S/PV.8190 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them documents S/2018/156 and S/2018/157, which contain the texts of two draft resolutions, respectively. I now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements before the voting.

The Security Council has long recognized that the situation in Yemen threatens international peace and security. It has caused the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, which gets worse by the day. The conflict creates ungoverned spaces in which terrorists can operate, poses security threats to countries in the region and international shipping, and fuels regional tensions. While international attention is rightly focused on the horror that continues to unfold in Syria, the Council must not ignore the appalling situation in Yemen. We have a duty to respond, using all the tools at our disposal. We must show unity of effort and purpose to put an end to this terrible and destabilizing conflict. That is why we have submitted draft resolution S/2018/156, which is before us today. The United Nations sanctions regime is a critical tool that we must use to pressurize the individuals and organizations bent on undermining peace and security in Yemen. We welcome the work of the Panel of Experts, which has played a key role in supporting the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014) in carrying out its mandate, including through the provision of recommendations regarding the implementation of measures decided upon in resolutions 2140 (2014) and 2216 (2015). It is vital that the Panel’s work continue. Furthermore, we in the Council must not ignore the growing ballistic-missile threat emanating from Yemen, which gravely threatens international peace and security. Attacks such as those launched on 22 July, 4 November and 19 December against civilian targets in Saudi Arabia are unacceptable. They undermine the prospects for peace, prolong the conflict and put civilian lives at risk. The Council must speak out with a united voice against such attacks. We can do this by voting in favour of the draft resolution before us today, which strongly condemns these attacks. The United Kingdom is deeply concerned about the fact that Iran failed to take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of short-range ballistic missiles, missile propellant and unmanned aerial vehicles to what was then the Houthi- Saleh alliance, as reported by the Panel of Experts. We agree with the Panel’s assessment that in the light of that, Iran is in non-compliance with paragraph 14 of resolution 2216 (2015). Iran, and other States that violate Security Council resolutions, must be held accountable for it. The Council must stand firm in the face of non-compliance by States and send a clear message that it will not be tolerated. That is what the Charter of the United Nations demands from us — respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law. We are also deeply concerned about the growing humanitarian crisis in Yemen. A record 22.2 million people are now in need of assistance, which is 3.4 million more than last year. Last year’s United Nations humanitarian appeal was only 70 per cent funded, and this year’s appeal stands at $2.96 billion. We encourage all Member States to respond fully to it. Restrictions on vital humanitarian access continue to be imposed by all the parties to the conflict. The United Nations Panel of Experts has made the impact of access restrictions on the people of Yemen clear. Draft resolution S/2018/156, which the members of the Council have before them, therefore calls for full and unfettered access for humanitarian and commercial cargo through all of Yemen’s ports, including Hudaydah and Salif, and for supplies to be increased beyond pre-November levels. This is an important year. With a new United Nations Special Envoy in place, it is vital that the international community redouble its efforts to achieve a political solution to the conflict. We call on all the parties to the conflict to resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation, and to refrain from provocation. Until an enduring political settlement is reached, we must maintain the sanctions regime in order to deter those who would otherwise use violence to achieve their political aims. The United Kingdom has worked hard with all Council members in order to reach consensus on a draft resolution that responds to our concern about all the ongoing political, security, economic and humanitarian challenges in Yemen, and the threats arising from the illicit transfer and misuse of weapons. Today we spent more than five hours in detailed talks with delegations, and we have proposed a number of compromises. I am personally grateful for the patience that everyone has showed today. We have tried to agree on a text that provides a balanced and impartial assessment of the situation in Yemen but that does not shy away from calling out those whose actions undermine international peace and security. Today we must show that we in the Council are united against a threat to Yemen’s future. We must also send a clear message that we support the independence and integrity of the Panel of Experts. We in the Council rely on those independent expert international panels. We may not always like all of their reports, and we may find their conclusions politically inconvenient, but if we want the United Nations to function, we should support them in their work. Those who do not vote in favour of the draft resolution today are preventing us from sending a clear message to those who seek to undermine peace and security in Yemen and the region beyond. They are also failing in their duty to do all they can to uphold the international rules-based system and hold States that violate resolutions agreed on by the Council to account. With that in mind, I strongly urge everyone here to vote in favour of the draft resolution.

