On
Yemen, Saudi
Airstrikes
Begin Despite
Ban on
Militarization
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March
25 -- Three
days after the
UN Security
Council convened
on Yemen for a
rare Sunday
meeting on
March 22 and
issued only a
Presidential
Statement
against
outside
interference,
Saudi Arabia
reportedly began
airstrikes against
the Houthis
inside Yemen,
citing Article
51 of the UN
Charter.
Some ask: if
Abd-Rabbu
Mansour Hadi
can legally
call for and
get outside
countries'
intervention,
how it is
illegal for
Assad in Syria
to request and
get help from
Iran? What if
Ben Ali or
Mubarak had requested
other
countries'
airstrikes?
At the US
State
Department
briefing in
Washington,
outgoing
spokesperson
Jen Psaki
would only
confirm that
Hadi left his
residence --
"voluntarily"
-- while at
the UN in New
York Ban
Ki-moon's
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
cautioned against
increased
militarization
in Yemen.
Will the UN
Secretariat
criticize
Saudi Arabia
now?
On
CNN, they were
covering the
plane crash in
the French
Alps, calling
it breaking
news. Watch
this site.
On
March 24, Hadi
wrote again to
the Council
asking for a
resolution
under Chapter
VII of the UN
Charter.
If he were
really
president,
some asked,
would he need
it?
Hadi asked for
"the Security
Council to
issue a
binding
resolution
under Chapter
VII inviting
all willing
countries who
wish to to
provide
immediate
support;" he
also cited
al-Qaeda and
Daesh.
This is not
the way Iraq
did it.
On
March 23 the
foreign
minister of
Saudi Arabia
seemed to
express this
willingness.
(On March 24,
Saudi Arabia
spoke in the
UN Budget
Committee to
say same sex
relationship
are "morally
unacceptable;"
Yemen, perhaps
because of the
pending
request, did
not vote.)
Inner City
Press on
March 23 asked
the UN's
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq:
Inner
City Press:
there have
been two
statements I
wanted to ask
if there's any
response
to. One
is by the new
Foreign
Minister of
Yemen calling
for a no-fly
zone, making
this request
presumably to
the Arab
League, and
also from the
Foreign
Minister from
Saudi Arabia
saying they'll
take whatever
necessary
measures to
curb Houthi
advance.
So I’m just
wondering,
Jamal Benomar
said there is
no military
solution and
there should
be talks, but
is there any
response by
the UN to
these two
statements?
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq:
Well, in
general, like
I said at the
start of this
briefing, Mr.
Benomar did
urge all sides
in this time
of rising
tensions and
inflammatory
rhetoric to
appreciate the
gravity of the
situation and
de-escalate by
exercising
maximum
restraint,
ceasing all
hostilities
and refraining
from
provocation
and using
violence to
achieve
political
goals.
And that
remains our
standpoint as
a whole.
Regarding a
request to the
League of Arab
States, of
course, that
will be for
them to
consider
Call it
deferring.
After the
two-hour
closed door
meeting of the
Security
Council,
during which
Permanent Five
members'
Permanent
Representatives
drifted away
one by one, no
one came out
to the UN
Television
stakeout to
speak on the
record and
apparently
little new was
said behind
closed doors.
Hours after
the UN
Security
Council
scheduled the
emergency
meeting on
Yemen, the US
announced:
"Due
to the
deteriorating
security
situation in
Yemen, the
U.S.
Government has
temporarily
relocated its
remaining
personnel out
of
Yemen.
We have
informed
President Hadi
of this step
as part of our
close
coordination
with the
Yemeni
government.
We will
continue to
engage the
Yemeni people
and the
international
community to
strongly
support
Yemen’s
political
transition.
We also
continue to
actively
monitor
terrorist
threats
emanating from
Yemen and have
capabilities
postured in
the area to
address
them. As
we have in the
past, we will
take action to
disrupt
continuing,
imminent
threats to the
United States
and our
citizens.
"There is no
military
solution to
Yemen’s
current
crisis.
We urge the
immediate
cessation of
all unilateral
and offensive
military
actions.
