UNITED NATIONS, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Monday voiced concern over possible escalation following renewed Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia and urged all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue and diplomacy.
"We have seen the reports and are very much concerned by the renewed Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia, against freedom of navigation, and the risk of an even wider regional escalation," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general.
The Houthi militia in Yemen has announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia after the two sides exchanged airstrikes last week over Iranian flights into Houthi-controlled areas.
"We call for immediate de-escalation. We urge all parties to address their differences through dialogue and diplomacy," said Dujarric. "We reiterate that Security Council Resolution 2722 (2024) and subsequent resolutions related to Houthi attacks against merchant and commercial vessels must be fully respected."
Speaking at a daily press briefing, Dujarric warned that a blockade of the Red Sea, another key maritime chokepoint alongside the Strait of Hormuz, would have severe consequences.
"It will impact the flow of UN goods that are shipped, notably humanitarian goods and elements for peacekeeping. But much more worryingly, it will again have a negative impact on global commerce, on the trade in energy, and just commerce as a whole," he said.
Dujarric said that UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg is in Muscat, Oman, for discussions after concluding a visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, where he met with the president of the Presidential Leadership Council, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, and representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Those meetings focused on the need for de-escalation and for the parties to agree on a way forward to preserve the gains of the 2022 UN-brokered truce, Dujarric said. He added that Grundberg also stressed the importance of insulating Yemen from the wider regional escalation and safeguarding the space for an inclusive, Yemeni-led political process to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the conflict. ■
