PRESS RELEASE
Current Status of Independent International Commission for Yemen
Sept. 25, 2017 (EIRNS)—All of the European Union's member nations support the resolution to launch an Independent International Commission of Inquiry investigating violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen—except for the United Kingdom and France. The United States is also dead-set against this proposal, together with the Arab world (except Syria). At the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, a resolution has been put forward by The Netherlands together with Canada. Most of Ibero-America is also onboard, led by Mexico. China also supports it, as we know from other sources. African nations are generally not supporting the resolution.
There is a counter-resolution proposed by Egypt, which is supported by the United Kingdom, United States, and France. This resolution supports the prolongation for one year of the so-called "Independent National Commission of Inquiry" which is controlled by Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni puppet government. These two resolutions will be put forward in Geneva at the UN Human Rights Commission next week, when the final HRC resolution of the 36th Session will be decided upon.
The big question, is whether The Netherlands will actually put forward their proposal this time, as both in 2015 and 2016 they pulled back similar proposals in the last week. This time it looks better, as the Dutch diplomats in Geneva are more firmly behind the resolution proposal. However, the decision rests with their government. Then, Canada also has to decide.
The problem of the earlier ambivalence of the Dutch government has made other nations, like Germany, hesitant to support the resolution clearly and openly. Nonetheless, Spain, Mexico, China, and other nations are coming out clearly supporting the Dutch/Canadian resolution.
If the resistance from the United Kingdom, the United States, and France couldn’t be shifted in the last week of the HRC’s 36th Session, there may be a compromise, where both Commissions will be authorized by the HRC to work for one year and come back with a report to the HRC.
However, this idea of a Commission working for one year is very ugly, because the war and siege against Yemen has to be ended immediately. This has to be the first priority.
