The UN Security Council's unanimous adoption of Resolution 2,216 was a victory for the Yemeni people. It was also a great victory for the Saudi-led coalition states as well as for Gulf diplomacy, represented by the permanent delegations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states at the UN. Diplomats belonging to these delegations exerted great effort and worked hard as a single team to ensure that the resolution was adopted. They had to hold tough and arduous negotiations with some delegations, especially with the Russian delegation, which insisted on adding several amendments to the resolution so as to weaken it. However, negotiators from the GCC states embarked on diplomatic maneuvers in a calm and composed but serious way so as to convince the Russians not to use their veto power and reject the resolution. To the relief of the Gulf states, Russia abstained from voting on the resolution which was passed with 14 affirmative votes to none against. Abstaining from voting by a country with veto power means that that country approves the resolution in an indirect way. According to political observers, the adoption of the UN resolution on Yemen has a number of substantial merits. Firstly, item seven of the resolution gives the UN the authority to use force to compel any party unwilling to implement the resolution. Secondly, the resolution was passed unanimously and Russia did not veto it. Also Russia was not successful in getting its amendments added to the resolution. The third advantage was that the resolution emphasized the legitimacy of Yemeni President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi and his government, and urged the Houthis to withdraw from all cities seized during the conflict and to relinquish arms seized from military and security institutions. It also called on the Houthis to cease all actions falling exclusively within the authority of the legitimate government of Yemen in order to facilitate the start of serious talks among the parties concerned to find solutions to all outstanding problems, in addition to preventing foreign powers from bullying and acting without a legal or legitimate mandate. The resolution also acknowledges the legality of Operation Decisive Storm that came in response to a request from the legitimate president of Yemen elected by the Yemeni people through a fair election. The resolution also gives authority to the legitimate government to inspect ships and aircraft in order to ensure that the Houthi rebels and the deposed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh are not receiving weapons from abroad. The fourth benefit of the resolution was that it imposes sanctions on Houthi leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, and Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, son of Saleh, as well as on all those who have encouraged a coup on the legitimate government of Yemen and have created sedition in Yemeni society. Fifthly, the resolution calls for the total isolation of the Houthi rebels and supporters of Saleh as well as those who stand behind them within Yemen and abroad. The UN resolution dealt a big shock to Iran which caused it to deny its intervention in Yemen and its support for the Houthi rebels. The resolution further isolated Iran globally and led to senior Iranian officials demanding a halt to the aggression on the Yemeni people. With such claims, the Iranians seem to forget the fact that it was they who encouraged, supported and funded the Houthi aggressors who in turn conspired with the deposed former president Saleh and his supporters. The Houthis defied the legitimacy of the government of Yemen and the agreements based on the Gulf Initiative and the National Dialogue Conference. They were part of the conference that was about to reach a final settlement. It was possible for them to take their rightful place among the Yemeni people, but, unfortunately, they rose in revolt with the blessing and clandestine support of Iran. They managed to get the support of the army whose loyalty was to the deposed President Saleh. The army was created by making use of the resources of the Yemeni people for over 30 years. However, this was not to protect the Yemeni people but to protect Saleh and his family, as well as to pave the way for his son Ahmad to succeed him. The Houthis also detained the legitimate president and his government in defiance of all international values, norms and conventions. It was possible to maintain stability in Yemen if Iran had allowed matters to proceed in a proper way. But Iran's plans were treacherous as it believed that it would be as easy to swallow Yemen as it had been for it to swallow Iraq. However, Iran forgot the fact that Yemen is an integral part of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, and that the security situation in Yemen is vital to the interests of Saudi Arabia. It also forgot that Yemen has received more development aid from the Kingdom than from any other country, while Iran has provided nothing more than the means of killing and destruction so as to enable the Houthis to rule Yemen singlehandedly even though they represent only a small part of the Yemeni people.
— Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
