The Saudi military has been pounding Yemen since March a year ago to undermine Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement and to restore power to the former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the King’s farm, on the outskirts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 23, 2016.
United Nations -sponsored negotiations to end 18 months of fighting in the impoverished country on Saudi Arabia’s southern border collapsed this month and the dominant Iran-allied Houthi movement there resumed shelling attacks into the kingdom.
“In numerous situations where military targets could be identified, there remain serious concerns as to whether the incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects that could be expected from the attack were not excessive in relation to the anticipated concrete and direct military advantage apparently sought”, the report said.
Kerry’s meeting with King Salman lasted roughly half an hour. The United States is also providing critical support to improve the capacity of Hudaydah Port to receive humanitarian and commercial supplies.
The government said it welcomed any peaceful solution to the conflict provided it is in line with UN Security Council resolution 2216, the Gulf initiative and the outcome of Yemen’s national dialogue.
Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in the Gulf belong to a US-led military alliance battling Daesh (so-called IS) militant group which has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq.
Kerry’s attending associates included U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom Dr. Joseph W. Westphal, Special Envoy for the Peace Process Frank Lowenstein, and a number of other attachés.
Fighting escalated in March 2015 with the start of Saudi-led airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their allies who are loyal to Yemen’s ousted president.
Mr Kerry arrived in Jeddah on Wednesday night and had a three-hour dinner with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman that lasted until almost 1am, according to USA officials.
The US official said more efforts could be made to battle the Islamic State (IS) militants and al-Qaida only if the conflicts in Yemen are ended.
“It isn’t just about casualties, but really about a devastating humanitarian crisis that is threatening people’s access to food and health care”, she said.
Those talks centre on proposals to share intelligence and coordinate militarily with Russian Federation against the IS group and al Qaida.
The US has backed the coalition with multi-billion dollar arms sales and provided logistical and intelligence support.
Mr Kerry is scheduled for talks with the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, in Geneva on Friday.
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Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
