‘Arab coalition likely to pursue army solution to protect Yemenis’

ISLAMABAD: The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Pakistan, Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi, has said that Houthis failure in accepting a political solution and their repeated refusal to UN envoy’s proposals to vacate the port has forced the Arab coalition to pursue a military solution to protect innocent Yemeni civilians and to ensure a safe passage for aid shipments.

The ambassador, in a statement issued here on Thursday, maintained that the intervention of the Arab coalition in Yemen and the ongoing operations around Hodeida Port area are based on the request of the legitimate Yemeni government and in compliance with all relevant UN Security Council resolutions on the crisis, including UN Security Council Resolutions 2216, 2204, 2201, 2140.

He affirmed that Arab coalition operations to liberate Hodeida are aimed at allowing Yemen’s legitimate government to restore security and stability to the strategic port and to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the country and to break the deadlock in the political process.

Houthi militias have exploited Hadeida Port to prolong the war and the suffering of the Yemeni people by using the port to smuggle Iranian supplied arms and ballistic missiles into the country to target Saudi cities, including Haram Sharif in the two Holy cities of Makkah and Madinatul Munawwra , and misusing the port’s revenues to enhance their ongoing brutal militancy campaign, he explained.

Al Zaabi further said that Houthi’s mismanagement of the port and seizure of humanitarian supplies has had a catastrophic impact on the humanitarian situation in Yemen. While the coalition’s aid shipments have frequently been confiscated by militias and found their way to the black market, this has not derailed the coalition’s commitment to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

The ambassador also explained that in light of the Houthis failure to accept a political solution and their repeated refusal to UN envoy’s proposals to hand over the port, the Arab coalition had no option but to pursue a military solution. Hamad Al Zaabi assured that the Arab coalition remains committed to working with the international community to ensure that the port’s liberation will have an immediate impact on increasing the volume of much needed humanitarian aid to the country.

He stated that the Hodeida Port remains open to shipping and besides, the coalition aid which exceeded $14 billion to Yemen, it will continue to work with aid agencies on the ground to ensure that once the port is liberated we will quickly increase the capacity of the port and the amount of aid flowing through it."