ADEN (Debriefer)--The Yemeni government on Wednesday urged the international community to take a strict position towards Houthi manipulation of the FSO Safer file.
Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Muammar Al-Eryani said the UN announcement that the Houthi group may renege on a deal to access the decaying Safer oil tanker was too late. It is the fourth time the Houthis turn against deals for the tanker, he said.
The Houthi group is using the tanker as leverage to achieve political gains, he said, adding that being lax with the group is encouraging it to go too far and waste time.
He held the group responsible for an imminent environmental, humanitarian and economic catastrophe from a possible explosion of the tanker or a spill of more than 1.1 million barrels of crude on board.
The tanker is moored of Yemen's western coast and has had no maintenance since the war began six years ago.
On Tuesday, the UN said the Houthis have not replied to requests for security assurances required for a UN technical mission to access and assess the tanker.
In November 2020, the Houthi de-facto authorities accepted to allow the mission to the tanker, said Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General.
We are also very concerned by indications that the Houthi de-facto authorities are considering a review of their formal approval of the mission to deploy, he said in a statement on the UN news website.
Houthi officials have advised the UN to pause certain preparations pending the outcome of such process, which would create further delays to the mission, he added, according to the website.
In light of these challenges, the timeline of deployment of the mission remains uncertain and dependent on the continued facilitation of all stakeholders involved, he added.
The mission was scheduled to arrive the country in March, the UN said earlier.
But the group said at the time the UN made requests not included in the deal, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.
We notified the UN about the importance of respecting deals, especially as the new requests were about their financial relationships with insurance companies, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Houthi government Hussein Al-Ezzi said.
Delaying the deployment of the mission has been caused by the UN, while we have always showed our commitment, Al-Ezzi added.
