UK blocks UN inquiry into Saudi war crimes in Yemen

The Netherlands had hoped to gather support for its proposal that the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva establish an inquiry to look into war crimes and civilian deaths in Yemen, The Guardian reported.

The proposal, submitted Friday by Slovakia on behalf of the EU, was replaced by a much weaker call for the UN body to dispatch a mission “to monitor and report on the situation” after the UK refused to give its backing.

Human Rights Watch and other rights groups protested the UK’s stance, accusing it of protecting its arms deals with the Saudi regime.
Source

The thread linked below was on the topic of Saudi Arabia's war crimes in Yemen.

One in three Saudi air raids on Yemen hit civilian sites, data shows

What do the supposed "good guys" (the U.S. and the UK) on the world stage do about Saudi Arabia's war crimes in Yemen?

In the case of the U.S., a few Senators speak out, there's some political theater, and the United States promptly makes a $1.15 billion arms transfer to Saudi Arabia. The article at the top of this post tells you what the UK is doing. All of this supports the worldview that Jordan Maxwell has been trying to convey for years. The world system is a business with no ethics or morals, and it's not much else.

“Why has Saudi Arabia been largely immune from direct public criticism from political leaders simply because they are a few degrees separated from the terrorists who are often inspired by the ideology their money helps to spread?” Murphy said at the time. “There’s growing evidence that our support for Saudi-led military campaigns in places like Yemen are prolonging humanitarian misery and aiding extremism.”

...

“There’s an American imprint on every civilian life lost in Yemen,” Murphy told CNN in August. “Because, though the Saudis are actually dropping the bombs from their planes, they couldn’t do it without the United States.”
Senator Chris Murphy: US support for Saudi Arabia 'can't be unconditional'

We have to protect our arms sales interests I guess. The only people who buy UK-made arms are the psychotic Arab monarchs.

A shameful practice.

a reply to: Profusion

And the actual reason why and as rightly pointed out, it's disgusting:

International Development Secretary Priti Patel announced that Britain will provide an additional £37million in funding for Yemen this year.

A total of £72m has already been committed to the crisis in Yemen by the UK Government.

www.express.co.uk...

a reply to: Profusion

Now...

I wonder if there is a political movement who would stop this dead in its tracks, this manipulation and warmongering, this dirty dealing, which would halt the sale of arms to nations using their military power for nefarious and uncareful purpose? Tell me, what British political movement, in existence today, which party leadership is most against all of this, do you think?

I smell a change in the wind coming.

Sell em more advanced weaponry to kill more civilians and foreign countries leaders and armies, why wont they look into these slaughters? Answer seems to be in the question, they want em to do what they are doing.

LE: In reality these things would be enough to kick many ppl out of the office and find really intelligent ppl in their positions, whom actually care for future and life generally.

Ah, Press TV. Is that not the state run propaganda arm of Iran? Iran supports one side of the Yemeni civil war – the side that is being hammered by Saudi Arabia. We have to remember that when reading such reports.

There are a range of issues here. Clearly Saudi Arabia has poor human rights, just like Iran and many other countries in the Middle East and Arab world. The Yemen civil war has pitched the coalition that supports the Hadi government, and this includes Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries with support from France, Turkey, the US and the UK, against the Revolutionary Committee, who are mainly Houthis and supported by Iran, the paymasters of Press TV.

Anyway, like all crappy civil wars there are rights and wrongs on both sides. Saudi Arabia is the military interventionist supporting the legitimate government and has clearly been rather brutal and indiscriminate because human rights groups who I support have been reporting violations. However, the Houthis are not clean either and the same human rights bodies point out that they are just as bad.

The accusation of blocking an inquiry by the UK is just that. There are no other details, such as the terms of reference of such a proposal. Perhaps the UK is protecting arms sales and / or use of those arms, or perhaps the UK just thinks the terms were too narrow and did not include e.g. support of the rebels by Iran who have been supplying arms. Either way, what we need in Yemen is for Iran and Saudi Arabia to sit down and talk, but we know that won’t happen.

The Yemen Civil war will play itself out and the Houthis will be defeated and end up remaining a persecuted minority in a poor country that no one cares about. Saudi Arabia will keep Yemen within its sphere of interest and Iran will attempt to meddle and divide. Nothing different from the rest of the Arab world.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
Tell me, what British political movement, in existence today, which party leadership is most against all of this, do you think?

