UK hosts Quint meeting on Yemen, condemns Houthi attacks

LONDON: Senior representatives of the governments of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, the UK, and the US, along with UN special envoy, Hans Grundberg, met in London on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Yemen.
“The Quint strongly condemned the Houthis’ repeated attacks against civilians within Yemen, including US local staff in Sanaa, and their continued heinous terrorist attacks against Saudi Arabia and more recently the UAE,” they said in a joint statement.
The Iran-backed Houthi militia have stepped up cross-border attacks against populated areas in Saudi Arabia and have attempted to strike the UAE capital twice in the last two weeks. The Houthis have also continued their brutal offensive on the Yemeni province of Marib, which has served as a safe haven for millions of internally displaced persons who have been fleeing the fighting since the conflict began in 2014.

The Quint said “such actions are obstructing peace efforts and exacerbating suffering,” and stressed that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security,” and the need to hold perpetrators accountable and brought to justice.
The joint statement expressed full support for Saudi Arabia and the Emirates and their legitimate national security concerns and called for an immediate end to attacks by the Iran-backed militia.
“The Quint acknowledged the legitimate right of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to defend themselves against terrorist attacks in accordance with international (and) humanitarian law, including taking all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm,” it said.
The meeting also condemned the Houthis’ seizure of the UAE flagged Rwabee vessel off the coast of Yemen, and called for the need to find an urgent solution to the abandoned SAFER tanker, urging the Houthis to allow UN access to the vessel.
They said these highlight the Houthis’ significant risk to the maritime security of vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.
“The Quint discussed the illicit Iranian provision of missiles and advanced weaponry to the Houthis in violation” of UN Security Council resolutions, the statement added.
The Quint called for urgent and comprehensive political solution to the conflict and re-affirmed their support for the UN special envoy’s efforts.
It also called for additional economic support from the international community to stabilize Yemen’s economy, coupled with essential reforms to improve financial transparency.
They agreed to meet on a regular basis to coordinate a response to the Yemen crisis and support the UN envoy.