Sanaa Source: Int'l coalition trying to evade crimes in Yemen
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A source in Yemen's Ministry of Foreign Affairs mocks the US Special Envoy for Yemen's statements supporting accountability for Yemen's war crimes and renews calls for forming an independent international committee.
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Yemenis attend a funeral of victims of a Saudi-led airstrike in Saada, Yemen, August 2018
An official source in the Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Sanaa government mocked the coalition countries and their supporters' attempts to evade their crimes in Yemen, which were evident in the statements made by US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking, that mention his country’s support for a new mandate from the United Nations to enhance accountability in Yemen.
The source confirmed in a statement to the Yemeni news agency Saba that what the US envoy said was "an attempt to enhance the image of the US administration, circumvent the facts on the ground, acquit the coalition before the international community, and portray the situation in Yemen as an internal conflict or civil war."
The source added that Linderking's statements come within the framework of the political maneuvers that precede the UN Security Council sessions on Yemen, which are held from time to time without the participation of Sanaa - the decision-maker.
The source pointed out that "the military and political leaders of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, followed by Washington, London, and a number of other capitals, are among the first who must not escape accountability for violations and crimes caused by the coalition in Yemen, which were carried out with logistical and intelligence support and weapons and ammunition supplied by the Pentagon, the British army, and a number of arms factories in Europe and elsewhere.”
In the statement, the source accused the United States of continuing to supply the Saudi coalition state with weapons to kill the Yemeni people, adding that "if it was sincere in what it claims, it would have ordered its apparatuses to stop the aggression and siege imposed on Yemen, which was declared by Washington."
Read more: US Arms in Saudi's Pool of Blood: The Yemeni Massacre
The source concluded the statement by renewing Sanaa’s request to form an independent international committee to hold accountable the perpetrators of those violations and war crimes against the Yemeni people, regardless of what positions they have in their countries.
On Friday, the United States confirmed its support for finding a United Nations mandate to enhance accountability in Yemen, as the US special envoy for Yemen said - in a video recording that coincided with the International Human Rights Day - that his country intends to resolve the conflict in Yemen.
