S/PV.3394 Security Council

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Yemen in which he requests to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council’s agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the discussion without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Yemen, document S/1994/764. Members of the Council also have before them document S/1994/772, which contains the text of a draft resolution prepared in the course of the Council’s prior consultations. I should like to draw the attention of the members of the Council to the following other documents: S/1994/761 and S/1994/762, letters dated 27 June 1994 from the Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General; and S/1994/763, letter dated 27 June 1994 from the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General.

It is my understanding that the Security Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it in document S/1994/772. If I hear There being no objection, it is so decided.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 931 (1994). I shall now call on those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

The civil war that has afflicted the Yemeni people for several weeks is creating an increasingly disturbing humanitarian situation and endangering the unity of the Republic of Yemen. The continued fighting is leading to ever more numerous deaths and the destruction of infrastructures. Daily life for the inhabitants of Aden is growing increasingly difficult and dangerous. A humanitarian disaster is brewing in that city. The Security Council has already appealed to the parties to end the fighting and enter into political dialogue, which should enable their dispute to be settled. We have requested the Secretary-General to strive to determine the facts in order to encourage the emergence of a prompt solution. My delegation wishes to express its unqualified support for the efforts made by the Secretary- General and his Special Envoy, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, since 1 June. The immediate cessation of the fighting and the establishment of a cease-fire monitoring mechanism are imperative priorities, and my Government has already had occasion to say so, without the least ambiguity, both to the Government of Yemen and to those who seek secession. It is an indispensable precondition for the resumption of political dialogue. My Government has informed the Secretary-General and the Yemen authorities that France’s participation in the monitoring mechanism could be favourably considered on condition that the In adopting this new resolution, the Security Council has affirmed that it is determined to contribute to the peaceful settlement of a dispute that is unleashing a humanitarian disaster and shaking the foundations of regional security. That is why our Council stresses the immediate cessation of military operations, in particular the shelling of Aden, and the distribution of the aid so urgently needed by the populations. My delegation stresses that the Security Council has sought to respect the freedom of action of the Secretary- General and of the parties by remaining as open as possible in defining the cease-fire monitoring mechanism at which it has arrived. On this point, the Council limits itself to extending the mandate of the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy and to requesting them to define, in agreement with the parties, a credible mechanism. That mechanism will accordingly be under United Nations auspices, but it will be up to the Secretary-General, in agreement with the interested parties, to choose the concrete manifestations of this very general principle. The Secretary-General and his Special Envoy are also requested to facilitate the resumption of political dialogue in Yemen. Indeed, my delegation believes that there is no military solution to the crisis. It is up to the people of Yemen to redefine the conditions of their coexistence. There are many constitutional formulas that can preserve union and the pursuance of the democratic process - goals to which the French authorities are deeply dedicated. Finally, my delegation wishes to stress the importance of the provision of this resolution by which we request an immediate cessation of the supply of arms and other matériel. It is crucial that all States refrain from contributing to the continued armed clashes by supplying the combatants with the means to that end. This will discourage them from entertaining the hope of a military solution and thus prolonging the suffering of the population. France welcomed hopefully the unification of Yemen that resulted from a referendum and democratic legislative elections, to which we lent our support. That is why the French Government encouraged dialogue between the parties when the initial difficulties erupted and participated in the joint military commission established by the Amman agreements. It is by overcoming the crises that beset it that a young nation comes into its own. It is up to the Sir David Hannay (United Kingdom): My Government is deeply concerned about the continuation of the fighting in Yemen. We attach great importance to the stability of this region. We regret the fact that it has not been possible to reach agreement yet on a durable cease-fire and that so many cease-fires have been proclaimed and as quickly ignored. We particularly deplore the continuing bombardment of Aden. The Security Council has already made clear in other contexts its attitude towards armies which surround population centres and lob in artillery shells, with the inevitable consequences in terms of civilian casualties, human suffering and damage to vital infrastructure. We strongly support the efforts of the Secretary- General and his Special Envoy, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, to resolve the crisis. The parties must cooperate with them. What is needed is early agreement on a cease-fire together with effective monitoring arrangements and resumption of the political dialogue. It is essential that the parties resume this political dialogue without any preconditions. It is clear that such a dialogue is the only way for them to resolve their political differences. The objective of neither side can be achieved by the use of force. My Government also believes that the United Nations should take urgent steps to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen, and in particular in Aden. We hope that the adoption of this resolution by the Security Council will demonstrate to the parties the seriousness with which the international community views the situation and that they will draw the appropriate conclusions. The best outcome of all would be if those concerned could reach immediate agreement on the three vital points - a cease-fire, the mechanism to sustain it and a resumed political dialogue - and could then set about implementing those agreements without more ado. The military assault on Aden continues. We repeat our call for the northern forces to cease attacks on Aden and in particular to withdraw their heavy weapons out of range of Aden. We are alarmed by reports of a northern ground offensive, renewed shelling of civilian areas and heavy casualties. We are further alarmed by the humanitarian situation in Yemen, including the interruption of water supplies to Aden and the potential outbreak of disease. All parties to the conflict should facilitate the efforts by the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other organizations to provide humanitarian assistance. Solutions born in chaos and violence are neither durable nor lasting. The Yemeni people are suffering the consequences of a failure of political will on the part of their leaders. Those responsible for the conflict must seek a resolution of their differences through political dialogue and negotiation. The United States regrets deeply that the crisis in Yemen has substantially set back laudable progress towards a broad-based Government distinguished by political pluralism, guarantees for basic civil and human rights, and free-market economic principles. My Government wishes to commend the courageous and diligent efforts of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, and his capable colleagues. This is not the first time that Mr. Brahimi has distinguished himself in the cause of regional peace and reconciliation. My Government has the greatest confidence in his ability and efforts and we urge other Governments to show the same support. Both parties have been meeting with Mr. Brahimi here. We urge them, in the strongest possible terms, to remain in New York to meet with Mr. Brahimi and with each other until they have reached agreement on a cease-fire and a monitoring mechanism. The Secretary-General, in his recent report on the situation in Yemen and Mr. Brahimi’s mission, has suggested that a mechanism be established to supervise a cease-fire in Yemen. The United States supports the concept of a mutually agreed mechanism reporting to the Secretary-General. In closing, I want to reiterate our appreciation and support for the United Nations role in bringing the parties together under the most difficult of circumstances. Mr. Brahimi has our strongest backing and our best wishes as he continues his challenging task.

