[26/09/2024 05:10]

NEW YORK - SABA
His Excellency President Dr. Rashad al-Alim, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) said the path to the regional peace starts by supporting the national states, which are members of the UN and the moderate forces in the region led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and endorsing an integrated deterrence strategy against the terrorist militias and organizations.

Speaking at the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly today, Thursday, His Excellency called for a collective international approach to support the Yemeni government and strengthen its institutional capabilities for protecting its territorial waters and securing its entire national territory.

The President reiterated the commitment of the government to the approach of the fair and comprehensive peace that is based on the national, regional and international references, at the meantime he stressed that it is very necessary to enhance the governmental position to deal with any other options in view of the Houthi militias' persistent escalation at both national and regional levels.

His Excellency warned that the continued leniency of the international position towards these militias, as the status quo today, portends a greater threat to international peace and security.

He added "To prevent the expansion and sustainability of this escalation, there is a pressing need for a collective approach to support the Yemeni government and strengthen its institutional capacity for protecting its territorial waters and securing its entire national territory."

Without addressing these pressing needs, implementing the international resolutions related to banning the flow of Iranian weapons, and drying up sources of funding, the militias will never deal with any efforts to achieve a comprehensive and fair peace, and won't not stop blackmailing the regional and international communities, the President stressed.

The Chairman of the PLC expressed his own gratitude, the PLC's members' and the government's for the unity of the international community and its position in support of Yemen and its people, however, he called for transforming that position into actions and measures consistent with the magnitude of the dangers facing our country, our region and international peace and security.

His Excellency cited that history teaches us that leniency with the enemies of peace is the beginning of the most heinous, costly and complex wars.

He explained " Despite the truce agreed to by the government in April 2022, the Houthi militias have continued their military violations, gross violations of human rights, national and international laws".

In this context, the President pointed out that in October 2022, the Houthi militias bombed oil export ports in the governorates of Hadramout and Shabwa, which deprived the Yemeni people of the revenues necessary to pay salaries and basic services, further exacerbated human suffering and the deterioration of the national currency to unprecedented levels.

The President also pointed to the Yemeni government's decision to freeze its recent resolutions related to the relocation of banks headquarters from Sana'a, which is under the control of the militias, to the interim capital of Aden, in response to the request of the UN and the international community to reduce the escalation, provided that the Houthis participate in serious talks to address economic crises, especially the currency crisis, in an effort to revive peace efforts under a roadmap mediated by the brothers in Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman.

His Excellency added "However, the militias responded by hijacking three of the Yemenia Airways planes, attacking the Safer oil facility in Marib governorate with drones and enacting racist laws and regulations to concentrate public job in a certain category of their loyal gunmen, foremost of which is the judiciary, which indicates more repressive measures expected against public freedoms and civil work".

The Chairman of the PLC stated that the continuation of this pattern of reckless escalation in response to the truce and the initiatives offered by the government for more than two decades, requires the international community to take firm policies to push the militias towards peace efforts in accordance with the international references, especially the UNSC resolution 2216, instead of the militias useless escalation.

In his speech, President al-Alimi touched on the Houthis' grave violations of human rights, including the recent arrests of dozens of the UN's employees, besides thousands of innocent women, children, youth, and the elderly who have been enforced disappeared in the militias' prisons for years, foremost of which is the veteran politician Mohammed Qahtan, who is covered by the UN Security Council resolution.

He also cited the serious repercussions of the Houthi militias' continued escalation of their terrorist attacks on the global trade movement in the Red Sea and the surrounding waterways.

His Excellency asserted that the Houthi militias today pose an increasingly growing threat not only to the interior of Yemen, as some believed a decade ago, but also to the stability of the entire region and the safe flow of international trade exceeding one trillion dollars, and today it is consolidating its position as the first rebellious group in history to use ballistic missiles and drones against civilian commercial ships.

The Chairman of the PLC pointed out to the chronic economic challenges that further deepened by the Houthi terrorist attacks on oil facilities, noting that the economic war waged by the militias is part of a broader hostile strategy aimed at undermining the government's ability to provide basic services and pay public sector salaries, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis of more than 14 million Yemenis.

President al-Alimi viewed Yemen's recovery is not just a national issue, but also a regional and global need, as Yemen's stability is crucial to maintaining peace, the security of the region, trade routes in the Red Sea, the Arab Sea and the surrounding waterways including the Suez Canal.

At the Arab and regional level, the Chairman of the PLC reiterated that the brutal Israeli war on the Palestinian people must stop immediately, as this is the key to the desired peace and the entrance to lifting the lid on the pretexts of Iran and its proxies to aggravate the situation in the region.

President al-Alimi asserted that the way to end the suffering of the Palestinian people must be based on the enforcement of the international resolutions and the relevant references, in particular the Arab Peace Initiative.

He said "As in the case of Yemen and Palestine, the only way to deter the brutal Israeli aggression against Lebanon will be through a firm stance by the international community, the unity of the Lebanese themselves, the independence of their decision and non-interference in the internal affairs of their country".

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