The Russian Federation will not be able to support draft resolution S/2018/156, proposed by our British colleagues, on the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to paragraph 19 of resolution 2140 (2014) on sanctions against Yemen, but we do not want any misunderstanding in that regard. While we fully endorse the majority of the draft resolution’s provisions, we cannot concur with its unconfirmed conclusions and evidence, which will require verification and discussion by the Sanctions Committee. We agree with extending the embargo, and we did everything we could to achieve adoption of the draft resolution today, without proposing even a single compromise on the wording. Unfortunately, however, we were unable to get there. We are generally in principle against a politicized approach to the technical rollover of the Sanctions Committee’s Panel of Experts, one whereby their assistance is used to decide neither technical nor expertise issues but geopolitical ones, at a time when the situation in Yemen is far more complicated than the frequent attempts to lead us to believe otherwise would have it. Incidentally, we spoke about the importance of continuing such expert work just three days ago, when the Russian Federation sent a request to the Secretariat to clarify certain details regarding the use of arms in Yemen to which we have not yet had an answer. During the expert consultations we — and we were not the only ones — clearly explained our disagreement with a number of provisions in the draft resolution based on selective and contentious conclusions of the Panel of Experts. I should point out that during the discussion of the final report of the Sanctions Committee, there was no consensus-based approach. We tried to convey to our colleagues that assessing the conclusions of the Panel of Experts before the 2140 Committee has formulated a final evaluation of them is wrong and premature. Unfortunately, our concerns, which we know are shared by many delegations, were disregarded. Voting on a draft resolution that does not have the approval of all of its members divides the Security Council at a time when it desperately needs unity. To be blunt, the wording of the draft resolution proposed by the United Kingdom could have seriously destabilizing consequences, not just for the situation in Yemen but for the entire region, which would inevitably escalate regional tensions and opposition among key players. We have frequently said that we see a grave danger in playing fast and loose with geopolitical cards, and that includes the highly volatile relations between Sunni and Shiite within the Islamic world. Rather than making relations in the Middle East more antagonistic, we should be taking steps aimed at reaching agreement through mutually respectful dialogue. We have repeatedly proposed an alternative and viable plan for united action that assumes that the focus should be, not on sanctions or pressure, but on genuinely concerted efforts to seek ways to resolve crisis situations. We should begin by coming up with ways to launch a dialogue. The Russian Federation previously proposed an initiative for starting inclusive regional discussions on confidence- and security-building in the region of the Persian Gulf. The course of events has shown that such a format would be valuable for the entire Middle Eastern region as well. Security should be reciprocal, regional and indivisible. We should also point out that the potential of resolution 598 (1987) is still unrealized. It directs the Secretary-General to work collaboratively with all interested parties to devise an architecture for security in the region. In order to avoid undermining the Security Council’s unity, its resolutions should be unpolitical and predominantly technical in nature. We support extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts. However, provisions that can potentially lead to action under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations must be rooted in verified facts. The Committee should be given more information, and in that regard the Panel’s work should continue. As an alternative, therefore, we propose adopting a technical draft resolution on extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Sanctions Committee for Yemen that we request be put to a vote today.

The Council is now ready to vote on the two draft resolutions. I shall first put to the vote the draft resolution contained in document S/2018/156, submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The draft resolution received 11 votes in favour, 2 votes against and 2 abstentions. The draft resolution has not been adopted, owing to the negative vote of a permanent member of the Council. I shall now put to the draft resolution contained in document S/2018/157, submitted by the Russian Federation.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2402 (2018). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting.

