Britain: An upcoming UN plan for a comprehensive settlement in Yemen and a new international resolution
English - Saturday 23 October 2021 الساعة 10:09 am
Aden, NewsYemen:
The United Kingdom's ambassador to Yemen, Richard Oppenheim, revealed, on Friday, a UN move to develop a comprehensive peace plan soon in Yemen, and the readiness of the international community to issue a new UN resolution that would give legitimacy to any comprehensive political settlement.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the British ambassador, whose country is considered the pen holder of the Yemeni file in the Security Council, explained that a gap occurred between the content of Resolution 2216 issued by the Security Council in 2015 and the situation on the ground that changes daily, he said, pointing out that He pointed out that this will be reflected in any upcoming political settlement, and at the same time it is likely that the new UN envoy, Hans Grundberg, who is currently listening to all parties and opinions, will present a comprehensive peace plan with all speed and seriousness supported by the international community.
However, in the end, the settlement must be between the Yemenis themselves, and there is no outside role in it. The settlement is in the hands of the Yemenis, and we only support them.
He continued, “I think that in any political settlement between the parties, we need a new decision that reflects this settlement, but the decision must be reflected in the settlement and not the other way around. I am certain that the international community is ready for a new resolution at the appropriate time to give international legitimacy to a settlement between the parties, and this is the work of the UN Special Envoy because he represents the international community in this regard.”
Ambassador Oppenheim described the current situation in Yemen as "very frightening." "There is a serious risk of famine, many people do not have the ability to buy food, and we believe that a political settlement is the only way to achieve stability in Yemen and deal with the humanitarian crisis," he said.
"We are working closely with the international community through the five countries and through the Quartet to encourage the Houthis to participate in the dialogue, and we fully support the efforts led by the new UN envoy Hans Grundberg to resume the peace process, and encourage the parties to participate positively in the consultations," he added.
The UK ambassador reiterated his country's deep concern over the continuing war and the humanitarian and economic crisis in Yemen, including the Houthi attack on Marib, and the cross-border attacks, which he described as unacceptable in any way.
He continued, "The attack must be stopped, and the safety of civilians should be a priority. All parties, including the Houthis, have a responsibility to respect international humanitarian laws. We in Britain and the five countries encourage the Houthis to participate in the political dialogue to achieve their political goals, and they are part of the future political process in Yemen." But the way to get that is through dialogue.”
Commenting on the deteriorating economic situation in Yemen, Richard Oppenheim stressed that providing basic services to the Yemeni people and paying employees' salaries is the responsibility of the Yemeni government through the revenues it collects.
He added by saying that the current main problem in the Yemeni economy is a lack of confidence in the currency, the economy as a whole, and the central bank, pointing out that the prime minister has a good plan to deal with the problem, and it is good that he returned to Aden with some ministers.
And he added, "Economic reforms must be supported to ensure that the available money is used properly and restores confidence in the economy."
Regarding the Iranian role in Yemen, the British ambassador said, “Iran’s interference and support for instability in Yemen and the region as a whole, by supporting the Houthis with missiles and others, makes the situation worse, complicates United Nations peace efforts and threatens the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” adding that we talked about these topics directly. With the Iranian government, we also expressed our concerns through the United Nations.
He called on Iran to play a positive role in Yemen, recalling that the Iranian Foreign Ministry itself said that it supports the efforts of the United Nations.
Therefore, we encourage Iran to implement this commitment, support the efforts of the Special Envoy to negotiate a ceasefire and start peace consultations, and urge and encourage the Houthis to positively engage with the UN envoy and the peace process.
Regarding the Safer oil tanker, Ambassador Oppenheim revealed that a research funded by the British government on the risk of oil leakage from the Safer tanker anchored off the coast of Hodeidah, showed that the leak would be four times the size of the Exxon Valdez, considering this a very big risk.
He added, “The cost will be more than 20 billion dollars, moreover, there will be very bad effects on the Yemeni people and their lives. They will face a problem with clean water because the infrastructure will be affected, and fishing will be stopped, and the factories in Hodeidah will be closed for a long time, and it will be a disaster not only For the environment, but for the Yemeni people, Saudi Arabia and some neighboring countries in Africa.”
The British ambassador urged the Houthis to resolve the issue with the United Nations, and allow experts to visit and evaluate the tanker.
He explained that Yemen remains one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, as 88 percent of the population needs assistance, noting that his country played a major role in responding to this crisis, and he refuted this by saying, "We have committed more than one billion pounds since the beginning of the war, and this year we will We save 87 million pounds.”
While Oppenheim warned that the continuation of the crisis will increase the need for aid while the support decreases, and he said, “There is a gap, because there are other crises around the world, and we say in Britain (money does not grow on trees), and there are borders for countries, whether Britain or others, and with the Corona pandemic, it increased The cost will be on world economies, and when the war is prolonged, this gap will certainly grow because the situation on the ground is getting worse, and the amounts of support are the same or less.”
Regarding the Riyadh Agreement and the issue of the south, Ambassador Oppenheim stressed that the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement remains a very important point, indicating that the security deterioration in the south affects the economy.
"We encourage the parties to continue to deal positively and implement the agreement because it is the best opportunity to restore stability and security in southern Yemen, and to ensure the presence of a government delegation for the upcoming peace consultations," he said.
He added, "As for the southern issue, it is important for the transitionals and those who want to separate the country, first to support the government because they are part of it, and in the future there will be no chance for their political goals if they do not cooperate with the government now, and to be one team to provide basic services and pay salaries."
The ambassador gave an example by saying that in Britain we have political movements in Scotland that want secession, but they have a responsibility to provide services to the people and this is a priority for them.
He continued, I think the same in Yemen, first there must be a state and a government, then there can be talk about the future of the country and allow Yemenis to decide their future for themselves, but this is not the right time to advance this agenda, there is no possibility to achieve this in the absence of the existence of a government.
