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Istanbul conference calls for tribunal to judge Yemen ‘crimes’
ISTANBUL, Nov 9, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – An Istanbul conference under the aegis
of Nobel laureate Tawakkol Karman on Friday called for concrete measures to
end the war in her native Yemen and an international court to judge those
charged with crimes during the conflict.
The conference, which was organised by Karman’s foundation, urged
international players including the United Nations to take “deliberate and
responsible actions to end the war and restore peace in Yemen”.
The call came after UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said in
late October it aims to re-launch Yemen peace talks “within a month”.
Karman, who won the Nobel peace prize in 2011, was a key figure in the
protests that ousted Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh during the Arab
Spring uprisings.
The conference called for a “referendum on a draft constitution” and the
holding of presidential and parliamentary elections “under UN supervision to
ensure a peaceful and legitimate power transition”.
The participants also sought the establishment of an international court on
Yemen to consider “all crimes committed by the local and international partis
in the conflict”.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates lead a coalition in Yemen
fighting Shiite Huthi rebels who are backed by Riyadh’s arch enemy Iran.
In a speech to the conference on Thursday, Karman called on Riyadh and Abu
Dhabi to end their “unconstructive interference in Yemen and stop supporting
terrorist groups and armed militias as well as mercenaries who have
assassinated Yemenis in Aden and Taez.”
But she also called for an end to interference “by the mullahs in Iran to
try to control Yemen by supporting Huthi militias.”
Saudi and the UAE intervened in the conflict between embattled Yemeni
President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government is recognised by the
United Nations, and the Huthis in 2015.
The coalition has been waging an aerial bombing campaign in Yemen aimed at
pushing the Huthis back, but the rebels still hold the key port city of
Hodeida and the capital Sanaa.
Pro-government forces are currently pushing deeper into Hodeida amid fierce
fighting.
Nearly 10,000 Yemenis have been killed in the conflict since 2015,
according to the World Health Organization. Human rights groups say the real
death toll may be five times higher.
The severity of the campaign by Saudi Arabia has been criticised by some in
the international community.
Scrutiny has also increased following the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal
Khashoggi on October 2 at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul which caused
international outrage.
BSS/AFP/SSS/2002 hrs