We join all of
the other
members of the
Security
Council in
underscoring
that President
Hadi is the
legitimate
authority in
Yemen and
re-emphasize
our support
for his
efforts to
lead Yemen
through
crisis.
We call upon
the Houthis,
former
President Ali
Abdallah
Salih, and
their allies
to stop their
violent
incitement
that threatens
President
Hadi, Yemeni
government
officials, and
innocent
civilians.
"We encourage
all Yemeni
factions to
constructively
engage in the
UN-led
political
dialogue to
achieve an
inclusive
power sharing
agreement.
No unilateral
assertion of
authority will
succeed in
Yemen.
We urge a
renewed
commitment to
a peaceful
political
transition
consistent
with the Gulf
Cooperation
Council
Initiative,
the National
Dialogue
Conference
outcomes, and
relevant
United Nations
Security
Council
resolutions.
"We are
concerned that
the well-being
of all Yemenis
now stands
threatened by
increasing
instability,
with
extremists
trying to
capitalize on
growing
volatility as
witnessed in
the
unconscionable
March 20
attacks that
killed over
130 Yemeni
men, women,
and
children.
Progress in
the political
transition
process offers
Yemen the best
hope to
address these
grave
threats.
The United
States remains
committed to
supporting all
Yemenis in
this endeavor
and to aiding
those who
continue to
strive for a
peaceful,
prosperous,
and unified
Yemen."
Five weeks
after the last
Yemen
resolution of
the UN
Security
Council was
adopted on
Sunday,
February 15,
now on Sunday
March 22 the
Council held
another
emergency
meeting on
Yemen. Much
has changed,
most recently
airstrikes on
Hadi's
headquarters
in Aden and
more deadly
bombing of
largely Houthi
mosques in
Sana'a.
With less than
24 hours
notice on
March 21 the
new emergency
Security
Council
meeting was
reported by
the UN
Spokesperson,
Inner
City Press,
Lithuania,
Jordan which
requested the
meeting, and
France the
Council's
president for
March.
It was said
Hadi requested
the meeting;
some
speculated he
wants the
"Houthi coup"
language that
was dropped
from the
February 15
resolution
revived. But
with the
Houthis
themselves
targeted, how
would this
play? And if a
first round of
sanctions
didn't stop
these
developments,
would a second
round?
Update:
Sources tell
Inner City
Press that UN
envoy Jamal
Benomar
abruptly left
Yemen, and
that Hadi's
goal is to get
(more) UN
Security
Council
authorization
for military
action against
the Houthis
"and Saleh."
But he could
already claim
to be
authorized for
that. A
Presidential
Statement
doesn't mean
victory on the
ground,
though...
Update
II: a
question, of
course, is how
all this UN
Security
Council action
relates to its
P5+1 talks
with Iran on
the nuclear
file. Seems
the draft PRST
would call on
"all member
States to
refrain from
external
interference
which seeks to
foment
conflict and
instability
and instead to
support the
political
transition."
ALL member
states?
Including
Saudi Arabia
and Qatar? Or
only Iran?
On a cold
Sunday in New
York, the
UN Security
Council
scheduled a 5
pm vote on a
resolution on
Yemen. Diplomats
rushed in.
The Gulf
Cooperation
Council had
submitted a
draft with the
word "Houthi
coup" in it,
but the phrase
did not
survive.
After the
watered down
resolution was
adopted 15-0,
Inner City
Press asked
Saudi Arabia's
Permanent
Representative
about the
threat of new
sanctions,
given how
little
previous
sanctions on
Ali Saleh and
two Houthi
leaders
accomplished -
and, does he
think the
Houthis are
working with
Saleh? (Video
here and
embedded
below.)
He replied
that both are
spoilers, they
could work
together
directly or
indirectly.
The Gulf
Cooperation
Council will
be continuing
to push the
Security
Council, for
example on the
house arrest
of Hadi and
others.
Jordan's
Permanent
Representative
added that
come members
did not want
the word coup.
Inner
City Press
notes that
while Hadi
consented to
US drone
strikes, a
coup would
leave such
consent "up in
the air."
After
the diplomats
left, two
different
Arabic
language
channels
described what
had occurred
in entirely
different
terms: one as
a "strong
message," the
other as
"weak."
And so it
goes.
, 