Today, Russia accused the majority of the Security Council of attempting to destabilize the region by supporting the United Kingdom’s draft resolution (S/2018/156). This is perverse, when in fact Russia’s veto today serves only to protect Iran’s efforts to destabilize the region and spread its malign influence. The Security Council’s failure to pass the United Kingdom draft resolution today has set back our collective efforts to promote peace in Yemen. Not all Member States are responsible for this egregious failure, but we will all have to deal with its consequences — continuing conflict and suffering in Yemen and the possibility of a wider war in the region. The report of the Security Council’s Panel of Experts on Yemen (see S/2018/68) has laid out in devastating detail the evidence of Iran’s ongoing destructive defiance of the Security Council’s resolutions. The Panel has found significant evidence that Iran has violated the Yemen arms embargo established by the Council in 2015 in resolution 2216 (2015). Iran failed to prevent the transfer of ballistic missiles, related military equipment and unmanned aerial-vehicle technology to the Houthi militants. And how did the Panel know? It knew because the ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis, which struck near civilian areas in Saudi Arabia, were found to be Iranian origin. As the United States intelligence community has long known, Iranian weapons are getting into the hands of Yemeni militias, and these militias are using them to target the capitals of Yemen’s neighbours. In response, the United Kingdom’s draft resolution was a simple common-sense one. It called out Iran for giving the Houthis the tools to threaten Yemen’s neighbours and to threaten freedom of navigation through the Red Sea. But this common-sense attempt to hold Iran accountable has failed, and all members of the Council should be aware of the potential consequences. The Panel of Experts warned that the Houthis’ use of ballistic missiles against Saudi Arabia has “the potential to turn a local conflict into a broader regional one” (S/2018/68, p. 2). In the Council, we talk a lot about using preventive diplomacy. It is in fact how we fulfil the mandate of the Charter of the United Nations to maintain peace and security. Today, preventive diplomacy has failed. We have rolled over the sanctions but we have not targeted the party that is destabilizing Yemen. The principles of the United Nations Charter have been betrayed and, as a result, the world is a step closer to a worsening confrontation in the Middle East. Our partners have spoken often about their desire to address the Iranian regime’s regional misbehaviour in the context of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. We thank those members of the Council who stood by this commitment today. Their votes in support of the United Kingdom draft resolution sent the clear message that they expect Iran to live up to its international obligations. Russia, Bolivia, China and Kazakhstan sent an opposite but equally clear message. Instead of demanding accountability from Iran, they decided to shield Iran from responsibility. Instead of protecting their fellow Member States, they have declined to step in and defend partners like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. And instead of insisting that Iran live up to its international obligations, they have invited Iran to continue promoting chaos in the Middle East. Their actions will not be forgotten, nor will they go unanswered. Today’s vote was a deep disappointment, but this is far from the end of the road to accountability for Iran. Across the region, Iran is entrenching itself. We see this in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. It is flouting its obligations under multiple Security Council resolutions as we speak, and it is making the world a more dangerous place. We will not hesitate to continue to make the world aware of Iran’s misdeeds, and we will not stop until Teheran is stopped and peace is once more possible for the people of the Middle East.

France welcomes the adoption of resolution 2402 (2018), which renews the Yemen sanctions regime. I would like to thank the United Kingdom, as penholder, for its efforts and commitment to seeking a consensus to renew the sanctions regime. We regret that it was not possible to reach consensus on the its draft resolution. As we have repeatedly said to all our Security Council partners, France’s priority was to renew the sanctions regime. That is why we voted in favour of a technical renewal of resolution 2140 (2014). It was essential that the sanctions regime be maintained and that the Panel of Experts be renewed so that it could continue its work in the coming year. We have already expressed our concern at the conclusions of the report of the Panel of Experts on Yemen (see S/2018/68), which states that Iran is in non-compliance with the arms embargo imposed by resolution 2216 (2015). We have also expressed our deep concern about the Houthis’ ballistic-missile launches into Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea, which we have repeatedly condemned. I would like to be very clear on this point. We strongly condemn Iran’s failure to comply with its international obligations under resolution 2216 (2015), which requires it to take all necessary measures to prevent the supply, sale or transfer — direct or indirect — of missiles and their components, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, for the benefit of individuals and entities subject to United Nations sanctions, in particular the Houthis. France will continue to be mobilized on the issue of transfers of ballistic technology and equipment in the region in the coming months. As the report of the Panel of Experts also shows, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in a very worrying manner. We are very concerned about the Panel’s report on the massive violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law that have been committed. Continued fighting and strikes have resulted in the deaths of many civilians and injured many others. Yemen is in a situation of extreme humanitarian emergency, with severe food insecurity, and lack of desperately needed basic necessities and a severely affected health sector. The coalition’s humanitarian plan is a positive first step that should be welcomed and put in place in full coordination with the United Nations and non-governmental organizations. Our priority must remain to address the crisis, which is among the most serious in the world, by ensuring full, secure and unhindered humanitarian access to the affected populations in all governorates of Yemen. Finally, in parallel with our commitment to the humanitarian aspect, we must remain mobilized to launch new essential political momentum. The appointment of the new Special Envoy of the Secretary- General on Yemen, Martin Griffiths, provides an opportunity for all parties to meaningfully re-engage in the negotiations without preconditions. Furthermore, we must continue to convey to regional actors the message of the need for a responsible and constructive role in Yemen. The goal of us all must remain to achieve a lasting cessation of hostilities and, in support of the United Nations mediation, to encourage the parties to resume the dialogue with a view to a comprehensive and inclusive political agreement that respects the territorial integrity of the country. The unity of the Council in that regard is crucial. Individually and collectively, we each have a important role to play to that end.

