Yemeni activist and Noble Prize Laureate Tawakkul Karman began her speech, entitled “Regional and International Dimensions of Conflicts in the Arab World,” by extending her thanks to the Al Jazeera Media Network for providing the opportunity for free speech, thus becoming the archenemy of dictatorship through its support of political action in the Arab world. She asserted that the revolutionary Arab youth took to the streets to establish the rule of law and freedom, but the enemies of freedom have constantly attempted to assassinate their dreams.
In the same context, she maintained Houthi militias sought to expand their influence in Yemen by force with the support of deposed president Ali Abdallah Saleh and Iran, adding that "the dictators are the ones who brought those militias out of their dens to eliminate the Arab Spring". “The Arab Spring has not ended although it has gone through a lot of suffering", she declared.
She indicated that it was possible to address the imbalances in Yemen through dialogue but Houthi rebels took advantage of the inability of the executive authority to impose its own agenda. She emphasised that only the state should possess arms and represent sovereignty.
