YouSaid · the spoken record

Griffiths

lines on the record: 722
first: 2018-04-17
most recent: 2023-10-18
sittings or episodes: 57
sources: un-security-council

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“On each occasion that I have met with President Mansour Hadi Mansour, he has particularly urged us to take a lead on this issue, which I think is a tribute to his humanity. I know that we all want to see forward movement in this area as soon as possible. I would like to conclude by summing up my requests to the Security Council. First, I would ask for support for my effort to begin consultations in September in Geneva. Secondly, I would like support for de-escalation in AlHudaydah a and to keep the Red Sea out of the conflict. Thirdly, I ask for support for those measures - I have mentioned one, the release of prisoners, but there are many others - that bring hope back to the people of Yemen. It is the people of Yemen who will ensure that we have a good chance of making the political negotiations work.”
2018-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8323 (2018) · source
“I am concerned that Al-Hudaydah could be a flashpoint. I take seriously any offer of de-escalation, regardless of its magnitude, including the unilateral offer from Ansar Allah to stop all attacks on shipping. Many of us would not have wanted those attacks to have happened at all. My concern is to avoid any action with dire humanitarian consequences, in particular those by my Office that may undermine the resumption of the political process in September. I therefore call on the parties, perhaps with the support of the Security Council, to create an environment conducive - and I use these words carefully - a conducive environment to allow for this to happen. On other matters, I am greatly encouraged by the common desire of the parties to have the many thousands of prisoners of war released. My Office has been hard at work on this issue.”
2018-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8323 (2018) · source
“I continue to enjoy the close cooperation and support of the Government of Yemen and its leadership, which is always an important engaging primary partner, as well as the leadership of the coalition. I have also had a series of constructive and positive meetings with the senior leadership of Ansar Allah. These relationships are absolutely key to any potential success we may expect in the endeavour of reaching a political settlement. The nurturing of relationships is the primary task of somebody in my position. Let us therefore not throw away what we have achieved on Al-Hudaydah. I am determined to build on it in our consultations. As I have been reminded, let us not allow progress or the absence of it on Al-Hudaydah deter us from our primary focus, which is on the search for a political solution to this conflict.”
2018-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8323 (2018) · source
“I am very conscious, as we all are, that each day costs lives that we might have saved, and that people could have been alive who are not today had we acted earlier. I would like to speak for a moment about what is happening in Yemen. On Al-Hudaydah, as already mentioned, we have made progress, particularly with regards to a United Nations role in the port, which was agreed with me by the leadership of Ansar Allah some weeks ago. This does not mean, however, that the gap is closed. The gap is not closed. We will continue our efforts to find a peaceful solution in that regard. This progress is due to the serious cooperation I have received from all sides as well as the Security Council's active support.”
2018-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8323 (2018) · source
“I know from that engagement that a political solution to this war, in line with the relevant resolutions of the Council, the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative and the national dialogue outcome, is available, as I have said before to the Council. We know what can work. We have heard it from all sides. We have talked to all of them, and we have studied the experience of past efforts to resolve this conflict. As the Amir was reminding me the other day, 100 days in Kuwait is an enormously valuable guide for us. An end to this war cannot come too soon for the people of Yemen. As our humanitarian colleagues are quick to remind us - and I am sure John Ging will do so - if we do not succeed together in putting an end to it, there will be millions more Yemenis depending on the assistance of our humanitarian agencies.”
2018-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8323 (2018) · source
“I ask for the Council's support in this. In that connection, our engagements with women's groups, as well as southern stakeholders, are crucial to the success of future consultations. As is set out in resolution 2216 (2015), I would aim for as inclusive a process as possible. I did not come lightly to this decision. I have based this on the advice given to me by Yemenis from all quarters in the months since assuming my responsibilities. I have engaged primarily with the parties, but also with civil society. I am especially grateful for my meetings with Yemeni women as I continue to consult with them on elements of the peace process. Their voices unsurprisingly and consistently remind us that Yemeni families bear the brunt of this conflict and want it to be done with.”
2018-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8323 (2018) · source
“What does that mean for us today? I think it means that it is time long past for us, together, to call for an early resumption of the political process, which has lasted two years since the last round in Kuwait. My principal message and request to the Council today is that we urge the parties to resolve this conflict through negotiation rather than through military means, which is a sentiment that members of the Council have consistently expressed in recent months. After having consulted with the parties, I plan therefore to invite them to Geneva on 6 September for a first round of consultations. These consultations will provide the opportunity for the parties, among other things, to discuss the framework for negotiations and to agree on relevant confidence-building measures and specific plans for moving the process forward.”