Recently, the situation in Yemen has further deteriorated with the stalled political process, a protracted military conflict and the dire humanitarian situation. China is deeply concerned about the current situation in Yemen. We call on the international community to step up its mediation efforts in order to impel the Yemeni parties to cease hostilities and to resume the negotiations for a political settlement so that peace, security and stability can be restored in Yemen as soon as possible. The renewal of the Security Council targeted sanctions on Yemen and the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts on Yemen can help to advance the political resolution of the issue, strengthen the international effort to facilitate peace, and serve the interests of both Yemen and the countries of the region. China therefore firmly supports the renewal of the targeted sanctions and the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts. Resolution 2402 (2018), which was submitted by the Russian Federation and has just been adopted by the Security Council, decides to renew the targeted sanctions and to extend the mandate of the Panel of Experts for one year. China welcomes the adoption of the resolution, for which it voted in favour. The resolution reflects the broadest possible consensus within the Security Council. It can help to advance the political resolution of the issue and to strengthen the efforts of the international community. It serves the interests of both Yemen and the countries of the region. Draft resolution S/2018/156, submitted by the United Kingdom, proposes renewing the targeted sanctions and extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts for a year. That reflects the consensus among the members of the Council, which we welcome. Meanwhile, there remain significant differences and disagreement among the members of the Council on some elements of the draft resolution. We believe that the matter under consideration is extremely complex and delicate. It is inadvisable for the Council to reach a hasty conclusion in the absence of adequate evidence. We believe that the members of the Council should patiently continue consultations, meet each other half way, strive to achieve consensus and maintain the unity of the Council so as to give full play to the sanctions mechanism and to advance a political solution. China has always held an objective and impartial position on the question of Yemen. We do not have a hidden agenda. We support the unity, sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Yemen. We believe that a political solution is the only way to achieve lasting peace in Yemen. We call on all parties to support the United Nations mediation efforts and to promptly reach an inclusive solution through dialogue and negotiation on the basis of the relevant Security Council resolutions, the initiative of the Gulf Cooperation Council, its means of implementation and the outcome of the National Dialogue Conference. We hope that the countries of the region can overcome their differences through dialogue and negotiation. China voted on draft resolutions S/2018/156 and S/2018/157 on the basis of the consistent position that I have just outlined. We were actively engaged in the consultations, having played a constructive role through our tireless efforts towards building consensus. We regret that some countries have made unfounded accusations against the principled positions of other countries, despite the facts. Such practices, which will not help to resolve the issue under consideration or to preserve the unity of the Council, are totally unacceptable to us.

We would like to thank the delegation of the United Kingdom, in its capacity as penholder for issues relating to Yemen, for its efforts to reach a compromise acceptable to all members of the Council on the renewal of the relevant sanctions regime. Our support for the two draft resolutions (S/2018/156 and S/2018/157) that we considered is based primarily on our conviction of the importance of preserving the aforementioned sanctions regime in order to contribute to ending the conflict and the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. We believe that it is necessary to deter and to limit the capacity for action of the individuals or entities that threaten peace, security and stability in that country in order to promote the achievement of a political solution. We are committed to that, in particular since the Council has entrusted us with the responsibility of chairing the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014). That is a task that we hope to fulfil with equanimity and impartiality, working constructively with all the members of the Council. In that regard, we emphasize the importance of always considering developments in Yemen in a balanced way, with respect for due process and on the basis of the available evidence. Peru condemns the launching of missiles against the territory of Saudi Arabia, among various other equally condemnable events and actions that are also mentioned in the most recent report of the Panel of Experts on Yemen (see S/2018/68), some of which have serious humanitarian consequences on the territory of Yemen. We believe that, in that context, it is essential to ensure that the Panel of Experts can continue to conduct impartial and detailed assessments on the implementation of the sanctions regime and on the current situation on the ground for the due consideration of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014) and of the Council. We also believe that it is necessary to provide all necessary means to the new Special Envoy and to support him in his difficult task of re-establishing dialogue and trust among all the parties involved in the conflict.

Bolivia voted against draft resolution S/2018/156, submitted by the United Kingdom, because during the only consultations the draft resolution did not enjoy the support of all the members of the Council and, despite the repeated remarks and concerns expressed, including breaking the silence, such considerations were not taken into account. In addition, before today’s meeting, Bolivia supported the proposal of a technical rollover that would make it possible to overcome the impasse. Bolivia will not apologize to anyone for defending the principles in which we believe, in particular the sovereign equality of States. We regret that further consultations did not take place in order to ensure a text that took the remarks of all members into account. We also regret the fact that there was no attempt to reach agreements that allowed for a balanced text and emphasized the situation that Yemen is experiencing. Moreover, the tendency to involve other regional actors in the crisis that Yemen is undergoing, based on the argument that new members of the Council have yet to reach an agreement, is irresponsible. Lastly, my delegation is concerned about the fact that there have again been attempts to use the Security Council as a political tool with clearly unilateral agendas that run completely counter to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