As the armed conflict in Yemen is, unfortunately, not disappearing, according to information we are receiving, which has now been confirmed in the report of the Secretary-General (S/1994/764), the situation in and around Aden is particularly difficult. Over the last few days, it has been subjected to intensive artillery and missile fire. As is noted in the report, the military activities have spread to other areas that had not been affected up to 15 June. There have been many victims among the civilian population. The military blockade of Aden has made it more difficult to supply food, water and electricity to the city. Because of this situation, we must now swiftly implement Security Council resolution 924 (1994), which called on both parties immediately to cease fire and return to the negotiating table in order to permit a peaceful resolution of their differences and the restoration of peace and stability. In this connection, we regard it as particularly important that the Security Council has today adopted a resolution which emphasizes the importance of attaining these goals. Even more important, the resolution calls for the Secretary-General to continue his efforts, along with his Special Envoy, Mr. Brahimi, with a view to implementing a durable cease-fire and to the possible establishment of a mechanism acceptable to both sides, preferably involving countries of the region, to monitor and encourage respect for the cease-fire, and help to prevent violations of the cease-fire. There is also an appeal to establish conditions for making available Russia strongly supports the efforts undertaken by the world community, primarily here in the Security Council, with a view to normalizing the situation in Yemen and restoring a peaceful dialogue and establishing an appropriate mechanism for monitoring the cease-fire. I should like to report to the Security Council that today in Moscow a tripartite meeting was held today with Mr. Kozyrev, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; Mr. Mohamed Saleh, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Yemen; and Mr. Mohammed, a distinguished member of the Southern Yemen leadership. The meeting was held on the initiative of the Russian Minister and on the request of the two parties. Attention focused on the question of a cease-fire. All participants agreed that the conflict could not be solved militarily and that it was essential to reach a political settlement on the basis of Security Council resolution 924 (1994). It was agreed that contacts would continue, with Russian mediation and facilitation.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as representative of Oman. At the outset, I should like to mention that my country, Oman, enjoys excellent relations with our brothers in Yemen. Oman welcomed and blessed the declaration of unity on 22 May 1990 between the two parts of Yemen, because that was the choice and aspiration of the Yemeni people. My country has always considered that unity an important element for peace, stability, development and prosperity, not only for the brotherly people of Yemen but also for the region as a whole. Stemming from this understanding, Oman has exerted, on the highest levels, strenuous and sincere efforts to make that unity a successful and sustained one. Thus we sincerely tried to bridge the differences between the parties with a view to securing the lofty aspirations of the people of Yemen. We are quite dismayed to see that all those efforts and other similar efforts undertaken by other brotherly and friendly States, including those by the League of Arab States, did not yield the expected results. Oman will always support all efforts that serve the aspiration of the people of Yemen to stability, development and prosperity, and in this connection we support a unity that is based on mutual understanding and acceptance by the people of both parties in Yemen. Oman deeply regrets the continuation of this war. What it brings is dangerous and negative consequences, not only in Yemen but in the region as a whole. Oman is convinced that this war will not produce any winners. On the contrary, it will have one loser: the people of Yemen. Because of this conviction, my country has called on both parties, since the inception of the war, to arrive at an immediate cease-fire and resume political dialogue in order to achieve these goals. To save the lives of many innocent civilians in Yemen and to safeguard that country’s resources, Oman joined five other fraternal countries of the region in calling for the convening of a meeting of the Security Council at the beginning of this month in order to address the situation in Yemen. That meeting culminated in the adoption of resolution 924 (1994) on 1 June 1994. In that resolution, the Council called for an immediate cease-fire in Yemen and requested the parties to go back to the negotiating table as the most appropriate means of resolving their differences. We believe that the resolution was very balanced in its demands and that if it had been fully implemented by the parties it could have helped the people in Yemen achieve peace and would have allowed the parties to settle their differences. Once again, the Security Council has convened a meeting to address the situation in Yemen. In the resolution the Council has just adopted, we reiterate the same calls as those contained in resolution 924 (1994), and, given the worsening of the situation and the intensification of the war, especially the random shelling of Aden, the Council expresses its condemnation and calls on the forces surrounding Aden to withdraw and to position their heavy weapons at a distance where they will not constitute a threat to the city and its people. From this international forum, I appeal to all the leaders of Yemen to cooperate with the Secretary-General and his special envoy in order to implement this resolution, through which peace can be brought to their country. There are no further speakers. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on the agenda.