Switzerland: War in Yemen is 'eminently resolvable' - UN Special Envoy for Yemen

W/S Briefing room
SOT, Martin Griffiths, UN Special Envoy for Yemen: "I believe that this war in Yemen is eminently resolvable. I believe that the diplomatic consensus, whether in the council, or growing diplomatic consensus in the region towards resolving it politically is in our favour."
M/S Briefing room *CUTAWAY*
M/S Reporters *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Martin Griffiths, UN Special Envoy for Yemen: "So it's, I think, quite remarkable, and unexpected in some ways, that this time that has elapsed since December 13th, that we are still observing commitment from both sides to make what they agreed in Stockholm happen despite all the difficulties."
W/S Reporters *CUTAWAY*
C/U Reporter *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Martin Griffiths, UN Special Envoy for Yemen: "The longer this goes on, not only is it that the longer that people will die from hunger and conflict, but that the solution becomes more difficult."
C/U Griffiths *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Martin Griffiths, UN Special Envoy for Yemen: "Yemen has its own problems, and the prospects of it becoming involved in or part of a possible regional conflict hardly bears examination. One of the things therefore we are spending a lot of time in doing is trying to see how we can stop that through various measures of de-escalation."
M/S Reporters *CUTAWAY*
M/S Griffiths *CUTAWAY*
W/S Palais des Nations, Geneva
SCRIPT
United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths told reporters that the war in Yemen is 'eminently resolvable' at the UN Geneva headquarters, on Tuesday.
Calling it ''quite remarkable, and unexpected',' Griffiths expressed his contempt with the commitment shown to the Stockholm Agreement by the warring Yemeni parties, in which they agreed to a cease-fire in December 2018.
Griffiths however, did not eliminate the possibility of an escalated regional conflict, calling for swift action in the face of critical humanitarian conditions; "The longer this goes on, not only is it that the longer people will die from hunger and conflict, but that the solution becomes more difficult."
The conflict in Yemen, which began in March 2015 with a Saudi-Arabia-led coalition bombing campaign to oust the the Houthis and reinstate the former leader Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, has killed tens of thousands and left the country's economy in ruins. According to recent UN reports, almost 80 per cent of the Yemeni population - some 24 million people - are in need of assistance and protection, with millions facing starvation.
Mandatory Credit: UNTV