2018-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8323 (2018) · source
“Recently, and despite all our efforts, the pace of the war has increased. We meet at a time when the focus of the war is the battle for Al-Hudaydah. What military people tell me about Al-Hudaydah is that it has become the centre of gravity of the war. The Red Sea now is also a theatre of war. We have tried to find a way to avoid a battle for the city and the port of Al-Hudaydah, and we are still trying. But even though the requirements for such an arrangement are not yet met, it is to be noted that our efforts, with the Council's unified support, have managed to narrow the gap between the two sides in ways that nobody expected. What is clear to me now is that this issue - the resolution to the specific crisis in Al-Hudaydah - has a better chance of being resolved within the context of a comprehensive political settlement.”
2018-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8323 (2018) · source
“Mr. Griffiths: We meet at an important time. It has been two years - two years too long - since the Yemeni people had the chance for a negotiated end to this war. Today, therefore, as we meet we have the chance to weigh the opportunities for peace and, I hope, to begin the difficult and uncertain journey away from war. Earlier this week I had the privilege to meet with a man who has lived the mission of peace and of reconciliation. I am referring to His Highness the Amir of Kuwait. I cannot easily remember someone who has so successfully confronted the challenge of war and then of peace, which he succeeded at, and who has so clearly shown us how to move from one to the other. He speaks so movingly of the process by which his country was rescued, including by the Coalition, and then formed a constructive relationship with Iraq.”
2018-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8323 (2018) · source
“The members of the Council know better than I do the strategic importance of stability in Yemen. It is of primary importance for its people, its neighbours and the wider international community. It can be achieved only by ensuring a stable Yemen where terrorist activity can finally be focused upon and eliminated and the safety of its sea lanes can be relied upon. Making that happen requires an effective synergy between mediation, in which I have a role, and diplomacy, in which the Council does. Mediation without the backing of diplomacy will certainly fail. We will do whatever we can to find agreements that work among Yemenis, but it is for the members of the Council and other Member States, from time to time, to put the force of international opinion behind such agreements, and the Security Council's unity and resolve will be decisive.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“We are also eager to arrange the release and exchange of prisoners. Both sides have told me that they would like to see all prisoners released. I am very encouraged by that. We will do all we can to make it happen, and we will report back to the Council on progress. We are also very concerned about the issue of detentions carried out by all sides. We know from experience elsewhere that the arbitrary and widespread detention of civilians in armed conflict is both a terrible abuse and a fundamental impediment to the recovery of a stable society and reconciliation, which is central to peace. Those are important confidence-building issues. Even more important is the heroic work being done daily by humanitarian agencies in Yemen under the leadership of Mark Lowcock and my good friend and colleague Lise Grande.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“Our concern is simple - that any ofthose developments would, at a single stroke, take peace off the table. I am convinced that there is a real danger of that. We all need urgently and creatively to find ways to diminish the chances of those game-changing events upsetting and derailing the very real hopes of the great majority of Yemenis. The people of Yemen are desperately in need of signs of hope that the war will soon end. Apart from the urgent requirement for unlimited humanitarian access - as I am certain Mark Lowcock will mention later - there are other measures that may provide some hope. We have, for example, with the encouragement of political leaders from all sides, been working to get Sana'a airport reopened to air traffic and to ensure the right of Yemenis to travel and rejoin their families.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“I am concerned about the increased number of ballistic missiles launched towards Saudi Arabia, and I note that the Council has already pronounced on that. In addition, I am concerned about the intensified military operations in Sa'dah governorate. Military confrontations and air strikes have continued in numerous other areas of Yemen, including Sana'a, Taiz, Al-Jawf, Ma'rib, Al-Hudaydah, Hajjah, Al-Bayda and Lahij governorates, The clashes continue without major changes on the front lines, but with disturbing reports of civilian casualties. We also - and this is of great importance to us - hear unconfirmed reports that movements of forces in Yemen are on the increase and that the prospect of intensive military operations in Al-Hudaydah, long heralded, may be soon forthcoming.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“That will be the agenda of transition - to include reconciliation, which is the first item that requires our attention at the end of a conflict, constitutional review, reconstruction and the rebuilding of State institutions. It is therefore about transforming the State. Making that work will require the full involvement of civil society to ensure that the process goes beyond politics and reflects the aspirations of all Yemenis. I said there was good news, but also bad news. There is a saying that the darkest hour is the one that comes before dawn. Let us hope that this is the case. It will not be news to the members of the Council that the war has, if anything, become louder and more pressing over the last few weeks.