Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Kurbi said in Sanaa on Saturday that Iran had the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.

In a meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Redha Bakari, al-Kurbi also urged Iran to strengthen cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure the latter's effective supervision on Tehran's nuclear program, according to the Yemeni news agency.

Yemen firmly supported the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, said al-Kurbi, calling on all countries in the region, Israel in particular, to abide by related international treaties and not to develop nuclear weapons.

Bakari expressed appreciation for Yemen's stance on Iran's nuclear issue.

Also on Saturday, Bakari met Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and handed to him a letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which addressed the Iranian nuclear issue, the Middle East situation and Iran-Yemen ties.

Source: Xinhua