JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the US urged the United Nations on Thursday to take the Houthi militia to task for “reneging on their commitments” under the Stockholm Agreement on Yemen.
“The Stockholm Agreement between Yemeni parties is being violated repeatedly by the Houthis,” Prince Khalid bin Salman said in a series of tweets.
He said the Yemeni government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the Saudi-led Coalition that is backing it have been implementing their obligation under the agreement.
Signed last December in Stockholm, Sweden, the agreement is an important first step for sustainable peace and offers hope for millions of Yemenis.
Soldiers inspect the scene of a Houthi drone attack at Yemeni government military parade in al-Anad air base, Lahaj province, Yemen on January 10, 2019. (REUTERS)
“(But) it takes two sides to make it work, so far, the Iran-backed Houthi militia seems determined to uphold the misery and suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people,” Prince Khalid said.
“Not only did the Houthis refuse to implement the Stockholm agreement, which they signed to, but they also went beyond that and continued their armed assault including drone attacks, the shelling of residential neighborhoods & launching a ballistic missile towards KSA,” he tweeted.
He also pointed to the attack on Jan. 17 that targeted a UN convoy in Yemen's port city of Hodeidah, which was blamed on Houthis.
"The Iran-backed militia displayed its contempt for peace by attempting to target a UN convoy, this is a reminder that we are dealing with a lawless militia that does not care about peace or the fate of millions of Yemenis," the envoy said.
He said the UN should "name the party that failed to uphold basic confidence building measures leading up to the Stockholm agreement, and clearly identify who is responsible for the attack on the armored vehicle that was carrying chief UN monitor Patrick Cammaert."
