No military solution to Yemen crisis: Kuwait's envoy

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with the UN Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths in this archive photo. - KUNA

NEW YORK: UN Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths lauded His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's successful efforts in addressing the challenges of ending war and establishing peace. He told the UN Security Council on Thursday that he had met His Highness the Amir in Kuwait earlier last week, saying "His Highness the Amir's life should be a source of inspiration to all of us." On Yemen, he invited the warring parties to talks in Geneva in September aimed at ending the three-year conflict, saying the pace of fighting has increased and "the Red Sea is now a theater of war." He said the time is long past to resume the political process, and after consulting the internationally recognized government and Houthi militias he plans to invite them for consultations in Geneva on September 6, including to discuss a framework for peace negotiations. Griffiths said the UN is still trying to avoid a battle for Hodeida, but while the gap between the Houthis and the coalition has been narrowed considerably, "I am concerned that Hodeida could be a flashpoint." He added that he was confident that a political solution could be reached in Yemen in line with relevant UNSC resolutions, Gulf Initiative and Output of National Dialogue.

No military solution

Kuwait has anew reiterated that there is no military solution to the crisis in Yemen but a political solution based on the Gulf Initiative and its executive mechanism, outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference and relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2216. This came in Kuwait's speech during the Security Council session on the situation in Yemen, which was delivered by Kuwait's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi.

Otaibi added that any peace plan that is not based on these principles will complicate the situation and prolong the crisis, which will have serious implications on regional and international security and stability. He stressed Kuwait's support for the efforts of UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths and the United Nations' efforts to settle the conflict in Yemen peacefully. He pointed out that despite the announcement of the coalition to stop its military operations to restore the city and the port of Hodeidah to be under the authority of the legitimate government of Yemen, however, the Houthi group continued its deliberate targeting of civilian and populated sites in Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles, which reached 163 so far, in addition to more than 66,000 explosives fired towards civilian targets, leaving human and material losses.

Otaibi pointed out that the Houthi militias are practicing new forms of challenge and threat to the will of the international community by targeting the safety of international shipping in the Straits of Bab Al-Mandab and the Red Sea, whether by planting sea mines or targeting commercial and oil vessels, the last of which was the targeting of two Saudi ships last week with anti-ship missiles which could have led to an environmental disaster in that region, taking advantage of their control of the port of Hodeidah to carry out these attacks. He renewed Kuwait's condemnation in the strongest terms of these ballistic missile attacks by the Houthi group on the Kingdom's territory and its threat of neighboring countries as well as its threat to the safety of international traffic in Bab Al-Mandab and the Red Sea, a matter that constitutes a serious violation of international and humanitarian laws. "We support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its measures aimed at preserving its security and stability, and we also commend its decision to grant 25,000 visas to pilgrims from all Yemeni provinces without exception or discrimination," he said.

As for the humanitarian situation, the donor conference on the humanitarian situation in Yemen, which was held in Geneva in April this year, organized by the United Nations, Switzerland and Sweden, which resulted in commitments exceeding $2 billion, has had a positive impact on tackling the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, especially in the areas under the control of the Houthi group. He said that the continued control of the city of Hodeidah and its ports and control of the humanitarian aid routes could contribute to the loss of the objectives of the donors' conference and contribute to the consolidation of human suffering in Yemen.

Otaibi said that "what we pledged in April last year has been fully met. The full amount of the donation of $250 million has been paid to the international organizations, agencies and funds to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people in all its forms." As for the responsibility of the Security Council, Otaibi said that the Council should continue its unified and firm stance towards the Yemeni file and that the message of the Council be clear to the Yemeni parties, in particular the Houthi group.

Humanitarian support

Kuwait's Permanent Delegate to the UN and International Organizations in Geneva Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghunaim affirmed Friday Kuwait's keenness to continue humanitarian and political support for Yemen. Ambassador Ghunaim's speech came at a meeting organized by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva to review the efforts of various countries in dealing with the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Ambassador Ghunaim stressed that Kuwait has been supporting humanitarian, relief and development efforts in Yemen, revealing that the recent visit by Griffiths to Kuwait and his meeting with His Highness the Amir had reflected his country's commitment to the cause. The last of these efforts occurred in the previous month with a number of international humanitarian organizations and funds including the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund's (UNICEF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said Ambassador Ghunaim. He added that this cooperation also included the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Humanitarian Support Fund for Yemen and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).In his speech, Ambassador Ghunaim pointed out that Kuwait's role and contributions to these international organizations and funds have garnered global praise and administration. The Kuwaiti Ambassador said that his country will continue to work with partners around the world so that a peaceful solution would be attained for the Yemeni people, bringing an end for their suffering and misery. - KUNA