The United States welcomed a “first step” by Saudi Arabia to allow humanitarian aid to reach Yemen and called for negotiations on the country’s conflict, Reuters writes.
The coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen said on Wednesday it would allow aid in through the Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Salif, as well as U.N. flights to Sanaa, more than two weeks after blockading the country. About seven million people face famine in Yemen and their survival is dependent on international assistance.
“Full and immediate implementation of the announced measures is a first step in ensuring that food, medicine, and fuel reach the Yemeni people and that the aid organizations on the frontlines of mitigating this humanitarian crisis are able to do their essential work,” the White House said in a statement.
“We look forward to additional steps that will facilitate the unfettered flow of humanitarian and commercial goods from all ports of entry to the points of need,” the White House added.
A U.N. spokesman said the Saudi-led coalition had given the United Nations permission to resume flights of aid workers to the Sanaa on Saturday, but not to dock ships loaded with wheat and medical supplies.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson asked Saudi Arabia to ease the blockade.
The U.S.-backed coalition closed air, land and sea access on November 6, in a move it said was to stop the flow of arms to the Houthis from Iran. The action came after Saudi Arabia intercepted a missile fired toward Riyadh, Reuters adds.
The White House also noted that it’s committed to supporting Saudi Arabia and its Gulf partners “against the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ aggression and blatant violations of international law”.
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