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Interview

Yemen war 'does not serve any party' says Oman’s ambassador to US

Omani ambassador to Washington Hunaina Al-Mughairy spoke to Al-Monitor about US-Omani ties, her country's stance on Yemen, Mideast peace and the latest Washington-Tehran tensions.

Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah listens, alongside Omani Ambassador to the U.S. Hunaina Sultan Al-Mughairy, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (not pictured) speaks while attending a Gulf Cooperation Council summit on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Ornitz - RC128EDE5A50
Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah listens alongside Omani Ambassador to the US Hunaina Al-Mughairy as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (not pictured) speaks while attending a Gulf Cooperation Council summit on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City, Sept. 28, 2018. — REUTERS/Darren Ornitz

WASHINGTON — Oman rejects military operations against Yemen and believes the war there “does not serve any party” and is “devastating for the Yemeni people,” said Hunaina Al-Mughairy, Oman’s ambassador to the United States, in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor at the Omani Embassy in Washington. 

“In Oman, we still believe that the best way to settle disputes between the Yemenis is through international negotiations, and the sultanate supports the efforts of the United Nations and the special envoy for Yemen,” added Al-Mughairy, who assumed her post in 2005. 

The ambassador previously served in a variety of government roles that span the diplomatic and economic fields, including director of industrial loans and grants at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and director general of investment promotion at the Omani Center for Investment Promotion and Export Development.

Al-Mughairy addressed the current heightened tension between Tehran and Washington following the US administration’s decision to end sanctions waivers for Iranian oil imports, saying that Muscat would be willing to help mediate the crisis if the sides would find such support helpful.

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