensus of all political forces, including Saleh's party that shared 50 per cent of the national unity government. The transitional period is supposed to finish in February 2014 after Yemenis elect a new president in free and fair elections according to a new constitution. The most important step in the second stage of the transitional period is the national comprehensive dialogue, which is supposed to start in November this year. Last week, President Hadi formed a committee made of 25 persons representing all political forces, women, and youth, to prepare for the national dialogue, which will be, if successful, the real sign of the success of the whole political settlement. The dialogue preparatory committee, which includes representatives from all political parties, the southern separatist movement, the Houthi Shia movement, and opposition abroad, women, and independent youth protesters, is supposed finish its work 30 September and present its final report to President Hadi within two weeks.
