Yemen – UN Security Council welcomes ‘Presidential’ vote and urges truce
The US ambassador to the Security Council, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, urged the Yemeni parties to comply with the truce and cease all military operations inside Yemen and across the border.
This came during a meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday, which witnessed different briefings on the situation in Yemen.
“We welcome the announcement of the formation of a presidential leadership council in Yemen and the efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council to host the Yemeni consultations”, the US delegate said.
“We urge the parties to abide by the truce and stop all military operations inside Yemen and across the border”, she said.
“We welcome the support of Saudi Arabia and the UAE for the Yemeni economy”, she said.
“We encourage all countries to participate more in supporting the Yemeni economy before it is too late”, she said.
UAE position
During the meeting, UAE Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Mohammed Bushehab welcomed the formation of the Yemeni Presidential Command Council.
Ambassador Mohamed Bushehab said: “We affirm our full support for the Yemeni Presidential Command Council to exercise its functions and end the crisis”.
“We stress the need for Yemeni parties to unite their efforts so state institutions can regain their effectiveness”, he said.
“We reiterate our condemnation of the Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian facilities”, he said, adding that it is important to stop the Houthis’ violations of the truce, especially in Marib.
UN cover
Martin Griffiths, UN under-secretary for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, expressed serious concern that Houthi militias continue to arrest UN staff in Sana’a.
The humanitarian truce in Yemen is “an important step towards reducing the conflict”, Griffiths said, noting that fuel deliveries continue to reach the port of Hodeidah and that casualty figures are declining.
Griffiths said during the Security Council meeting that the people of Yemen’s Taiz have been under siege for years by Houthi militias, and he hoped the truce would facilitate access to Taiz.
Griffiths welcomed the results of Yemeni-Yemeni consultations in Riyadh under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
He also praised the role of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in supporting the recovery of the Yemeni currency, and the contribution of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in supporting the Yemeni economy.
Yemenis are in need of humanitarian assistance and the UN needs more funding for humanitarian programs in Yemen, he said.
Formation of the “Presidential”
Last Thursday, former President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi announced the formation of the Presidential Command Council, headed by Rashad al-Alimi, the transfer of power to him and his delegation of full powers to complete the transitional period.
The council also consists of seven members, all with the rank of vice president. The most prominent of these members are Sultan Al-Aradah, Tarek Saleh, Abdulrahman al-Muharrami, Aidarous al-Zubaidi and Faraj al-Bahsani.
The declaration by the Presidential Command Council and its bodies and supporters was widely welcomed locally, regionally, internationally and internationally as a step that would end the Yemeni crisis through a comprehensive peace process under the auspices of the United Nations.
