News - Yemen: The US-Saudi aggression used the issue of opening roads to justify its siege of ports and airports and covering it up, says member of the National Delegation.

"We are keen to alleviate the suffering of the people, and in the circumstances of the confrontations there is a forced closure of some main roads to preserve the safety of citizens," AbdulMalik Alejri said in a statement to Al-Masirah on Tuesday

He pointed out that the measures in Taiz were imposed by military necessities to preserve the lives of citizens, while the closure of the ports and the airport was not justified.

The US-Saudi aggression and its mercenaries are attempting to hold Sana’a responsible for undermining efforts to reach complete peace by claiming to avoid its commitment to lift the siege on Taiz governorate.

The lie of the siege of Taiz is refuted by the operation of blocking roads by the Saudi-mercenaries in Marib and a number of governorates, and the resulting human suffering. These allegations represent the common factor of Saudi Arabia, its mercenaries, and the US. The goal is to demonize Sana’a and turn it from a victim to an accused, in return for diluting the crimes of aggression and its siege, which created the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the UN and international organizations.

Alejri explained that the military committee went for dialogue and had a package of options, whether in Taiz or elsewhere, stressing the keenness to make the best use of the truce.

He underestimated the performance of the Saudi-led aggression in the truce, indicating that it does not augur well for the future.

“The Saudi-led aggression did not implement the truce's most important provisions of the two weekly flights.”

He pointed out that the spy planes did not stop, and the United Nations had previously warned that any breach of the truce would be dealt with. 

“Sana’a was still exercising restraint,” the member of the National Delegation stressed.

Regarding extending the truce, Alejri affirmed that the delegation has not discussed this issue with the United Nations so far, stressing the need to implement the provisions of the truce first in the required manner and that any extension will be by improving humanitarian conditions.

He pointed out that an extension is out of the question as long as there is no commitment to the terms of the truce, wondering: "On what basis are we looking at extending it?"

He considered any extension of the truce to be in light of the evaluation of the previous stage and the improvement of humanitarian conditions.

In early April, the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, announced the nationwide ceasefire, for the first time since 2016, saying the two-month truce would be eligible for renewal with the consent of parties. The truce meant to halt all military operations in the country and to bring the foreign military invasion to an end.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the truce "must be a first step to ending Yemen’s devastating war," urging the warring parties to build on the opportunity to "resume an inclusive and comprehensive Yemeni political process."

The deal stipulates halting offensive military operations, including cross-border attacks, and allowing fuel-laden ships to enter Yemen’s lifeline al-Hudaydah port and commercial flights in and out of the airport in the capital Sana’a "to predetermined destinations in the region."

The Saudi-led aggression continues to violate the truce by detaining new fuel ships, despite their inspection and obtaining permits from the United Nations, insisting on the closure of Sana’a Airport, as well as, the fires of the aggression side did not subside along the fronts, on the borders and inside, including shelling, reconnaissance, development and crawl.