United nations: A Chinese envoy on Monday expressed serious concern over the escalating tensions surrounding Yemen's Sanaa International Airport and called for de-escalation in the war-torn country. China urges all parties involved to remain calm and exercise restraint to prevent further escalation, stated Sun Lei, the charg© d'affaires of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
According to Nam News Network, Sun emphasized the importance of respecting the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of all countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region, including Yemen, while upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. He highlighted the need for the protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and civilian objects during an emergency meeting of the Security Council addressing the situation in the Middle East.
During the Security Council briefing, UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari reported that an Iranian aircraft with a Houthi delegation was redirected on Monday to Hodeidah airport, under Houthi control, following airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport. The Houthis attributed the strikes to Saudi Arabia and declared the "end of the de-escalation phase" with Riyadh. Sun noted that the Yemen issue is intricately connected to the broader Middle East context, where tensions have been rising.
Sun expressed concern over the challenges facing the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, emphasizing that renewed hostilities benefit no one and military solutions are ineffective. He urged the United States and Iran to adhere to the memorandum of understanding they have signed, avoid making threatening statements or using force, and swiftly end conflicts that should never have arisen.
He called on all parties involved in the Yemen conflict to avoid actions that could escalate tensions or erode mutual trust, to prevent new conflicts. Sun also urged the United States and Iran to resume negotiations as soon as possible and reach a comprehensive agreement acceptable to both parties, regional countries, and the international community.
Sun stressed the importance of ensuring safe and free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for all parties involved. He called for a proper resolution to navigation issues through the strait, addressing shared concerns of the international community.
Sun concluded by highlighting the interdependence of Middle Eastern and Gulf countries, whose geography is immutable. He called for respecting the region's history and cultural traditions, supporting strategic autonomy, improving mutual relations, replacing confrontation with cooperation, resolving longstanding grievances through reconciliation, and building a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security framework for the Middle East and Gulf region, aiming for lasting peace and freedom from the cycle of conflict.