...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...has expressed concerns about escalating tensions in Yemen, saying the crisis gripping the impoverished country needs a political solution not a military approach.
In a statement released on Thursday, Maja Kocijancic, the EU spokeswoman for foreign affairs and security policy, said Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
has witnessed "a dramatic escalation of hostilities" in the past few weeks, resulting in many casualties and civilian infrastructure damage.
"This escalation runs against the commitment of all sides to a political solution of the conflict in Yemen and feeds into a vicious cycle of successive retaliations that risks to undermine the efforts of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and put the resumption of peace talks in jeopardy," the statement read.
"There is no military solution to the conflict in Yemen. Only a negotiated, political solution through an inclusive process can put an end to the conflict and restore hope for stability and peace in the country and the region," it added.
The EU further supported a Wednesday statement by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the conflict in Yemen.
Guterres reminded the parties to the Yemen crisis that "a negotiated political settlement through inclusive intra-Yemeni dialogue is the only way to end the conflict and address the ongoing humanitarian crisis."
Calling on all sides to refrain from further escalation, he noted that all potential violations of international humanitarian law should be thoroughly investigated.