UAE keen to reduce sufferings in Yemen

Dubai - The UAE minister affirmed that the UAE cannot accept a strategic shift in Hudieda as the Houthis using the port "will cost more" to people.

The war in Yemen is ugly with unfortunate humanitarian cost, but the UAE is doing everything possible to alleviate the sufferings in Hudeida, Dr. Anwar Gargash, the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said here yesterday.
"This war has been, and remains an ugly war," said Dr. Gargash and blamed the Iran-allied Houthis as the main obstacle to peace.
Speaking to the media on Monday, the UAE minister affirmed that the UAE cannot accept a strategic shift in Hudieda as the Houthis using the port "will cost more" to people.
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"Unfortunately, we have seen civilians being bombed at, and killed. This is part of any confrontation. I cannot say anything except that there are some issues related to the war zone, something that it cannot be a clean operation, " said the minister.
"And I am not going to come, sit here and say this war led by us can be a clean operation. From another perspective, I see that, I accept that, the coalition forces is criticised for some humanitarian occurances and humanitarian weight of this war."
But in defence of the coalition forces that were accused of targeting civilians, Dr. Gargash said the UAE is doing everything to support the humanitarian situation in Yemen. Since 2015 after entering the war in Yemen as part of the Arab coalition fighting the Houthi rebels, the country has donated $3.8 billion in humanitarian aid. More than 22 million Yemenis are in need of aid as the country is reeling under a three-year long war.
"We have been sensitive in dealing with Hudeida. We have given the UN ample time to ensure a pullout from Hudeida. The time that we have given, we know the Houthis have used to mobilise, to entrench, to solidify their position. We could have done this as a very quick operation. But we understand that this is a population of 600,000.
We are not going to be dragged into a street-to-street fight." said Dr. Gargash. While the UAE is willingly listening to NGOs on the humanitarian situation, Dr. Gargash said he expects the international bodies to be impartial in their scrutiny.
"However, I will also urge various friends and NGOs and other international community that they should also be, in their scrutiny, as detailed with the Houthis also, not only with the coalition."
"Look at the millions of mines that have been planted in Yemeni neigbourhoods. Look at the large mobilisation of child soldiers. Look at the indiscriminate attack on Saudi cities. So clearly, as you are quite upfront in scrutinizing what coalition is doing and the effects of coalition action, it is important that you look at Houthi actions."
He said NGOs should look at the way Houthis are treating the people of Hudeida by digging trenches, compromising water supplies, "through making sure you are losing schools and other facilities."
The minister also said the talks, which will be held in Geneva on September 6 between the two warring factions in Yemen, "will be a prelude to shuttle negotiations and diplomacy by the UN."
"We still believe the main obstacle to a political solution is the Houthis. They are the ones who undermined all the previous initiatives by refusing to pull out militias and weapons from the urban centres. "
"We are not willing to accept that there will be a strategic shift in the region towards Iran by accepting the Houthis'domination of Yemen. " said the minister.

• Abu Dhabi