Security Council urges urgent maintenance of the SAFER oil tank
English - Wednesday 19 August 2020 الساعة 04:04 pm
Aden, Newsyemen
The members of the Security Council expressed deep concern about the growing risks represented by the possibility of an oil spill or an explosion of the floating oil tank "SAFER" on the coast of Hodeidah governorate in western Yemen.
They called for granting the necessary entry permits, securing a safe way to access the reservoir, and other logistical measures to facilitate the unconditional entry of the United Nations technical experts, with the aim of examining the condition of the reservoir and making any possible and urgent repairs.
This came in a statement issued by the UN Security Council after a closed session on Yemen, held, Tuesday, during which time he heard two briefings from the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, and the Assistant Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ramesh Rajassingam, regarding the progress made with regard to peace proposals. And continue to work with the Houthi militia to expedite the access of UN experts to the Safer oil reservoir, according to the United Nations News Center.
In the statement, which was read out, the Security Council stressed, Dian Triansyah Jani, Indonesia's permanent representative to the United Nations, whose country presides over the Security Council for this month .. He stressed the support of the UN envoy, and called on all Yemeni parties to urgently adopt the United Nations proposals to reach a sustainable peace. And the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2216 (2015), the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative and its implementation mechanism, and the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference.
Ambassador Jani said, "Council members also welcomed the outcomes of July 28 regarding a mechanism to accelerate the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement, which may be a necessary step towards achieving sustainable peace."
In the statement, members of the Security Council called on all Yemeni parties to stop the escalation of hostilities, especially in Marib, to prevent the worsening of the dire humanitarian situation.
The statement referred to the concerns of the members of the Security Council about the lack of funding "which exacerbates malnutrition in Yemen," reiterating the members' call to all donors to quickly fulfill pledges, provide funding to the United Nations and save lives.
In the daily press conference, which was held after the virtual closed meeting of the Security Council on Yemen .. The spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Stephane Dujarric, said that everyone shares the same goal, which is to prevent a major disaster because of the Safir oil reservoir, indicating the United Nations’s keenness to Providing assistance in avoiding a catastrophe due to an oil leak or tank explosion.
He added, "This is an important step in moving forward, and it came after several exchanges with the de facto authorities (Houthi militia) to reconfirm the official technical scope and expertise of the United Nations."
A spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General revealed that the de facto authorities have issued a detailed list of equipment and supplies that they want the UN team in charge of assessing the tank to bring, in addition to specific repairs they expect the team to complete.
"The United Nations technical experts are now reviewing these recent requests to confirm their viability, as well as any impact on timelines," Dujarric said.
"The immediate priority is to deploy to the site as quickly as possible to conduct a technical evaluation," he said, adding that this would provide an unbiased guide in order to move forward and complete any possible initial reforms.
Dujarric said that the United Nations is optimistic that work will start as soon as possible, and hopes to obtain the final licenses - beyond the entry permits for the team - soon.
He added, "We are trying to send the preliminary assessment team there to carry out all possible reforms quickly, but it is clear that a larger process is needed."
International experts warn that any oil spill from the reservoir will affect the residents of the area controlled by the de facto authorities, which have the responsibility to meet the residents' basic needs.
"This will devastate the inhabitants of the coastal areas, and the port of Hodeidah may be closed for months, which will affect millions of Yemenis' access to a reliable source of food and other basic materials, most of which are through imports," Dujarric said.
In response to a journalist's question about continuing dialogue with the Houthis, the Secretary-General's spokesman said that the talks are continuing, indicating that the Houthis have asked questions, and "we are trying to answer them as soon as possible."
