ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday said the recent US-Iran peace deal highlighted the value of diplomacy in resolving Middle East conflicts, adding it could also create an opening for renewed peace efforts in Yemen after years of war.
The comments came as Yemen, which has been mired in conflict since 2014, experiences a period of relative calm marked by the absence of major hostilities and attacks on commercial shipping in recent months.
Addressing a United Nations Security Council briefing on Yemen, Pakistan said the recent de-escalation demonstrated that a negotiated settlement remained achievable and urged the international community to seize the opportunity to advance a UN-led political process before fresh regional tensions undermine progress.
“Recent developments in the region have underscored both the dangers of escalation and the value of diplomacy,” Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, told the Security Council.
“The peace deal reached between the United States and Iran presents a welcome opportunity to reduce tensions and advance regional stability,” he added.
Ahmad said Yemen continued to face significant political, economic and humanitarian challenges but noted that recent developments showed that dialogue could deliver results.
“The important positive developments and the relative calm that has largely prevailed over the recent months, including the absence of major hostilities across fronts within the country and no attacks on commercial shipping, demonstrate that de-escalation is achievable and that a negotiated settlement is possible,” he said.
He called for renewed momentum behind a comprehensive political settlement, saying lasting peace could only emerge through a United Nations-facilitated, Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned process involving all stakeholders.
The Pakistani envoy also welcomed a recent agreement to exchange about 1,600 detainees and prisoners between the Houthis and Yemen’s government, describing it as an important confidence-building measure and evidence that meaningful progress was possible when diplomacy prevailed.
“We hope that this positive momentum will reverberate across the region and contribute to a more conducive environment for peace and renewed political engagement in Yemen, allowing its people to reap the dividends of stability and development,” Ahmad said.
He urged the Security Council to maintain a united and constructive role in support of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Yemen while calling for greater international assistance to address the country’s continuing humanitarian and economic challenges.
