On
Yemen, Push on
GCC Draft by
Monday, US Didn't
Raise
Evacuations
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
4, with video
-- Amid
complaints by
Doctors
Without
Borders and
the International
Committee of
the Red Cross
that they
can't get
medical aid
into Yemen, an
urgent UN
Security
Council
meeting began
on Saturday
April 4 at 11
am, on a
proposal for
"humanitarian
pauses" -- and
evacuation.
Nearly an hour
after the
meeting broke
up, April's
Security
Council
president Dina
Kawar of
Jordan came to
the stakeout
and gave a
summary, or
two (as
President and
in her
national
capacity) and
took two
questions,
including one
from Inner
City Press
(the US did not
raise the
issue of evacuations
in the meeting).
Here's
what
Ambassador
Kawar said as
Jordan's
Ambassador:
“As
you know the
GCC has been
engaged for
some time on a
draft
resolution
that deals
with the
political
situation in
Yemen. We will
continue our
efforts to
reach a
consensus on
that. We
should not
forget the
root causes
that led to
the current
grave
situation and
humanitarian
situation in
Yemen is due
to the failure
of the
implementation
of Resolution
2201 by the
Houthis.”
“We just met.
We have
arranged for
meeting on the
side between a
few members of
the Council
and the GCC,
we are working
on that all
day today. We
hope that by
Monday we can
come up with
something.”
Inner City
Press asked
Kawar if any UN
Security
Council member
raised the
issue of
evacuations.
She said,
evacuations
are under way.
Inner City
Press asked if
the US had raised
the issue of
evacuations in
the meeting.
She said, No,
the US did not
raise it.
Video will be
on
UN.org/webcast.
Here
is what
Ambassador Kawar
said as UNSC
President:
“The
Council met
this morning
upon a request
from the
Russian
delegation.
The Council
members
reaffirmed
their views on
the importance
of the
full
implementation
of the
Security
Council's
resolutions on
Yemen in
particular
Resolution
2201. The
Council
members also
reiterated
their
concern over
the grave
humanitarian
situation that
Yemen has been
facing for a
while.
“The
Russian
delegation
circulated a
draft
resolution to
the Council
members
regarding
humanitarian
pauses in
Yemen and
expressed
concerns
over the
humanitarian
situation in
Yemen since a
long time. The
Council
members need
time to
reflect on the
Russian
proposal.”
Her
statement in
her national
capacity will
follow.
The meeting
ended at just
after noon at
12:30. Saudi
Arabia's
ambassador and
an entourage
arrived
outside the
Security
Council. Inner
City Press
asked him if
Saudi Arabia
has spoke with
the US about
allowing safe
evacuation of
Americans. He
replied that
Saudi Arabia
is cooperative.
Overall, the
Saudi ambassador
said that the
GCC draft resolution
is "more
comprehensive"
than what
Russia proposed,
and that he
hopes Russia
wouldn't veto
the GCC
proposal.
When the
meeting ended,
UK Deputy
Peter Wilson
said he'd
leave it to
the Presidency
- that is,
Jordan's Dina
Kawar - to say
what happened
as a result of
the meeting?
The UK's
Wilson on his
way into the
Security
Council said,
"we continue
to support the
Saudi-led
action in
Yemen... in
response to a
legitimate
request.”
Wilson said
the UK regrets
all casualties
and is
committed to
international
humanitarian
law including
access by
agencies to
deliver aid.
But, Wilson
said, “it is
extremely
important” to
note “how we
got to this
position.” He
said the
Houthis took
military
action, took
action by
force instead
of engage in
talks and
called for a
return to
“genuine
political
talks on an
equal basis.”
Despite being
called
"urgent,"
things were
surprisingly
low key.
Speaking on
the way into
the Council's
closed door
meeting were
the Permanent
Representatives
of Chad and
Nigeria, and
the Deputy
Permanent
Representatives
of Russia and,
as noted and
quoted above,
of the UK.
The Saudis, it
should be
noted, have
been
air-dropping
weapons and ammunition
into Yemen.
One might
think the
Security
Council would
want to get a
briefing from
the ICRC. But
they were not
here.
Soon it was
leaked --
presumably by
a Western
Permanent
Three members
of the
Security
Council --
that Russia
had tabled a
resolution.
This is how it
works, or
doesn't, at
the UN
Security
Council.
Beyond aid
getting in,
how might this
impact
people's
desire and
need to get
out?
Back on March
30 Inner
City Press
asked the US
State
Department if
any steps are
being taken to
evacuated
Yemeni
Americans.
On March 31 a
State
Department
official
provided Inner
City Press on
background
with this
answer:
"We
have no
current plans
to evacuate
private U.S.
citizens from
Yemen. We
continue to
watch the
situation
closely. The
protection and
safety of U.S.
citizens
overseas are
among our top
priorities."
Some of those
impacted,
including
Yemeni
Americans,
pointed out to
Inner City
Press that
other
countries, as
simply one
example
Pakistan which
is part of the
Saudi-led
coalition,
have done
evacuations.
This has been
followed by
India, China
and
others.
But not (yet?)
the US,
leading to the
campaign
#StuckInYemen.
We'll haver
more on this.
, 
