UN must clearly condemn Saudi Arabia over Yemen war: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Hussain al-Bukhaiti, an activist and political commentator in Sana’a, about Saudi Arabia dismissing United Nations Security Council plans for a resolution on Yemen as a UN official says the kingdom was behind the deaths of two-thirds of civilians in the war-torn country last month. 

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: The UN is …, we are not saying that it is bad for them to come out and make this kind of report or statements but when it comes to a resolution, they did not run a resolution as requested and at the same time you have Yemen that is under a siege. Why don’t they do more in order to have the lives of Yemenis improved?

Bukhaiti: That is what we have been hearing from the United Nations from the beginning of this war, just statements and kind of concern about the situation in Yemen. There was not any clear condemnation of the Saudi war on Yemen or of the Saudi strikes on Yemen and the most important in the United Nations is the UN Security Council which actually have countries that are in coalition with the Saudi war on Yemen like the United States, Britain and France and those countries will try to stop any resolution to pass that will condemn the Saudi directly.

We just heard that there are talks at the UN Security Council for all parts in Yemen to stop targeting hospitals and all medical centers and schools and all civilian areas and at that time the Saudi ambassador has come and said there is no need for such resolution. While they are asking the Yemenis to implement the 2216, the Saudis refused or they said no need for any resolution about the humanitarian aid in Yemen and they will continue this war in Yemen unless there are steps, direct steps to stop the Saudi, a step just like the call from the European Parliament to stop or to impose embargo of weapons to the Saudis. Those kinds of resolutions are the one that can stop the Saudis, nothing else.  

Press TV: And that’s ..., I think one of the things that is important is the EU Parliament coming out making that embargo but it is not binding. So again you have a situation where it is still not stopping the Saudis continuing the war and of course weapons is part of it. Why do you think the UN is not doing that? Is it because as you mentioned the US, France and the UK are part of the veto-wielding members?

Bukhaiti: Yes exactly because we know that the United States will veto any resolution against the Saudis or any resolution that will stop selling the weapons to the Saudi, the same they did with the Israeli crimes in Gaza. They blocked any resolution that will condemn the Israeli regime, the same things with the Saudis. The Saudi is one of the largest weapons markets in the Middle East if not in the world and from the beginning of the war there has been billions of dollars in sales of American weapons, France and as well United Kingdom weapons to the Saudis and as long as this war continues, they will keep making huge profit but the Saudis they forgot that those countries who are selling them weapons from this country and rights groups from inside those countries will in the future prosecute the Saudis for the weapons their government has been selling to.

And I think the Saudis are making the same mistake that the regime of Saddam Hussein has done against the Islamic Revolution in Iran when it started a war for no reason and it was supported by the US and all countries that are now in coalition against Yemen and those same countries have downfall [sic] Saddam Hussein and I think the same story is going to happen for the Saudis because as soon as the United States and its weapons manufacturers have made billions of dollars in profit, I think at one point they will do some move to accept some of these human rights groups’ calls to stop the Saudi war in Yemen.  

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