Reality judged

Manama: No unjustified pressures were applied on the United Nations (UN) to withdraw its decision to blacklist the Saudi-led Arab Coalition for allegedly killing children in Yemen, said a Bahraini MP.

“We, GCC nations, can’t pressurise the UN and manipulate its decisions. Countries like the US and Russia can, but not us,” Parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee member Jamal Buhassan told DT News yesterday.

He explained: “Repre-sentatives of member countries of the coalition met with senior officials at the UN and presented convincing proofs denying the latter’s allegations. That’s the reason why the UN reconsidered its decision and unlisted the Coalition from the shameful list.”

The MP said it was the latest update that was revealed  during the meeting of Foreign Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa with the MPs on Wednesday.

Buhassan asserted that “despite the Huthi militias misusing schools and hospitals as military bases, the Coalition never targeted any of these civilian facilities.”

“Such accusations being made against countries involved in war, such as the Arab Coalition members, is natural, especially that there are lobbies that target the Coalition. These lobbies are supported by our enemies,” the lawmaker stated, hinting that Iran and Al Assad’s regime are attempting to target the Arab Coalition in Support to Legitimacy in Yemen through the UN.

Buhassan’s statements came in response to the latest reports claiming that UN Chief Ban Ki-moon was subject to financial pressures to remove the Coalition from the international body’s annual child rights blacklist.

This was strongly denied by Saudi Ambassador to the UN Abdulla Al Moallimi, who stated, “It is not in our style, it is not in our genes and it is not in our culture to use threats and intimidation. We have the greatest respect for the UN.