Kuwait regrets unjustified absence of Houthis from Geneva talks

NEW YORK: Kuwait’s Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi delivers Kuwait’s speech before the United Nations’ session on Syria. — KUNA

NEW YORK: Any military escalation in Idlib, Syria would result in humanitarian disaster, as women, elderly, children, and patients will pay the price of such action, Kuwait said. "As the international community witnessed the consequences of similar steps in the remaining parts of Syria, which were classified as escalation reduction areas," a Kuwaiti senior diplomat stated.

This came in Kuwait's speech before the United Nations' session on Syria held on Wednesday, delivered by Kuwait's Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi. Otaibi offered thanks to the Russian delegation for briefing the UN Security Council on the Astana summit's results which were held last Friday in Tehran, Iran, during which the participants discussed the situation in Syria, and especially in Idlib.

"The session coincided with the anniversary of the terrorist attacks that took place in the 11th of September 2001 that resulted in the death of thousands of innocent US nationals, and Kuwait renews its support and condolences to the families of the victims", he said. "We reassure our vow to work with our partners and allies to terminate terrorism that poses a great threat to international peace and security as well as our active role in the international alliance to terminate the so-called Islamic State (IS)," he said. He called on all involved parties to continue engaging in dialogues in order to reach a peaceful solution for the situation in Idlib, he said.

He expressed his extreme concern regarding the latest reports issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), revealing the displacement of 30,000 Syrians from Idlib due to the latest developments. He renewed his call to the UN that in case a comprehensive military operation in Idlib, thus, the greatest humanitarian disaster with highest loss of people in the 21st century would definitely take place, he added. He renewed his support to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' statement on August 29 as he appealed to the Syrian government and all involved parties to exercise restraint as well as Astana summit members to find a peaceful solution to the situation in Idlib. He called for offering more time and care to diplomatic efforts to avoid further bloodshed, hoping that the meetings held by the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura in Geneva would contribute to finding solutions to save the lives of innocent civilians.

Unjustified absence

Separately, Otaibi expressed Kuwait's regret over the unjustified absence of Houthi group from the Geneva consultations, despite all efforts to address hurdles to their participation. This came in a speech that Otaibi delivered during a Security Council session on the situation in Yemen.

Otaibi urged the Security Council to assume its responsibilities to force Houthi Group to implement the UN resolutions to achieve security and stability of Yemen, stressing that priority must be given to the political solution based on the Gulf initiative, its executive mechanisms, the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue conference and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Members of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy have stated that they will allow the safe passage of aircraft carrying Houthi representatives to Geneva in addition to halting military operations in Hodeidah, he added. "It is clear that the Houthi coup against Yemen's legitimate authorities was the root cause of the conflict," he said.

The Kuwaiti ambassador noted that the Special Envoy's efforts reflected the global desire for a political solution that will end the humanitarian suffering, as well as Houthi threats to international peace and security, including missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and threats to marine navigation. - KUNA