NoGoolag

Yemen secures international recognition of sovereignty over key Red Sea passages: With Yemeni forces completing their control over the entire western coastline of the #RedSea overlooking some of the most important shipping routes in the Middle East, international reactions have begun to follow. However, these reactions have largely come against Saudi Arabia, which had sought to portray the developments as a threat to international navigation. So how did the international positions unfold? The developments began at the #UN Security Council, which held an emergency session on the situation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. #Saudi Arabia strongly pushed for the session through #France and the #UK, seeking international cover for an escalation in #Yemen. Riyadh was at least hoping for a statement condemning those it refers to as the “Houthis,” while its representative spent much of the session portraying the control of the strategic strait by the group as a threat to international navigation, rather than merely a threat to Saudi Arabia. Contrary to Saudi Arabia’s expectations, and despite its belief that international organizations had become subject to its influence and financial leverage, the responses were different. Successive statements by representatives of major powers at the council expressed no particular concern over the control of Bab al-Mandab by wrongly described as the “Houthis.” Instead the Yemeni Armed Foces ( #YAF) , their statements focused on the need for negotiations and a diplomatic solution, precisely the path Saudi Arabia does not want. The session ended without even issuing a statement, after which senior officials from major powers began making their positions clear. America, having experienced the costs of war several times, quickly reaffirmed its commitment to the truce and its objective of avoiding further confrontation in Yemen. #Russia presented an initiative aimed at rescuing Saudi Arabia that included returning to the implementation of the previously proposed roadmap that Riyadh had rejected. China, meanwhile, explicitly stated through its foreign minister that it categorically opposed expanding the conflict into Yemen, in a reference to Saudi military mobilizations. According to this interpretation, the positions of the major powers carry one clear message: Yemen has the right to assert control over its coastline and vital maritime passages, provided that it remains committed to securing maritime navigation. #Sanaa has made such commitments since the beginning of its efforts to expel the remaining coalition forces from the western coast. The positions therefore constitute indirect recognition of Yemen’s sovereignty and rejection of Saudi efforts to expand the war. @enemywatch