The council members reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, reports Asian Lite News
The members of the UN Security Council on Friday strongly condemned Monday’s “heinous terrorist attacks” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as in other sites in Saudi Arabia.
The attacks, claimed by the Houthi militia, killed three people and injured six others. The three killed included two Indian nationals.
In a statement, the members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims of the Houthi attacks and to the governments of India and Pakistan, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.
The council members reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
They stressed the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, and urged all states to cooperate actively with the UAE government and all other relevant authorities in this regard.
The council members reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.
They reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
UAE hails UNSC censure
The Security Council’s unanimous condemnation is “a really important step” in efforts to hold the Houthi militia in Yemen accountable for its crimes and prevent future atrocities, according to the UAE’s permanent representative to the UN, the Arab News reported.
Lana Nusseibeh added that her country has a “sovereign right to defend itself, our people and our way of life, as any nation in same situation would do.”
“The UAE cares deeply about our citizens and about millions of citizens from around the world who have made our country their home,” the Arab News quoted Nusseibeh as saying.
“This meeting and this statement are clear indication of the concern that the international community takes at this attack. More than 200 nationalities call the UAE home and more than 60,000 passengers transit through Abu Dhabi International Airport every day.”
Call for restraint
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed alarm at the continued airstrikes in Sanaa, Hodeidah and elsewhere in Yemen in recent days, said his spokesman.
Guterres also noted with alarm that missile attacks and shelling continued in several areas in the country. All of these actions have resulted in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman.
“The secretary-general reiterates his call on the parties to exercise maximum restraint and prevent any escalation amid heightened tensions in the region, as well as to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law,” Xinhua news agency quoted the spokesman as saying at a daily press briefing.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Houthi militia overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition that intervened since 2015 to support the Yemeni government.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has just left Riyadh after concluding a visit to Saudi Arabia.
He met Saudi Vice Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak, and other Saudi and Yemeni interlocutors, said Dujarric.
During his meetings, Grundberg also denounced the recent wave of military escalation, including the heavy airstrikes on Sanaa, which have engulfed Yemen and spilled over the borders to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Grundberg exchanged views on possible options to achieve immediate de-escalation and pave the way for comprehensive political talks, said the spokesman.
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