NEW YORK: A UN Security Council presidential statement has condemned Houthi militia for endangering civilians in Yemen.
In its statement, the Security Council also called on the Houthi militants to stop targeting Saudi Arabia.
The statement welcomed pledges made by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to support UN humanitarian efforts in Yemen. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have pledged to pay $1 billion in support of UN efforts in Yemen.
The UN statement also welcomed efforts by the coalition led by Saudi Arabia to re-supply the Maarib province with food aid.
Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative at the UN welcomed the Security Council presidential statement praising Arab Coalition efforts in Yemen. In his speech to the council, Abdallah Al-Moallimi said that the US, the international community support the coalition's efforts in Yemen. The Saudi representative added that the Security Council statement on Yemen clearly condemned Houthi militia’s attacks on Yemenis. Al-Moallimi reiterated his country's position that Yemeni suffering is caused by Houthis militants coup and their militia's take over of the Capital Sana'a in Sep 2014. The Houthis have controlled illigaly the country and its international airport which had derailed humanitarian efforts reaching the needy in the country.
The Saudi representative ended his statement warning the international community about Iran’s cyber space terrorism which is part and Parcel of "Iran’s terrorist threat to the region", he said.
The British-drafted statement was the product of weeks of negotiations with Saudi Arabia, diplomats said.
The statement required the unanimous approval of the council's 15 members, unlike a resolution, which can be passed by a simple majority if it is not vetoed by one of its five permanent members.
It called on all parties to "respect and protect schools, medical facilities, and personnel."
The United Nations also has denounced the use of schools by the Houthi militia, often as arms depots.
The Security Council condemned "in the strongest possible terms" ballistic missile attacks in November and December on Saudi Arabia by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
The United States had accused Iran of supplying the missiles used in the attacks on Saudi Arabia, but the statement made no mention of Tehran.
Tehran has denied the accusations and Russia recently vetoed a US-drafted resolution that sought to condemn Iran for violating a UN arms embargo imposed on Yemen.
"The Security Council calls on all member states to fully implement the arms embargo as required by the relevant Security Council resolutions," he statement said.