Yemen (15 May 2019)
France welcomes the announcement by the UN of the start of operations to redeploy the forces present along the west coast of Yemen, in the ports of Salif, Ras-Issa and Hodeidah.
These movements are an encouraging sign in terms of the implementation of the agreements reached between the Yemeni parties in Stockholm on December 13, 2018. We reaffirm our support for the United Nations Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), whose presence on the ground is key to monitoring and facilitating the redeployment, as provided for by UNSCR 2452 (2019).
France calls on all of the parties to uphold their commitments and to fully implement the redeployment, including with respect to the city of Hodeidah. Compliance with these commitments by all parties is critical to allowing the delivery of humanitarian assistance, which the Yemeni population desperately needs.
At the same time, France strongly condemns the drone attacks against Saudi oil facilities, for which the Houthis have claimed responsibility. These attacks, which undermine Saudi Arabia’s security and the stability of the region, are unacceptable. France calls on all parties to refrain from any escalation that could jeopardize the political process aimed at resolving the Yemeni crisis.
The resumption of discussions on a comprehensive and inclusive political agreement, taking the diversity of Yemeni actors into account, offers the only real prospect of putting an end to the conflict in Yemen. To that end, France renews its support for the mediation efforts of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.