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UN / SC YEMEN
STORY: UN / SC YEMEN
TRT: 02:54
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 15 APRIL 2016, NEW YORK CITY/ RECENT
RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters
15 APRIL 2016, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Secuity Council
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen:
“Yemen is now at a critical crossroad. One path leads to peace while the other will lead it off a cliff to a worsening security and humanitarian situation that must be avoided.”
4. Med shot, Representatives of Egypt and France
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen:
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has supported both the government of Yemen and the Houthis to sign a landmark agreement aimed at supporting the cessation of hostilities and the work of the De-Escalation Coordination Committee and Local De-Escalation Committees in a way that supports the role of the United Nations. The role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was praised by both parties which represents an important positive development in the current crisis.”
6. Med shot, Representatives of the United States and Uruguay
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Kyung-Wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations:
“I underscore that the terms of the cessation of hostilities not only include a halt in hostilities but also obligate the parties to allow unhindered humanitarian assistance. And I remind all parties that this facilitation is an obligation under International Humanitarian Law. While airstrikes, rockets and ground fighting indiscriminately kill civilians, these administrative obstacles are only nominally less devastating, directly contributing to hunger, sickness, deprivation and death.”
8. Med shot, Representatives of New Zealand and Russia
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Kyung-Wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations:
“Building barriers around the people of Yemen - through access restrictions, delivery delays or visa denials for humanitarian staff – is not in the interest of peace or of the Yemeni people. It will prolong the suffering of those in need and drive more and more communities into real and life-threatening risk.”
10. Med shot, Kyung-Wha Kang and the Representative of Yemen
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Khaled Alyemany, Permanent Representative, Yemen:
“The persistence of the failed attempts by the Houthis to ignite new fronts, clearly reaffirms to the international community that they refuse to transition to a state of peace, and they believe that their commitment to violence might achieve some imagined gains on the negotiations table.”
12. Med shot, Representatives of Ukraine and the United Kingdom
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Khaled Alyemany, Permanent Representative, Yemen:
“While we head towards Kuwait, We look forward to bringing peace and taking back the state from the grip of militias through the negotiations table. No vibrant community longing to build a unified state in which order, law, justice, and equality prevail, can accept the presence of a state within the state, and a militia that possesses arms in Yemen. And we call on the Security Council and the United Nations to condemn Iran’s, and its extensions in the region, continued interference in Yemeni affairs and destabilization of peace and security in the region.”
14. Zoom out, meeting ending
The United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the Security Council that the country is at a critical crossroad that can either lead to peace or an even worse security and humanitarian situation.
Briefing the Council ahead of peace talking in Kuwait - set to being on the 18th of April- the Special Envoy said he will encourage the parties to negotiate a detailed way forward starting with security arrangement, the withdrawal of militias, the handover of heavy weapons to the State, the restoration of state institutions, and the release of prisoners.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the path to peace will be difficult but failure is not an option.
He praised the role played by Saudi Arabia which “supports the role of the United Nations.” He said, “The role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was praised by both parties which represents an important positive development in the current crisis.”
UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Kyung-Wha Kang said aid workers are reaching millions across the country but this is “hardly enough.”
Kang said, “Building barriers around the people of Yemen - through access restrictions, delivery delays or visa denials for humanitarian staff – is not in the interest of peace or of the Yemeni people. It will prolong the suffering of those in need and drive more and more communities into real and life-threatening risk.”
Kang underscored that the terms of the cessation of hostilities not only include a halt in hostilities but also “obligate the parties to allow unhindered humanitarian assistance.”
Yemeni ambassador Khaled Alyemany said his government is heading to the talks in Kuwait to bring peace to the country and take state back “from the grip of militias through the negotiations table.”
He said the Houthi “aggression” on the city of Taiz and the “targeting of civilians with rockets” is an attempt to make the city “kneel”.
He said, “The persistence of the failed attempts by the Houthis to ignite new fronts, clearly reaffirms to the international community that they refuse to transition to a state of peace, and they believe that their commitment to violence might achieve some imagined gains on the negotiations table.”
Alyemany called on the international community to “to condemn Iran’s, and its extensions in the region, continued interference in Yemeni affairs and destabilization of peace and security in the region.’
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