UN report on Yemen inculpates Saudis: Commentator

Press TV has interviewed Naseer al-Omari, an author and political commentator in New York, about a UN panel of experts saying Saudi Arabia’s months-long war on impoverished Yemen has violated the humanitarian law as many of the airstrikes have been carried out on civilian targets.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Is this progress in the making that at least now the United Nations is actually looking at the situation closer?

Omari: Well this is an important development. The United Nations is probably for the first time pointing fingers at the Saudi royal family and its crimes in Yemen but there are other pieces that have been unfolding and emerging in the last few weeks.

We now know that the United Kingdom is involved in that war room and that is an important development. This should put the British government in front of its responsibilities and more of these pieces of news coming out showing that this regime is emerging as a Nazi regime. This is a fascist regime. It goes after these Yemenis for the purpose of obliterating them. This is not modern warfare. It is not about achieving military objective. This is about killing the enemy and obliterating its existence and that I think is ground for bringing the Saudis to justice in international courts.

Press TV: Well let’s look at that, how likely is that to happen? You just mentioned the British government but we have seen even from the Americans just a couple days ago, the US Secretary of State Kerry reiterating Washington’s support for the Saudi onslaught on Yemen. So with that being the situation, we are talking about the United Nations and we know that of course the United States is one of the countries in the Security Council, are we likely to see real pressure being put by the UN on Saudi Arabia or not?

Omari: I believe the change will start from the United States. Over the last year or so I have seen voices in the United States saying who is this regime? Why are we supporting this brand of dictatorial regime in the Middle East? Is it responsible for spreading terrorism?

So we have started to see politicians even Congress people voicing concern that this relationship between the US and the Saudi regime has cost the United States and the world dearly.

So what happens in the United Nations I believe is happening in the US and in the UK and in the West. They are taking a look at this regime and connecting terrorism worldwide to what is happening in the palaces of the royal family in Saudi Arabia.   

Press TV: So you think specifically dealing with this situation that is happening in Yemen that in the near future we could actually see real pressure being exerted by the United Nations on Riyadh?

Omari: I believe so. I do not think this report, this recommendation by the experts will pass unnoticed. Russia has been voicing concern that the Saudis are actually the source of terrorism in the Middle East.

So I believe there are countries that are worried that the Saudi royal family has to answer to the international community especially with these horrendous crimes described by these experts, targeting civilians intentionally for the purpose of killing them, targeting people who are fleeing the battlefield. I mean these are true fascist tactics that are aimed at killing people, not winning a war or achieving peace in Yemen.   

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