Break-up of Yemen becoming "more pressing threat" - UN warns

NEW YORK, Aug 20 (KUNA) -- The break-up of war-torn Yemen is becoming a "stronger and more pressing threat," the United Nations special envoy to Yemen warned on Tuesday, saying that peace there was now "more urgent than ever.
"There is no time to lose. The stakes are becoming too high for the future of Yemen, the Yemeni people and indeed the wider region," Martin Griffiths underlined at a Security Council briefing.
Since the Southern Transitional Council took control of Aden on August 7 and increased its presence in Abyan, violence there has led to the death and injury of dozens of civilians, he revealed.
"Questions regarding Yemen's future are being posed more forcefully than before," he added, condemning the Southern Transitional Council's actions as "unacceptable." Warning that the current situation there is "untenable," he said he was certain state institutions would stop functioning, making daily life for people there "even more difficult." Furthermore, the UN official condemned the continued Houthi-staged attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
On the other hand, Griffiths welcomed the efforts of the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition to restore calm in Yemen, particularly its plans to host talks in Jeddah to resolve the matter.
The United Nations, he said, remains committed to dialogue between all relevant sides in accordance with Security Council resolutions, the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and the National Dialogue Conference.
He also praised the Stockholm Agreement, signed eight months ago, for its success in attaining a governorate-wide ceasefire, unrestrained flow of humanitarian aid and a reduction in violence. (end) asf.sd