Remarks by Dmitry Polyanskiy, Chargé d’Affaires of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, following UNSC consultations on Yemen
I was entitled to read following press elements on behalf of the members of the Security Council.
1. The members of the Security Council continue to follow developments in Yemen closely. They were briefed for the third time over the past week by DPA and OCHA and praised the ongoing efforts on UN staff on the ground.
2. They noted that the Special Envoy’s efforts on Hodeidah remained ongoing and they asked to be kept updated in real time.
3. They reiterated their call for the Ports of Hodeidah and Saleef to be kept open and operating safely given the continuing risk to the humanitarian situation.
4. They reiterated their call for the full implementation of Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2216, and urged all sides to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.
5. They welcomed the briefing from the Special Envoy on his proposals to restart the political process, reaffirmed their full support for his efforts and underlined that a political solution remained the only way to end the conflict in Yemen.
Thank you very much.
Q: Can you tell us something about what Martin Griffiths briefed you? And whether in your national capacity you find this plan workable? And would you expect the direct negotiations to start between the different Yemeni fractions?
A: He briefed us on the situation which is very disturbing. Everybody shares the concerns of Mr. Lowcock and Mr. Griffiths. And we are planning to work together to help the United Nations. We also state, in the press elements that the political solution remains the only way to end the war. That is the basis for our efforts and everybody shares this.
Q: What about the plan that has been presented during this briefing, is it about a comprehensive peace in Yemen?
A: That is the common position that was adopted after Mr. Griffiths presented his plan.
Q: Did Mr. Griffiths ask you to help in freezing the military escalation in Hodeidah?
A: Well, we all hope that nothing terrible will happen further in Hodeidah. That is our shared analysis of the situation. But well, what is happening on the ground is happening.
Q.: What’s Russia’s position on Hodeidah port? Who should control the port? Do you think the UN should be in charge or it is up to the fighting parties to decide who is in control on the ground?
A.: We think that it is critical that this port should continue to be used for the delivering of humanitarian aid. That’s the basic point.
Q.: Do you think it is time for the Security Council to take up another resolution? Is the Security Council up for responsibility?
A.: I think we are doing what we can at this stage. All the options are open but for the time being we are monitoring the situation. We are supporting efforts of Mr. Griffiths and Mr. Lowcock and we will see what we can do in the future.
Q.: Did Mr. Lowcock say that the port was still operating and at what capacity? And on the plan that Mr. Griffiths presented. Could you give us any details at all: is it like steps, did they have any kind of a timeframe?
A.: The port continues to operate for the time being. That was confirmed by Mr. Griffiths. It is difficult to speak about a timeframe. The political moves that are being proposed are being supported by us. We remain in consultations with him. But the situation now is very volatile I would say. So I would prefer not to dwell into details at this point.
Q.: Framework for peace talks goes ahead while there is a military operation in Hodeida?
A.: We have all our faith in Mr. Griffiths.
Q.: Who is the main protagonist in the decision to go forward with the moves on Hodeidah? Is it more of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, or Yemen?
A.: Actually, we did not discuss it. It was not the topic of our consultations. I don’t think I am entitled to speak about it. Thank you.
Q.: Did Mr. Griffiths brief you on how these negotiations are going in terms of evacuating city or the ports and what is his stance?
A.: He is still confident and we support him.
Q: I want to ask about any progress in these talks, because also he has two proposals. One on Hodeidah and one on political process. Do you see that there is any progress on both tracks?
A: We hope that he will succeed. So we have all the hope in him, and we give him all the support. Let’s wait some time and see what will come out of this.
Q: Is he going to Abu Dhabi? What is he doing?
A: He did not mention it to us but he has all the authority to make all the steps that he finds necessary within the scope of mandate. Thank you.
