UN must actively try to stop Yemen war: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Ali al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for [Persian] Gulf Affairs (IGA) in Washington, to discuss Saudi Arabia’s ongoing aggression against Yemen.

Following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: The Saudi aggression on Yemen started at the end of March. It took all these months for a more concrete stance from the UN to come out. Now that Doctors Without Borders’ hospital has been targeted, what do you make of that?

Ahmed: Well I think UN statements are really empty statements. You get a lot of expression of concern and grave concerns but practical steps have not been made. Ban Ki-moon was in Saudi Arabia, met with the Saudi director of King Salman just few days ago and praised their work. So if the United Nations is really against bombing hospitals in Yemen, this is not the first hospital. It is yes the first European funded hospital so their statement really does not mean anything as long as they are not actively trying to stop this war which they endorsed through the UN Security Council.  

Press TV: Right now as you speak there is a flurry of diplomatic activities taking place surrounding Syria and Saudi Arabia is one of the players in that. Why do you think the issue of Yemen is not being brought up?

Ahmed: It is very disturbing that Mr. John Kerry, Secretary of State went to Riyadh and met with the Saudi King and he was unable really or unwilling to speak anything about Yemen and the devastating war there.

So Syria now is in the thick of things, in the center of attention because the great powers are involved - the Russians, the Americans, the Iranians, the regional powers and the Saudis as well and the Turks. So that is why it is in the center of attention. I hope Russia would use this opportunity to do the same thing in Yemen because this will be benefit Russia and I hope the Iranian government will persuade the Russians to be involved in the Yemeni fight so it could be brought to attention.

Press TV: But till that happens, it seems that the aggression against Yemen has become a status quo that the world has almost come to accept the bombing of hospitals, the killing of civilians, the destroying of the infrastructure, it seems that the world is okay with it as a whole?

Ahmed: Unfortunately this is the reality. This is a bigoted world. That is why the United Nations did not speak on the killing of 150 Yemeni fishermen who were trying to make a living, yet they condemned the bombing of a hospital because it is owned by European organization.

So this really gives you a good example of how the United Nations and its presidency operate. It is very much a bigoted organization that focuses on the powerful and in fact in many ways supports the killing and the abuse of the weak, of the people of Yemen and others.

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