America to the Security Council: The Houthis must be held accountable for their criminal behavior
English - Thursday 12 November 2020 الساعة 02:23 pm
Aden, NewsYemen:
The United States condemned the attacks launched by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia on October 28, including the launch of drones towards Riyadh, adding that they "posed a grave danger to the lives of many civilians, including American citizens."
The permanent representative of the United States to the UN Security Council, in her briefing on Yemen on Wednesday, said that "the Houthis must be held accountable for their criminal behavior, and their main supporter, Iran, must be held accountable."
Kelly Craft said, "Just weeks ago, the Iranian regime sent a member of the Revolutionary Guard, Hassan Irloo, to Sanaa, where Irloo called himself" Iran's ambassador "to the Houthis, noting at the same time that these actions show no doubt that Iran and the Houthis are not serious about a political solution to the conflict in Yemen.
She pointed out that wherever there is violence, instability and bloodshed in the region, Iran finds its presence in it, lighting the flames.
She added that the Iranian regime is fueling Houthi violence by providing funds, weapons, training and encouragement.
She stressed in her briefing that Tehran is determined to undermine the work of Special Envoy Griffiths and this Council by making a political solution to this conflict less achievable.
Craft said, "I remember the regime's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, when he posted a tweet on his account on Sunday about the need for multilateralism and that Iran's record includes responsible diplomacy "... It is ridiculous, and it would be funny if not tragic, a diplomat uses Twitter to spread propaganda on a platform his people are prohibited from using to claim that his government is fighting for peace!
She renewed call to Iran to stop its support for terrorism, to end its destabilizing actions throughout the region, and to respect the human rights and needs of all its people.
Craft noted that the briefings by Martin Griffiths, Mark Lowcock and David Beasley on the devastating truth of hunger and famine in Yemen were very moving.
Stressing that the Security Council take this matter seriously and do everything in its power for the sake of the Yemeni people.
She added, "But, unfortunately, the good intentions presented by the international community have not been matched by similar progress on the part of the Houthis, who continue to focus their efforts on prolonging the conflict, starving Yemenis and attacking Yemen's neighbors."
It also called on all parties to the conflict to support the arrival of essential life-saving aid, while it called on the Houthis to end their interference in the humanitarian efforts at the present time and to take specific measures to show their willingness to cooperate.
She pointed to high levels of household food insecurity between May and September in areas where the World Food Program had to reduce its distribution due to the obstruction of the Houthis.
And just last week, UNICEF announced that rates of acute malnutrition among children under the age of five were the highest among children ever in certain parts of Yemen.
Craft said: “The vicious political maneuvering that impedes humanitarian access must stop before a generation of Yemeni children suffers lasting development damage,”
She also renewed her call for the Houthis to immediately release the Yemeni-Jewish citizen Levi Musa, who remains unjustly detained despite the Houthi court order, which ordered his release in September 2019.
Regarding the tanker Safer, the US delegate said, "It is inconceivable that month after month the reality remains the same: the Houthis continue to withhold final approval of the United Nations assessment mission and initial repairs to this corroded ship.
She added: “The United States reiterates the urgent need for the Houthis to stop exploiting the threat of environmental and economic catastrophe simply to gain political influence"
