The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United States acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, met today (26 April) in London to discuss the situation in Yemen.
The Quad nations underlined their commitment to a comprehensive political solution for the conflict in Yemen and their endorsement of the agreements reached in Stockholm by the Yemeni parties in December 2018. The Ministers underlined that the firing of Iranian made and facilitated ballistic missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Houthi forces into neighbouring countries posed threats to regional security and prolonged the conflict. The Ministers expressed full support for Saudi Arabia and its legitimate national security concerns and called for an immediate end to such attacks by Houthi forces and their allies.
The Quad members expect the Yemeni parties to start the implementation of the Hodeidah Agreement immediately and in particular called on the Houthis to redeploy from the ports of Saleef, Ras Issa, and Hodeidah. The Quad members looked to the Security Council to review progress on such implementation when they meet on May 15, with the expectation that implementation will be underway at that point.
The four representatives noted that implementation of the Hodeidah Agreement would not only have an immediate and significant positive impact upon the lives of Yemeni people, but was a crucial first step towards the larger goal of an enduring comprehensive political settlement in the country.
In that regard, the Quad nations reiterated their full support for the efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen in implementing the Hodeidah Agreement, which will give the opportunity to start a comprehensive, inclusive and enduring political process, in line with his mandate.
