Senior representatives of the Governments of Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America (The Quint), strongly denounced the terrorist Houthi attacks on Yemeni civilians and the heinous attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Their remarks came in a joint communiqué after a meeting they held in London on Wednesday in the presence of UN Special Envoy, Hans Grundberg.
The Quint "strongly condemned the Houthis’ repeated attacks against civilians in Yemen, including US staff in Sanaa, and their continued heinous terrorist attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and more recently the United Arab Emirates,” the communiqué said.
"Such actions are obstructing peace efforts and exacerbating suffering,” it added.
“The Quint reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and underlined the need to hold perpetrators of acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice," the statement read.
The Quint "expressed full support for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and their legitimate national security concerns and called for an immediate end to attacks by the Houthis."
They also "acknowledged the legitimate right of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to defend themselves against terrorist attacks in accordance with International Law, and in accordance with International Humanitarian Law, including taking all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm."
The Quint further condemned the seizure of the Rwabee vessel off the coast of Yemen, highlighting the Houthis’ significant risk to the maritime security of vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.
They discussed the illicit Iranian provision of missiles and advanced weaponry to the Houthis in violation of UNSCR 2216 and UNSCR 2231.
The Quint re-stated the importance of an urgent and comprehensive political solution to the conflict," the statement added.
They further "reaffirmed their support for the UN Special Envoy’s (UNSE) efforts to achieve this end, including renewed political talks," and "called upon the leadership of Yemeni parties to the conflict to engage constructively with the UN Special Envoy as he deepens his consultations with them."
The Quint "discussed the dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen and agreed that maintaining direct humanitarian and development support to the country is essential, including protecting the safety of humanitarian workers. Key humanitarian access routes must be protected to mitigate potential escalation to the humanitarian crisis."
The statement "acknowledged that the economic crisis in Yemen is exacerbating humanitarian suffering and stressed the importance of additional economic support from the international community to stabilize Yemen’s economy, coupled with essential reforms to improve financial transparency."
Interlocutors discussed the need to find an urgent solution to the FSO SAFER and called upon the Houthis to allow UN access to the vessel to conduct an assessment of the tanker.
"The Quint agreed to meet on a regular basis to coordinate a response to the Yemen crisis and support the UN Special Envoy to Yemen,” the statement said.
