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Saudi-led Yemen coalition demands sources for critical U.N. report
Source: Reuters
World | Tue Jun 14, 2016 6:51pm EDT
Saudi-led Yemen coalition demands sources for critical U.N. report
UNITED NATIONS | BY LOUIS CHARBONNEAU
A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition has asked the United Nations to reveal details on the sources of information that led the world body to briefly blacklist it for maiming and killing children in Yemen and invited U.N. experts to come to Riyadh.
The demand was included in a letter from Saudi Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the coalition's behalf dated June 8 and seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
The United Nations initially added the coalition to its annual child rights blacklist but removed it shortly afterward pending a review by the coalition and the United Nations in the face of protests from the Saudis and other Muslim nations.
The U.N. report on children and armed conflict said the coalition, which began an air campaign in March 2015 to defeat Iran-allied Houthi rebels, was responsible for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries in the conflict last year, killing 510 and wounding 667.
Riyadh, a key U.N. donor, had threatened to cut off funding to a Palestinian aid program and other U.N. initiatives and said there was discussion of a fatwa against the United Nations, diplomatic sources told Reuters. Saudi Arabia denied using threats, although Ban himself confirmed the initial Reuters report.
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Saudi-led Yemen coalition demands sources for critical U.N. report
UNITED NATIONS | BY LOUIS CHARBONNEAU
A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition has asked the United Nations to reveal details on the sources of information that led the world body to briefly blacklist it for maiming and killing children in Yemen and invited U.N. experts to come to Riyadh.
The demand was included in a letter from Saudi Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the coalition's behalf dated June 8 and seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
The United Nations initially added the coalition to its annual child rights blacklist but removed it shortly afterward pending a review by the coalition and the United Nations in the face of protests from the Saudis and other Muslim nations.
The U.N. report on children and armed conflict said the coalition, which began an air campaign in March 2015 to defeat Iran-allied Houthi rebels, was responsible for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries in the conflict last year, killing 510 and wounding 667.
Riyadh, a key U.N. donor, had threatened to cut off funding to a Palestinian aid program and other U.N. initiatives and said there was discussion of a fatwa against the United Nations, diplomatic sources told Reuters. Saudi Arabia denied using threats, although Ban himself confirmed the initial Reuters report.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saudi-un-idUSKCN0Z02OS