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“I have been consistent in delivering the same message to them that that is the first task. A negotiated political settlement through inclusive intra-Yemeni dialogue is the only way to end the Yemeni conflict and address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in an ultimate form. To that end, all parties to the conflict need to abandon preconditions to talks and grant my Office unhindered, unconditional access to all relevant stakeholders, as indeed the Council asserted in its latest presidential statement on this subject, adopted in March (S/PRST/ZOl8/5). Building peace, however, will as always be a larger task, based on different precedents and broader participation. The national dialogue, with its impressive record of inclusion and civic participation, will be a decisive precedent.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“I have not yet visited the south, but I have started to meet with southern groups. The conflict, as members of the Council can imagine, has brought about major changes on the ground in the southern governorates, and has made the long-standing frustrations and aspirations of southerners more prominent. There will be no peace in Yemen if we do not also listen to the voices of the south and make sure that they are included in the political arrangements that end the war. It is no surprise that stopping a war is not at all the same as building peace, and so it goes in Yemen. We must first turn our energies to the business of stopping the war. The parties necessary for that specific task are those whose decisions can contribute to bringing an end to the war.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“I am grateful to President Hadi for his time, patience and willingness to put the concerns of his people first. His Government has spared no effort to ensure that I understand their positions, needs and willingness to engage. I count on their support, which is essential to the success of that endeavour. I was also encouraged by my meeting with the leadership of the Ansar Allah movement in Sana'a. They assured me that their movement wants an end to the war and will cooperate with the United Nations to make that happen. That message was repeated to me in several other encounters that I was privileged to have with other senior Ansar Allah leaders. I am greatly encouraged by that constructive attitude. I have heard similar views from the leaders of an exceptionally wide variety of Yemeni political parties, and I am grateful to them, too.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“All those with whom I spoke, from the widest range of the Yemeni political spectrum, have told me that they want that, that they want it quickly, that they will work with the United Nations to achieve it and that they are conscious ofthe consequence, as in all agreements between enemies, that mutual concessions will be required. Let me emphasize, however, that a successful outcome of negotiations, which is never to be guaranteed, will require patience, diligence and good faith between the parties. I have come to that general conclusion by listening to the leaders of the parties. I have assured them that what the Secretary-General wishes and what the Council requires is also what all Yemenis want i a stable and secure Yemen with a Government accountable to its citizens.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“I will share what I know, and also what I fear. I will also try to identify signs of hope. My plan is to put to the Council within the next two months a framework for negotiations. There is good news and bad news. I apologize for that cliche, but it is the truth. The good news - and it is my principal message to the members of the Council today - is that a political solution to bring an end to the war is indeed available. Its outlines are no secret. They include the end of fighting, the withdrawal of forces and the handover of heavy weapons in key locations, along with an agreement on the establishment of an inclusive Government that brings the parties together in a consensus to build peace. That can be done.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“We know that resolving Yemen's conflict may come only from an agreement among its leaders to put aside their differences and agree to deal with them not through battle but through dialogue and debate. To put Yemenis first, therefore, is not merely proper and right; it is also the only way we will find peace. In my experience of trying to resolve conflicts, I have learned to take people at their word - to trust, yes, but also to verify. We should take on trust the assurances we hear, even as we know that the ultimate test is what they will deliver in practice. So when I hear positive words from one leader or another - which are often instantly the cause of derision or scepticism from the other side - my line is: let us take those good words and put them to good use. My report today is a preliminary one.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“As is always the case, from my own experience, it has been the women whom I have met who have often spoken with the greatest clarity, as well as with the generosity that is necessary about those they fear, as well as those they support. Public comment on Yemen, like on any other international tragedy, is copious and, sadly, often vituperative. The rhetoric on Yemen is, perhaps understandably, unforgiving and unsparing. I know, as those present do, that peace becomes possible when we see the good in our foes, even though we can see the cruelties ofwar Clearly. My emphasis on listening to and engaging Yemenis above all other priorities is not an idle decision.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source
“Mr. Griffiths: I accepted my assignment as the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen and began on 11 March. I approached it with gratitude to the Secretary-General for his trust and a sense of privilege that I might get the chance to do something to bring that great tragedy to a belated end - a privilege coupled, I hope, with due humility in the face of the complexity and urgency of the challenge. In the days since, those original feelings have, if anything, become stronger. I have been privileged to meet and to be guided by a wealth of Yemenis from all the parties and many civic organizations. I have taken up the time of leaders and listened just as eagerly to the views of the less fortunate.”
2018-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8235 (2018) · source