Lavrov urges conflicting parties in Yemen to negotiate

LJUBLJANA, April 21 (Itar-Tass) -- The conflicting parties in Yemen should negotiate and come to terms, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in the wake of reports about a UN Security Council session on Yemen, which ended inconclusively, without adopting a joint statement.

"Nobody called for a vote,” said Lavrov. “There was a discussion of the situation and of what can be done to help."

"The Yemenis must agree among themselves," said Lavrov.

As Lavrov pointed out, the demands put forward by the opposition in many Arab countries are fair, but quite often, hoping for help from abroad, the opposition refuses to come to the negotiating table. Lavrov is certain that "it is up to the conflicting parties to seek accord, without expecting that someone would help them."

Earlier, the UN Security Council met behind closed doors to discuss the situation in Yemen. At the consultations, convened at the initiative of Germany, UN Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe briefed the Security Council members on what was happening in that troubled country. Then, some delegations suggested adopting a statement for the press, but the delegations of Russia and China exercised their right to consult with their capitals.

Russia did not block the adoption of a Security Council statement on the situation in Yemen, a diplomatic source at the UN headquarters told Itar-Tass. "The question of issuing a UN Security Council statement on the situation in Yemen was raised without any prior discussion, so the Russian delegation in accordance with the rules of the Council exercised its right to consult with the capital," the interviewee said.

"The situation in Yemen requires a detailed study," the source said. He drew attention to the fact that after the closed consultations at the Council there followed a leak to the press.

"Information based on leaks from the UN Security Council is contrary to the rules of the Council," he said.