The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with Germany, Kuwait and Sweden, in a joint statement yesterday, condemned in the strongest terms «the increasing intensity of attacks by Houthi militias on Saudi Arabia».
The five countries considered the attacks "a serious threat to Saudi Arabia's national security, as well as a wider threat to regional security, and the threat to undermine the UN-led political process."
Representatives of the governments of France, Germany, Kuwait, China, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States met on Thursday, September 26, 2019, as a group to confirm their continued support for the UN-led political process in Yemen, the statement said.
The group expressed appreciation to Saudi Arabia, which provided the United Nations with $ 500 million on September 25.
It also called on the parties to the conflict to facilitate safe, prompt and unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance, as required by Security Council Resolution 2451, and urged all parties to fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law, including ensuring their protection of civilians.
The statement reiterated that the group of countries supported the efforts of the UN envoy in Yemen, Martin Griffiths, and called on the government and the Houthis to engage with him constructively and continuously.
She praised "this group for the tireless efforts of the Special Envoy to support the parties in the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement, and to reach a political solution to the conflict in Yemen." "The Stockholm Agreement remains an important element in the peace process in Yemen and should be implemented as is, in order to ease the humanitarian situation, create confidence between the parties, and improve the conditions for political talks."
He added: «To gain momentum, the group calls on the Yemeni parties to respect the ceasefire in Hodeidah, and to participate constructively in the negotiations on the implementation of the agreement Hodeidah». The Group expresses its full support to UNMIS and calls on the Yemeni parties to engage constructively with UNMIS, as well as with United Nations proposals on security arrangements that would allow for the mutual withdrawal of military forces, tripartite monitoring and the empowerment of the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM).
They reaffirmed their commitment to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen.
She said the Houthis' announcement to stop attacks on Saudi Arabia - last week - an important first step towards halting the escalation in Yemen, and said that this needs to be followed by positive measures on the ground by the Houthis.
The group stressed the need to reduce escalation and efforts by all parties to ensure that the conflict in Yemen does not drift towards growing tensions in the region.
The Group of Eight has reaffirmed its commitment to the Yemeni peace process, relevant Security Council resolutions, including Security Council Resolution 2216, the GCC Initiative and its implementation mechanism, and the outcomes of the Comprehensive National Dialogue Conference.
The G-8 agreed to continue to meet regularly at various levels, with other partners, to support the United Nations-led peace process.
Call for respect for the ceasefire in Hodeidah and constructive participation in the negotiations on the implementation of the agreement.