عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

UN Envoy Urges Restraint over Yemen, Region ‘Increasingly Precarious’

14 June 2022, US, New York: Hans Grundberg, UN envoy, speaks at a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Yemen. (UN Photo/dpa)
14 June 2022, US, New York: Hans Grundberg, UN envoy, speaks at a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Yemen. (UN Photo/dpa)
TT
TT

UN Envoy Urges Restraint over Yemen, Region ‘Increasingly Precarious’

14 June 2022, US, New York: Hans Grundberg, UN envoy, speaks at a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Yemen. (UN Photo/dpa)
14 June 2022, US, New York: Hans Grundberg, UN envoy, speaks at a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Yemen. (UN Photo/dpa)

The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Saturday urged maximum restraint by all parties involved in Yemen and warned of an increasingly uncertain situation in the region.

The envoy "notes with serious concern the increasingly precarious regional context, and its adverse impact on peace efforts in Yemen and stability and security in the region," he said in a statement.  

He reiterated the Secretary-General’s call for all involved to avoid actions that would worsen the situation in Yemen, escalate the threat to maritime trade routes, or further fuel regional tensions at this critical time.  

He stressed the need to protect Yemeni civilians, and to safeguard the progress of peace efforts since the truce of April 2022.  

This includes the recent commitments by the parties in December 2023 and the ongoing discussions around a UN Roadmap that would operationalize a nationwide ceasefire, resume an inclusive political process under UN auspices, and address key priorities for the benefit of the Yemeni people.  

He urged "all involved to exercise maximum restraint and to prioritize diplomatic channels over military options," calling for de-escalation

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
TT
TT

Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.