United Nations: The Security Council failed to agree Wednesday on a statement supporting the UN special envoy to Yemen who is trying to get Iran-backed Al Houthi rebels to back a peace deal and end the 17-month civil war in the country.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government has approved the UN-proposed deal but Al Houthi rebels have so far rejected it.
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters “the council was almost ready to make a joint pronouncement in support of the political process” when a delegation made an unacceptable demand.
Diplomats said Britain and other council members wanted a statement to criticise Al Houthis for announcing a formal alliance with the country’s ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his former ruling party by setting up a new political council to rule the country, a step UN envoy Esmael Ould Shaikh Ahmad described as jeopardising peace efforts.
Britain’s deputy ambassador Peter Wilson, clearly referring to Russia, said one country wasn’t supporting its own national position.
Diplomats pointed to a statement issued by ambassadors in Yemen, including the Russian envoy, which noted “with concern” the July 28 announcement by Al Houthis on the political council.
The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because the council meeting was closed, said Ould Shaikh Ahmad wanted the council to express concern about Al Houthis’ action, urge all parties to abide by a cessation of hostilities that has been repeatedly broken, and call for flexibility in the peace talks - but Russia wouldn’t accept any criticism of Al Houthis.
US Ambassador Samantha Power said the need for a peace agreement “is acute” and warned that if the UN-sponsored talks in Kuwait fail “the risks would be grave.”
Al Houthis and forces allied to Saleh seized the capital Sana’a in September 2014, forcing the internationally recognised government to flee the country. A Saudi-led coalition has conducted an extensive air campaign against Al Houthis since March 2015, pushing them out of southern Yemen, but failing so far to dislodge them from the capital Sana’a and the rest of the north.
Meanwhile, extremist groups including Daesh and Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula have exploited the turmoil and expanded in the south.
Power said the crisis has resulted in thousands of casualties and more than 21 million Yemenis need humanitarian assistance.
Russia’s Churkin described Yemen as “a forgotten war,” overshadowed by other conflicts in the region but causing comparable suffering and enormous humanitarian costs.
Churkin said Russia and others were under a misunderstanding that the proposed deal only dealt with military issues, and a political agreement was missing.
The deal being negotiated would force Al Houthis to hand over their weapons and withdraw from the cities within 45 days of signing the agreement.
But Churkin said Ould Shaikh Ahmad reassured the council in Wednesday’s closed briefing “that his idea is to work towards a comprehensive settlement, and that so far he has not made the political part of the package public.”
“So now I come away a little bit reassured that we continue to be on track towards a political settlement,” Churkin said.
UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Ould Shaikh Ahmad plans to hold intensive talks in the coming days to try to get Al Houthis to support the peace deal.
Malaysia’s UN Ambassador Ramlan Bin Ebrahim, the current council president, expressed hope “the council will be able to find consensus on the way forward.”
