Yemen Cabinet, UN envoy condemn Houthi attack

Shards of glass and a door that came off following an attack on the UN De-escalation and Coordination Committee building in Dhahran on Monday. (SPA)

ADEN: The targeting of the UN De-escalation and Coordination Committee building in Dhahran Al-Janoub by Houthi militias and troops loyal to deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh is a clear expression of their violent tactics and of lack of respect for the international community, said the Yemeni Cabinet.
According to the Yemeni news agency SABA, Tuesday’s Cabinet statement accused the coup militia of continuing to disrupt the work of the coordination committee and of refusing to begin cease-fire talks that would eventually end the war it ignited, playing the destabilizing and destructive Iranian game.
In the statement, the Cabinet said the coup militia will continue to act in a manner that destabilizes the country, including by targeting naval vessels and using the Hodeidah port for military purposes as long as the international community allows it to get away with its refusal to implement its binding, explicit and clear decisions designed to put an end to the coup and restore the legitimate government.
The legitimate government of Yemen and the Yemeni people condemn the horrible criminal act that targeted the UN building housing its staff, which is a violation of all humanitarian and international covenants and norms, said the statement.
The government had warned the UN and the international community against the intentions of Houthi and Saleh militias, which refuse to comply with UN resolutions and the popular will in Yemen, which rejects the coup.
The Cabinet reiterated that attacks such as Tuesday’s expose the terrorist nature of the militias and the Iranian sectarian project whose ambitions exceed the Yemeni borders.
The statement called for the restoration of the legitimate government, an end to the coup and the application of the terms of reference agreed upon with local and international stakeholders for a political solution as suggested in the Gulf initiative, of the recommendations of the National Dialogue and of Security Council Resolution 2216.
Meanwhile, UN special envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Sheikh condemned the attack on the UN building, which he described as “tragic and is not a sign of good faith.”
In a statement, Ould Sheikh said the attack took place “at a time when we are calling for a new cessation of hostilities,” adding that the building attacked by the militias was to host the committee that will oversee the cessation of hostilities and report on violations.
He also said that the UN maintains a regular presence in that building and urged the Houthi and Saleh’s rebel militias to commit to and support the De-escalation and Coordination Committee’s work toward a renewed cease-fire.
Ould Sheikh said that the warring parties in Yemen can only benefit from a rapid and long-lasting cessation of hostilities, stressing that an improvement in the security situation is bound to give space to dialogue.
In his last week’s briefing of the Security Council, Ould Sheikh said that those who seek a military solution in Yemen are only prolonging the suffering of the people and allowing the terrorist threat to increase, which adds to the challenges and will delay recovery after the war ends.
He also said that the two warring parties need the political courage and will to stop the two-year-old war.