Probably the Green Party of England and Wales.

a reply to: paraphi

The Yemen Civil war will play itself out and the Houthis will be defeated and end up remaining a persecuted minority in a poor country that no one cares about.

Yemen is a 'civil war', but being bombed from outside by another country with us supplied arms.

Bite your 'civil'-ized tongue.

originally posted by: Ohanka
We have to protect our arms sales interests I guess. The only people who buy UK-made arms are the psychotic Arab monarchs.

A shameful practice.

It's deeper than that. Britain is behind most of the wars out there. When you consider that we operate two operations centres in Jordan and Turkey to recruit jihadis, train them by British military instructors then funnel them into Shia/Alawhyte/Christian states in the Middle East to massacre the populations one begins to understand that our services are in this up to their knecks. As Peter Ford (ex British ambassador to Syria) pointed out yesterday on BBC news our government refuses to name which jihadi groups it is funding and supplying in the Middle East wars. Says it all. Total disgrace being British these days

originally posted by: TrueBrit

I smell a change in the wind coming.

Really? Britain and the Sunni states are so intertwined through military and business there is no difference and there is no pulling the interests apart. There was no end to the colonial period at all out there. It is one and the same to this day bar name.

a reply to: MongolianPaellaFish

That would certainly be an option.

originally posted by: paraphi
Ah, Press TV. Is that not the state run propaganda arm of Iran? Iran supports one side of the Yemeni civil war – the side that is being hammered by Saudi Arabia. We have to remember that when reading such reports.

I hope The Guardian is not the second "state run propaganda arm of Iran" yet:
UK accused of blocking UN inquiry into claim of war crimes in Yemen

a reply to: Profusion

We're against war crimes and chase war criminals to bring them to justice , as long as it isn't us or our "friends" facing the allegations.
Tony Blair voices anger at pursuit of British soldiers for alleged war abuses

It is a joke that no one finds funny.

Could we not sell them a Nuke??..














































Then drop it off in Riydh with a free demonstration...


RA

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

Well, you and I see a problem with that. We cannot be alone, since there are bound to be many abroad in these lands who know as much, or more than we do about this, and are not of a mind to support it. We also have a Labour movement which is back where it belongs, rallying against war, for peace, for stability and freedom, rather than oppression and profiteering. It's not perfect, but recent happenings represent a clear shift to the left in certain quarters, a voiceless mass given energy and momentum by frustration, a critical mass of despair, and driven to make their voice heard LOUDLY for the first time in thirty years.

It's not all going the way of the corporate powers, and that movement, if supported fully, could see positive changes made to the way our nation does business.

a reply to: slider1982

I know think you were joking, but killing more innocent people would make us just as bad as they are. The citizens in Riyadh have no more of a say in their government's foreign policy than the citizens in London or Washington DC do in their own government's foreign policy.

As for the OP, nobody should be surprised at this point. This cycle of war and war crimes will continue until the world's citizens and governments embrace pacifism. As long as we're willing to go to war through violence, there will always be an excuse to do it. Terrorism, oppression, organized crime, wars on drugs, Somali pirates, pipelines, to secure trade interests, etc. When they want more wars and defense spending, powerbrokers will promote whatever excuse is needed to gain public support. But as long as we keep falling for it & supporting their wars, we'll keep getting more incidences like this.

a reply to: Profusion

Nothing to see here people, now move along quietly please.

a reply to: Zcustosmorum

We cant pay for our own national health service and social security programs, political scum and local councils are screaming austerity from the rooftops, yet we can expend £37 million on Yeman.

This nation has gone to the dogs!

a reply to: TrueBrit

Maybe that's the answer. A real Labour speaking for the people again instead of the corps. Just can't believe what's going on out there, we must be one step away from a full on war with Russia. Makes me sad how British supplied mercenaries are slowly destroying the Christian communities i their ancient heartland of the Middle East, it is terrible. All the people muslims too being killed by our mercenaries. No wonder people from that region/religion want to attack us.

a reply to: intrptr

Its the big piece of the puzzle you need to fix in all this terrorist/wars in the ME to make sense of it all .