A military parade of the French Navy on the eastern coast of Yemen, sparked on Tuesday, widespread controversy. What are the dimensions of the new move?
Exclusive-Alkhabar Alyemeni:
The French Navy, which for decades has been operating within the Joint Task Forces, it is commanded by the US Fifth Fleet from its headquarters in Bahrain, issued a statement on behalf of its force’s leadership in the Gulf, which is based in the Emirates, in which it spoke of a new operation carried out by its battleships deployed in the Arabian Sea, off the eastern coast of Yemen. During which, according to the French allegations, it was able to seize a boat carrying a number of drugs.
Contrary to the US forces that have been trying to link such smuggling operations to Iran as part of their efforts to raise the Iranian scarecrow to raise Gulf fears, specifically Saudi Arabia, the French Navy statement indicated that the boat was following smugglers and intended to smuggle drugs to Europe.
Regardless of the distance between the Arabian Sea and the coasts of Europe, which requires a journey between them for days and small boats cannot sail in their storms, the French announcement carried several messages, the most prominent of which, according to observers, was the disclosure of its participation in securing the region, which may result in a claim for a share of wealth that is being raced for, specifically in the eastern crescent of Yemen. But others see that the French move alone is a threat to disengage from the US forces, which kept monopolizing the region’s file, especially since the French announcement coincided with new American arrangements in areas rich in oil and gas, most notably the provinces of Shabwah, Abyan and Hadhramaut. This is what worries Paris, which maintains large investments in oil and gas fields there through Total.
Contrary to what they see, a third party goes to portray what is going on as an official inauguration of France’s involvement in Yemen war, especially in light of the recent reports about the inclusion of Paris in the international quartet in Yemen, which includes Britain, America, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, and about those parties reaching an agreement regarding placing guardianship over the oil crescent of Yemen, which extends from Shabwah to Marib, passing through Hadhramaut province, and this may seem the closest story to reality.
