Iran supportive of Geneva peace talks on Yemen

Iran supports peace talks among conflicting sides of Yemen in a hope to put an end to the bloodshed in the Arab country, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said Wednesday.

"We hope that the upcoming Geneva talks on Yemen (on June 14) to be held with the participation of all the (Yemeni) sides," Afkham said, adding that Iran supports the talks without preconditions.

"To set preconditions for the talks will cast a negative atmosphere on the talks and will make it difficult," she said in weekly press briefing.

Major Yemeni parties have agreed to attend an inclusive UN-led consultation in Geneva on June 14. The step has the potential to put a broad-based political settlement back at the center of international efforts to reach a sustainable solution to the current crisis in Yemen following a conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from May 17 to 19.

The Iranian foreign ministry official rejected the allegations that Iran interferes in Yemen's internal affairs, stressing that Iran's humanitarian aids to the country and its encouraging policy of dialogue among the country's political parties are not an interference.

As for Iran's relief aids to Yemen, she regretted that the cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia is "very poor" in this regard.

The upcoming Geneva talks on Yemen will also be a key step for the resumption of a humanitarian ceasefire, and the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance. Endit