Shibh Aljazeera Net | Yemen
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously extended sanctions on Yemen for another year, with the measures set to remain in place until November 15 of the following year. The Council also extended the mandate of the Yemen Experts Group for one additional year.
Russia supported the British-drafted resolution to extend both the sanctions on Yemen and the mandate of the group of experts tasked with overseeing the implementation of Resolution 2140.
According to the website of the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative, Dr. A. Polyansky, explained that the resolution is the most suitable under current circumstances, as it ensures the unity of Council members on the Yemeni issue amid growing regional instability.
However, Dr. Polyansky emphasized that the Security Council should not forget that the sanctions are intended to support stability in Yemen and contribute to peace and security, rather than being used as a tool to punish political factions within the country or to escalate tensions among regional states. He stressed that Yemen should not be an exception in this regard.
He also rejected the broad interpretation of the sanctions’ provisions, particularly those that allow for the inspection of vessels heading to Yemen on the high seas, and the subsequent transfer of confiscated military goods to third countries for inspection and potential use for the same purpose.
In this context, the United States accused Russia and China of undermining the UN sanctions against the Houthis.
U.S. Acting Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs, Ambassador Robert Wood, commented on the extension of the sanctions and the experts’ mandate, expressing regret that the Security Council had not taken further steps to reduce the Houthis’ ability to continue what he referred to as destabilizing activities in Yemen and the wider region. This remark implicitly pointed to Russia and China, whom the U.S. accuses of supporting the Houthis, especially in the context of Houthi operations against Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean.