(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) By Sherouq Sadeqi
WASHINGTON, May 13 (KUNA) -- Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Abdallah Al-Mouallimi has affirmed that the total number of casualties from the Yemen war is estimated at around 7,000 people and that 'every human life is precious and one death is one too many.' During a roundtable briefing at The Arab Gulf Institute in Washington (AGSIW) on the 'Status of the Conflict in Yemen', held on Friday, Al-Mouallimi, along with Major General Yehya Asiri from the Saudi Ministry of Defense, presented an assessment of the situation on the ground in Yemen and prospects for a political resolution.
Highlighting the many 'myths' out there, one of them is that millions of Yemenis are facing death and destruction as result of the war, he stressed 'nothing can be further from the truth.' 'The coalition forces do not use superior military power and are eager not to strike at civilian gatherings or engage in a ground defensive to take over major cities such as Sanaa,' he said.
He denied that the coalition is applying a maritime blockade restricting the flow of food and medical supplies to Yemen, saying such a 'myth is a blatant lie.' The Saudi envoy indicated that the reason for the shortage of supplies 'which is evident in territories controlled by the Houthis,' is that they 'are looted and diverted by Houthi forces and sold in the black market after satisfying the need of the fighters and their families.' He noted that Saudi Arabia and GCC states have pledged more than four billion dollars in continuous aid support to Yemen and have earmarked 10 billion dollars for the reconstruction of the troubled country.
Al-Mouallimi affirmed that the Yemeni people 'will regain control over its own destiny under the leadership of its internationally recognized, freely elected government and with the support of their brothers in Saudi Arabia, the GCC and the coalition to restore legitimacy.' On reports that the alliance between the Houthis and ex-president Ali Abdullah Salah has suffered a degradation, he said that the alliance is one 'made in hell, made by the devil.' 'Their alliance now is a marriage of convenience and once they find their convenience is no longer served it is bound to break down,' he stressed.
He affirmed that two things are clear; 'the Houthis will not and cannot have veto power over the next political structure and government in Yemen... and we do not accept that the Houthis maintain a military presence as an armed militia.' On his part, Asiri clarified what is happening in the Yemeni front, saying that the Saudi-led coalition forces complied with all UN Security Council resolutions on Yemen, among which is resolution 2216.
He indicated that the coalition forces also accepted the legitimate Yemeni government and calls for ceasefire between the two sides in order to hold a round of negotiations to reach a political solution.
Asiri added that since the announcement of ceasefire agreements, 'none of which was complied by the other party' and there were more than 4,500 breaches during those agreements.
He also shed light on the formation of a De-escalation and Coordination Committee (DCC) for ceasefire but the Houthis did not comply.
'Some of the most important goals achieved by the coalition forces is to maintain the legitimacy of the government and return stability to the country, destroy all the military installations by the other forces ... make sure humanitarian relief is reached. Neutralize the Iranian support for the Houthis and liberate most of the Yemeni provinces... rehabilitate the legitimate Yemeni forces and fight Al-Qaeda network,' he stressed. As for the legal support of the joint operations, he indicated that the Coalition Command established a number of vital cells to support the joint operations through applying agreed upon rules based on international agreements.
He affirmed that the Coalition has taken several steps to 'create a more thorough vetting process for targeting selection and validation for coalition operations in Yemen, where this process is meant to ensure that the coalition adheres to the law of the armed conflict, expand the (NO STRIKE LIST), which is now at over 41,000 locations, enhance target criteria such as damage assessment and collateral damage estimates and finally observe the implementation of the stricter rules of engagement.' On the sidelines of the briefing, Al-Mouallimi said the GCC exerted major efforts to resolve the crisis in Yemen.
He shed light on the Kuwaiti efforts towards resolving the conflict in Yemen, saying, 'Kuwait played an essential role in hosting the peace conference and negotiations that were held there for over two months.' He affirmed that Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are 'pioneers in efforts to achieve peace in Yemen and they will continue that role.' (end) si.rk
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