I will be brief today, as the Security Council will address the political and humanitarian situation in Yemen tomorrow. Sweden welcomes the renewal of the sanctions regime pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014) and the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts on Yemen. Sweden approached today’s voting from a position of principle, as we are fully committed to the effective use of sanctions as one of our many tools for restoring and maintaining international peace and security. We strongly support the United Nations panel-of-experts instruments, and it is important that the Council uphold the integrity, independence and effectiveness of its sanctions instruments and panels. Lastly, concerning the resolution’s substance, we reiterate that the arms embargo is a vital part of the sanctions regime that must be upheld, as should the resolution’s calls for all parties to comply with international humanitarian law and to provide humanitarian access.

We welcome the adoption of resolution 2402 (2018), on the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts on Yemen mandated by Security Council resolution 2342 (2017) and the renewal of sanctions pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014), and we thank all the delegations that supported it. Its unanimous adoption creates an opportunity for further joint work on reaching a settlement for Yemen and improving the situation in the region in general. We assume that the Panel will continue to carefully investigate the information on rockets launched against Saudi Arabian territory, which we condemn in the strongest terms. We stress once again that we need a united approach from all international and regional stakeholders, including, needless to say, Saudi Arabia and Iran, if we are to deal with the fundamental issues in the region. The Russian Federation supports and values its relations with all the Arab States, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, and we will continue to build on those relations with the aim of improving the situation in the region, where peace must, ultimately, be established. I would like to respond to the United States representative’s remarks. We withheld our support to draft resolution S/2018/156, proposed by the United Kingdom, not because we wanted to kill it by any means possible, but because we were unable to reach agreement on the wording of a few specific but key sections. I spoke about this earlier. After all, the goal of the draft resolution is to extend the mandate of the Panel of Experts on Yemen, not to hold Iran accountable or attempt to cobble together an anti-Iran coalition. The United States representative’s statement showed that our concerns in that regard were well founded. In any event, we are grateful to all the members of the Council for making the right decision today.

We regret that draft resolution S/2018/156, submitted by the United Kingdom, was not adopted. We voted in favour of resolution 2402 (2018) because the sanctions regime and the mandate of the Panel of Experts on Yemen needed to be renewed. We strongly support the Panel and the sanctions regime in question. We regret that our concerns regarding non-compliance with the arms embargo, violations of humanitarian law and problems with humanitarian access are not adequately addressed in the resolution that was adopted. We feel very strongly that the Security Council should address the humanitarian crisis as a separate Council product, and we hope that a text to that effect can be finalized as soon as possible. Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to call on all the parties to work with the newly appointed United Nations Envoy to achieve an inclusive political solution.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as representative of Kuwait. The State of Kuwait voted in favour of the first version of draft resolution S/2018/156, submitted by the United Kingdom, because it renews the sanctions regime mandated by resolutions 2140 (2014) and 2216 (2015). The draft resolution also extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts on Yemen mandated by resolution 2342 (2017), and contained important language that made it possible for the Council to address a dangerous aspect of the Yemeni crisis that it should pay more attention to — the smuggling of ballistic missiles into Yemeni territory, which the Houthis launched against our sister State of Saudi Arabia, firing a total of 95 missiles by 5 February. We condemn those acts by the Houthis in the strongest terms. The Houthis have also claimed that they have launched such missiles against the sister State of the United Arab Emirates and have announced that they intend to wage such attacks against Saudi Arabia and other States in the region. This represents a dangerous development and a challenge to the entire international community. It undermines every effort aimed at reaching the political solution we want that can end the crisis in our brother State of Yemen. We underscore our position that we stand fully with our brothers in Saudi Arabia and support all measures designed to maintain its peace and security. We are all members of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014), on sanctions against Yemen. We read the report of the Panel of Experts on Yemen (S/2018/68) concerning the fact that the Houthis have been receiving support from outside parties, especially arms that were sent to Yemen after the arms embargo. That constitutes a clear violation of paragraph 14 of resolution 2216 (2015), and we therefore call on all States Members of the United Nations to comply with the arms embargo and the relevant Security Council resolutions. In conclusion, we underscore that a political solution in Yemen should be based on paragraph 1 of resolution 2216 (2015). We should bear in mind the three references that were agreed on: the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its implementing mechanism, the outcome of the Yemeni National Dialogue Conference and the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2216 (2015), which is the cornerstone for a resolution of the crisis in Yemen. The sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Yemen must be maintained. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers.