Saudi support is a lifeline for Yemen’s state institutions, UN envoy tells Security Council
NEW YORK CITY: Yemen’s permanent representative to the UN, Abdullah Al-Saadi, told the Security Council on Thursday that Saudi Arabia’s sustained political, economic and humanitarian support has been essential in keeping state institutions functioning, even as he delivered a sweeping condemnation of the Houthis and their backers in Iran.
Briefing the council, the presidency of which is held by Denmark this month, Al-Saadi said Yemen’s state institutions “would not have been able to remain resilient and able to fulfill their obligations without the sincere fraternal support” of the Saudi leadership. He credited Riyadh with helping to preserve the cohesion of the institutions, alleviate humanitarian suffering, and funding “vital projects” that strengthened the country’s prospects for recovery.
Yemen’s tragedy “was not preordained by fate but rather was the outcome of the coup waged by the Houthi militias,” he said as he accused the militant group of choosing “chaos and war over the stability of the state; sectarianism over equal citizenship.”
The Houthis had “chosen to bet on the agendas of the Iranian regime, to the detriment of the Yemeni people and its aspiration for security, stability and dignity,” Al-Saadi added.
