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8191st Security Council Meeting: Situation in Middle East
As catastrophic levels of starvation, disease and violence continued to ravage Yemen, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy told the Security Council today that a peace agreement had nearly been reached and only the country’s decision makers could stop the war and bloodshed.
“We do have a road map for Yemen,” said Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, adding that parties had already agreed on the practical suggestions to launch it and build confidence among themselves. “The only part missing is the commitment of parties to make concessions and give priority to the national interest. This is what makes us doubtful of their real intention to end this war.”
The new agreement had been developed in consultation with the parties, he said. However, parties had refused to sign it and it was clear that the Houthis were not prepared to make concessions on security arrangements. That erected a stumbling block to finding a solution amid daily reports of civilian deaths while children were being recruited to the battlefields, terrorist groups flourished and politicians profited from arms deals.
With the regional landscape encumbered with challenges, recent developments in Yemen would certainly “reshuffle the political cards”, he went on to say. Calling on parties to cease hostilities and reactivate negotiations, he urged them to allow a culture of co-existence to prevail over the language of war so Yemen would become a beacon of light in the Middle East and a model for peace and security.
Meanwhile, on the ground, “conditions are catastrophic”, said John Ging, Officer-in-Charge and Director of Operations and Advocacy, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. A record 22.2 million people required humanitarian assistance or protection, 2 million remained displaced, 1.1 million were suspected to have cholera and famine was a real threat.
“These are the consequences of a man-made crisis that only a political solution can bring to an end,” he said. Funding for the 2018 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan — requiring $2.96 billion to assist 13.1 million people — was also critical, as was improving the fast deteriorating humanitarian access to reach those most in need.
Yemen’s representative thanked States that had pledged assistance, but said the money currently being donated was not enough to address the needs of millions. The Council must pressure relevant parties to advance peace talks to end the crisis, which could not be achieved without the Houthis leaving cities and villages and returning the weapons that had been furnished by Iran.
However, the Council had failed to send a clear message to Iran, he said, which would only encourage further violence and tragedy. Iran was not in compliance with the sanctions regime, offering clear proof of that country’s goal to destabilize the region and support terrorism.
Echoing those concerns, the United States representative said that while seeking a solution, the Council must address threats to peace. The main culprit behind them, Iran, had been implicated in missile attacks launched from Yemen, as indicated by the latest report of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014), which handled sanctions.
Council members broadly decried the worsening humanitarian situation, with many delegates commending the United Nations and Saudi Arabia-led coalition response plans. Many members said Council unity and overcoming the current negotiation deadlock were critical measures to stop the escalating violence. “We must avoid sowing divisions amongst us” on that issue, France’s representative said, highlighting that a united Council was a prerequisite for its effective support. Ethiopia’s delegate urged the Council to reach a united position “before all is lost”.
Further, parties must re-engage without preconditions towards an inclusive political agreement that respected Yemen’s territorial integrity, some members said. The Russian Federation’s delegate lamented the lack of a feasible peace process, adding that ways must be found to launch that process without preconditions, rather than engaging in a search for scapegoats and advancing geopolitical agendas. To stop the war, Kazakhstan’s representative said the Council and the international community must rethink the current strategy and take a new comprehensive approach.
Also delivering statements were representative of the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Bolivia, Poland, Côte d’Ivoire, Peru, China, Equatorial Guinea and Kuwait.
The meeting began at 10:08 a.m. and ended at 12:10 p.m.
