United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned of the grave humanitarian situation in Yemen and called for greater contribution by the Islamic Republic to help resolve the crisis afflicting the impoverished Arab country.
“Eighty percent of Yemen’s population, about 21 million people, are in need of urgent help,” said the UN chief in a Monday meeting with Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani in New York. The two officials met on the sidelines of the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament at the United Nations, ICANA reported.
Describing the conclusion of nuclear talks between Iran and major powers as a “major achievement for both Iran and the UN,” Ban announced he plans to visit Tehran in the near future. He referred to Tehran’s “constructive” role in the fight against terrorism and said, “Iran and the United Nations can promote cooperation in the struggle against terrorism and extremism.”
Larijani highlighted the role the UN can play to help settle the crisis in Yemen and said securing a ceasefire and establishing dialogue for the formation of a national unity government are the “only practical options” to defuse the conflict. Expressing Iran’s readiness to help resolve the situation in Yemen through democratic means, he warned that continuation of war in the Arab country “could cause lots of problems for the region.”
