LOC21:45
18:45 GMT
NEW YORK, March 15 (KUNA) -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expressed appreciation of Kuwait's leading and positive role in the UN Security Council for issuing a presidential statement on Yemen.
"We are grateful to our brethren in Kuwait for their big role in the issuance of the presidential statement on Yemen," Saudi Permanent Representative to the United Nations Abdallah Al-Mouallimi told reporters Thursday following the issuance of the statement.
He pointed out that negotiations over the statement had started last month when Kuwait was holding the rotating presidency of the Security Council.
The UN Security Council's welcoming of the statement reflected the international community's commitment towards a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen based on the Gulf initiative, national dialogue outcome, and relevant UN resolutions including UNSC resolution No. 2216, Mouallimi stated.
For his part, Yemen's Permanent Representative to the UN Khaled Alyemany welcomed the UN statement.
"This statement shows the international community commitment towards Yemen and the efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people due to the hostilities committed by Houthi group," he said.
He praised the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's humanitarian efforts to ease the humanitarian situation in his war-torn country.
He welcomed the new UN special envoy to Yemen and urged the international community to press the Houthi group to come to the negotiating table to bring to a halt the bloody conflict.
The UNSC presidential statement, issued earlier today, condemned the ballistic-missile attacks by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia, particularly those targeting civilian areas.
It welcomed the pledge made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to contribute nearly USD 1 billion to the UN appeal.
"The Security Council notes with appreciation the recent announcement of a 'Yemen Comprehensive Humanitarian Operations Plan' by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia-led Coalition, the recent delivery of four World Food Programme cranes to Hodeida port, as well as plans to install four additional cranes in Mokha, Aden and Mukalla ports, and to deposit USD 2 billion into the Central Bank of Yemen," reads the statement.
It further noted the intention of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia-led Coalition to establish an air-bridge to Ma'rib to facilitate the delivery and distribution of aid.
The Security Council called on all Member States to fully implement the arms embargo as required by the relevant Security Council resolutions.
It also condemned the use of sea mines by non-nation state actors, including Houthi forces.
"The Security Council takes attempted attacks by the Houthis against shipping around Bab al-Mandeb, a strategically important shipping passage, extremely seriously and stresses that the continued exercise of navigational rights and freedoms in and around Bab al-Mandeb strait," it said.
The statement emphasized that the humanitarian situation would continue to deteriorate in the absence of an inclusive political solution, as called for in the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative and implementation mechanism agreement, the outcomes of the comprehensive National Dialogue Conference and relevant Security Council resolutions and statements, including Security Council resolution 2216 (2015) and the Presidential Statement of 15 June 2017.
It called upon all parties to the conflict to abandon pre-conditions and engage in good faith with the UN-led process, with the meaningful participation of women and other underrepresented groups at all levels, in order to overcome obstacles and reach a political solution to the conflict. (end)
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