UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has offered to send a technical team to Riyadh to review current inspection measures to reinforce and introduce a more effective inspection and verification regime (UNVIM) for humanitarian assistance to Yemen in line with the request of the Saudi government.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday that Guterres welcomed the reopening of Aden airport.
The announcement was made as Yemen’s Ambassador to the US Ahmed Binmubarak criticized the UN over its “silence” on the rejection of Houthi insurgents of the Hodeidah plan.
The diplomat told Asharq Al-Awsat that there has been evidence on the use of Hodeidah port for smuggling purposes. But the insurgents have rejected a UN plan to oversee the port.
Also Thursday, the British foreign ministry said in a statement that it shares “the concern of Saudi Arabia about the security threat posed by ballistic missiles, such as the one of 4 November.”
“We understand the need to take action to stem the flow of sophisticated weaponry into Yemen, including the importance of effective monitoring and controls,” it said.
Efforts to implement the arms embargo called for by UN Security Council Resolution 2216 must be increased by all states while ensuring that vital commercial and humanitarian supplies are able to reach the Yemeni people, said the statement.
“We believe that a comprehensive political solution is the only way to end the conflict and bring real stability to Yemen,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen rescued two French journalists on Thursday who had gone missing in an area of Yemen held by the Houthi insurgents, al-Arabiya reported.
The channel said the two women had been "kidnapped" by the Houthis on Nov. 2 while traveling with a group of people from the province of Saada to Hajjah governorate.
The women were both taken to an air base in the Saudi capital, al-Arabiya added.
