F.P Report
WASHINGTON: United States is gravely concerned by the humanitarian situation in Yemen, and U.S remains one of its largest assistance providers, said Ned Price, spokesperson of U.S State Department
He further added that Secretary Blinken personally attended the March 1st Yemen donors conference to help raise the funds necessary to meet Yemen’s great needs. During that conference, Secretary Blinken announced more than $190 million in additional U.S. support for the people of Yemen.
United States restored full humanitarian assistance funding to areas of northern Yemen to help meet the needs of vulnerable Yemenis, Price remarked.
The United States supports the free flow of fuel, food, and other essential goods into Yemen. However, doing so requires not only that goods pass smoothly through ports, but also that they are allowed to pass through the country freely, including through areas under Houthi control, he added.
Unfortunately, the Houthis continue to impede that flow, including diverting money from imports that were intended for civil service salaries in direct violation of their obligations under a UN-brokered agreement, he said.
As a result, civil servants are not getting paid and therefore lack funds to purchase what food is available. Houthi diversion of fuel imports is just one of the many ways they are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis for the majority of the Yemeni population under their control.
The UN and international donors decry the ways the Houthis are obstructing and diverting humanitarian assistance, adding that UN experts describe the ways they divert state revenues to fund their war efforts and place a stranglehold on economic activity, Price commented.
Contrary to some recent reporting, food is being consistently discharged at Hudaydah port according to data provided by the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism, he said.
We will not make any apologies for the fact that humanitarian concerns are primary in our policy. It’s precisely why Secretary Blinken attended the Yemen donors conference where he announced more than $190 million in U.S. support. It’s precisely why we have announced the resumption of the provision of some aid to parts of northern Yemen.
We will continue to look for ways to support the Yemeni people as we continue to support what UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths has been engaged in for some time now, and that in more recent weeks what Special Envoy Lenderking has been supporting, and that is bringing about a ceasefire and a political settlement to this long-running conflict in Yemen, Ned Price remarked.
Commenting on the crisis in Tigray region, Price said Ambassador Pasi did travel to Mekelle on March 10th.
He further added that she traveled with a delegation of other ambassadors and diplomats as part of an Ethiopian-Government-organized diplomatic visit.
She participated in briefings with the leaders of the transitional government of Tigray, and while there, she outlined the U.S. Government support for the people of Tigray and all vulnerable populations in Ethiopia. She underscored the importance of accountability for those responsible for human rights abuses, for gender-based violence, for all other atrocities, the spokesperson said.
The official spokesperson also mentioned that U.S has decided not to lift the assistance pause for other programs, including most programs in the security sector. We have provided more than $733 million in humanitarian assistance to respond to acute food needs, conflict-driven displacement, flooding, desert locust infestation, and the COVID-19 epidemic, he said.
Moreover, during his press briefing, he further informed that Special Representative Khalilzad remains in Doha, when it comes to the potential gathering in Turkey, as the Secretary has said, we have engaged countries in the region, as well as the United Nations, to try to move the parties towards a meaningful negotiation.
U.S welcomes efforts by international partners to accelerate the peace process and to bring about a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, Price remarked.
We know that international support is essential to a just and durable peace.
The special representative and the State Department more broadly, we have sought to ensure that Afghanistan’s neighbors and those in the region play a constructive role, because we all have a stake in a peaceful, stable, and secure Afghanistan, he said.
It is not just a question for the United States, it’s not just a question for NATO; it is something that Afghanistan’s neighbors must also support and support in a constructive way, the spokesperson said.
Further sharing views of Afghanistan-Russia talks, he added that we do believe Russia, as well as other countries in the region, has an important stake in a secure and stable Afghanistan.
“We have met with the Russians in the past in support of the Afghanistan peace process. We’re not we don’t have anything to confirm at this time regarding our any sort of potential participation on our part”, he said.
In all of this, the United States is playing a support role. And that is precisely what Ambassador Khalilzad is doing, because we recognize that this process has to be Afghan-owned, has to be Afghan-led, he added.
Ambassador Khalilzad is in Doha, he is supporting that intra-Afghan negotiations, the negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, recognizing that any ideas, any proposals, any initiatives, at their core have to have the support of the Afghan people and, again, be Afghan-owned and Afghan-led, he remarked.
Moreover, State Department spokesperson also commented on the Venezuela policy that are not up for review, and that is the fact and U.S recognition that Nicolas Maduro is a dictator, adding that his repression, his corruption, his mismanagement, we know that has created one of the worst humanitarian crises this hemisphere has seen.
We continue to seek to find ways to address the humanitarian concerns of millions of Venezuelans with international partners, he said.
