Yemen - Q&A - Excerpts from the daily press briefing (04.06.18)
Q – Isn’t there a risk that the humanitarian conference on Yemen co-chaired with Saudi Arabia might be compromised by the Saudi coalition’s offensive against the city of Al Hudaydah?
A – The urgency of the humanitarian situation in Yemen makes it crucial to hold the conference agreed on by the President of France and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. We are making preparations for this meeting, which will be held on June 27 and attended by representatives of the relevant states and international agencies.
This meeting must first deal with all of the difficulties linked to the access and distribution of aid for the Yemeni population. Access to the port of Al Hudaydah, which is vital to delivering commercial and humanitarian goods to civilian populations, will notably be discussed.
France reaffirms that all parties to the conflict are responsible for the protection of civilian populations and infrastructures as well as the complete, unconditional, and unhampered access to humanitarian aid.
It emphasizes that only a negotiated political solution will bring an end to the war in Yemen and an end to the deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in that country, and particularly in Al Hudaydah. The UN secretary-general’s special envoy is working with our full support on this solution which, when the time comes, will see the Yemeni parties resuming negotiations as swiftly as possible and without preconditions.