By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, March 3 — After the UN’s Yemen envoy Jamal Benomar briefed the UN Security Council on March 3, new Council president for the month Francois Delattre of France came out to the stakeout. First he read “Elements to the Press,” including:
“We heard a briefing from Jamal Benomar, the Special Adviser on Yemen who briefed the Council on the progress of his mediation efforts and the evolution of the situation in Yemen.
We expressed our concern at the absence of a political solution in Yemen and the development of the terrorist threat which is thriving on the current political and security vacuum.
We reiterated our call on all Yemeni elements to implement the Council’s resolution, in particular resolution 2201, and to reach as soon as possible a political agreement in accordance with the Gulf initiative and the Peace and National Partnership Agreement.
We reaffirmed our strong and unanimous commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independent and territorial integrity of Yemen.”
Then Delattre said he would answer questions.
By saying the word “Saleh,” Inner City Pro was able to ask if former president and supposed Sixty Billion Dollar Man Ali Saleh came up in the consultations, as working with the Houthis.
His name came up, Delattre replied, “It was briefly mentioned by Mr. Benomar, but it was not the center of discussion.” And then it was over. (Inner City Press asked again of Burundi, on which Delattre at his sit-down press conference had said “I have to run,” but still without luck).
Some backstory here is that sources close to the UN’s Yemen sanctions process tell Inner City Press that long after the Council set up the Yemen sanctions committee, France resisted naming Saleh. The sources said this was related to contracts French company TOTAL got under Saleh. The Houthis, of course, appear now to be offering contracts to others. We’ll have more on this.
Back on February 15 on a cold Sunday in New York, the UN Security Council scheduled a 5 pm vote on a resolution on Yemen. Diplomats rushed in. The Gulf Cooperation Council had submitted a draft with the word “Houthi coup” in it, but the phrase did not survive.
After the watered down resolution was adopted 15-0, Inner City Press asked Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative about the threat of new sanctions, given how little previous sanctions on Ali Saleh and two Houthi leaders accomplished – and, does he think the Houthis are working with Saleh? (Video here and embedded below.)
He replied that both are spoilers, they could work together directly or indirectly. The Gulf Cooperation Council will be continuing to push the Security Council, for example on the house arrest of Hadi and others.
Jordan’s Permanent Representative added that some members did not want the word coup.
Inner City Press notes that while Hadi consented to US drone strikes, a coup would leave such consent “up in the air.”
After the diplomats left, two different Arabic language channels described what had occurred in entirely different terms: one as a “strong message,” the other as “weak.” And so it goes.
Inner City Press had asked Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative on his way in what percent of what he’d wanted was in the final resolution. “Eighty percent,” he told Inner City Press.
Also before the Yemen vote, Malaysia’s Permanent Representative said on the Ukraine draft, he had proposed that downed flight MH17 be included in the resolution and was waiting for a response. Other Ambassadors said they were working hard on it but not agreement had been reached; one said the morning of Monday February 16, a UN holiday was possible.
While the press doors to the Security Council’s third floor remains locked, from a photo booth Inner City Press witnessed the 15-0 vote on Yemen. In speeches afterward, Jordan went first, then the UK, US and Russia; then France.
But for this month of March, France and its #FrPrez hashtag come first.