(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The United States said there were coordinated efforts with GCC countries and Yemen on fighting Houthi militias and their allies to restore legitimate leadership in that Arab country, expressing concern over foreign interference in the Yemeni scene.
"The US is providing intelligence ... logistical support ... accelerated delivery of ammunition (for the coalition fighting Houthis), I think there is quite coordinated coalition efforts with the GCC countries and with the US and Yemen" against the Houthis, Anne Patterson, US Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, said.
"We have been significantly involved" in Operation Decisive Storm that was launched on March 26 at the behest of Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Patterson said in an interview with KUNA.
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said two days ago that "We're assisting the Saudis to protect their own territory and to conduct operations that are designed to lead ultimately to a political settlement to Yemen." The Saudi-led operations in Yemen, bringing together 10 countries for protecting Yemeni people, has received political backing when the UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted resolution 2216 last Tuesday which condemned Houthi military actions against the legitimate government, imposed sanctions against the militias and their leader, as well as on son of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Resolution 2216, adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, called for the resumption of the political process on the basis of the GCC initiative and its implementation mechanism and outcome of the national dialogue.
Patterson expressed concern over the "Iranian role" in Yemen, which "concerns us all and concerns the Saudis because their strategic interests are most immediately affected by what takes place in Yemen." "Iran is clearly playing a destabilizing role in Yemen, and that concerns us all and concerns the Saudis because of their strategic interest are most immediately affected by what takes place in Yemen," said Patterson.
She underlined that the freedom of navigation through Bab Al-Mandab Strait was very important for the region and the whole world. The coalition, which has been pounding military facilities and positions occupied by the Houthis, is keen on securing uninterrupted navigation through the strategic Strait.
Patterson, meanwhile, spoke of the "terrible humanitarian catastrophe" in Syria that killed some 250,000 people and forced millions others to be either internally displaced or end up as refugees in neighboring countries.
The Syrian crisis has entered its fifth year now with no solutions appeared to be looming in the horizon. The situation on the ground has become more complex with the emergence of the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL).
Patterson reaffirmed that there is no military solution to the tragedy in Syria, extending support to the UN Secretary General's special representative to Syria Staffan de Mistura's endeavors to negotiate a political settlement between the government and opposition.
"We will keep pressing for a political solution under UN auspices," she said, but it would exclude President Bashar Al-Assad, who "has to go." The US has been supporting what it considered as moderate opposition elements to fight the Syrian government forces. "We are doing several things in the US, like training and equipping moderate forces," added Patterson.
However, she said the US would not support the removal of the entire "Syrian establishment." "The Syrian state will have to remain intact, so you will not have a security vacuum. But Bashar Al-Assad and his closest advisors have to leave the scene," she said.
"Opposition will always have to speak to people close to Bashar Al-Assad to get him to leave," she added.
The Syrian people have been suffering since outbreak of conflict in March 2011. Some four million refugees live in neighboring countries - Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt - and over seven million are internally displaced, creating a massive humanitarian catastrophe.
Kuwait, living up to its humanitarian responsibilities, hosted three donor conferences to help the Syrian people in 2013, 2014 and 2015, contributing USD 1.3 billion in the three meetings.
The 2013 donors meeting pledged USD 1.5 billion, the second rose to USD 2.4 billion while total pledges in the third International Pledging Humanitarian Conference for Syria amounted to USD 3.8 billion.
"Your (Kuwait) government has been hugely generous, they (have) given (a) lot of money to the Syria refugees and humanitarian relief," said Patterson.
"Kuwait has been taking a real significant leadership role in the question of Syrian relief," she added.
The UN honored His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah last September as a "Humanitarian Leader," and Kuwait as "Humanitarian Center," in recognition of the Kuwaiti leader and his country's relentless humanitarian efforts.
Turning to Iraq, Patterson commended Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi who "is trying to do his best for reconciliation between different ethnic and religious groups in Iraq," which would ultimately contribute to the fight against ISIL - the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
Al-Abadi is trying to lead his country to minimize conflicts among Sunnis, Kurds and Shiites, she said. "We do think he is trying to lead the country to minimize these disputes on Iraqi territories ... (and) He has got a very difficult situation," added Patterson.
A US-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against positions and military equipment of the ISIL in different parts of Iraq, like Fallujah, Baiji, Tikrit, Mosul and Ramadi.
The fight against ISIL has achieved "slow progress but progress nonetheless," said Patterson.
"I think it is going in the right direction, (and) the recent battle in Tikrit is indicative when they (Iraqis) needed support from US airstrikes, they drove ISIL out of Tikrit," she said, of the confrontations between Iraqi forces and ISIL on the ground, which have also been taking place in Anbar, Ramadi and near Baiji.
Patterson said the coalition fighting ISIL in Iraq and Syria are steadfast. "Every time we have a meeting of coalition there is more solidarity of two major issues like foreign fighters flow because people are very concerned about that and cutting money to ISIL, and there has been quite a progress on that," she added, while cutting money of ISIL's oil smuggling has been "very significant." Patterson said the Saudi and Kuwaiti governments have been "very generous" in supporting the anti-ISIL coalition the minute it was formed. She added that the Turks have done "better with two things, one was cutting the flow of foreign fighters from Turkish borders, and cutting flow of oil of ISIL." She also highlighted the Iranian "big role" against ISIL. "They are playing a role in getting rid of ISIL in Iraq," she noted.
On Iran's nuclear negotiations following a framework agreement that was concluded between Tehran and the P5+1 group in Lausanne, Switzerland, Patterson describe the upcoming talks as "pretty tough.
"I think there are tough negotiations ahead, they have to fill in the details. There are a lot of working details that have to be resolved," she said.
The framework agreement will curb Iran's uranium enrichment capabilities, largely reduce the number of centrifuges and place nuclear facilities under tough international inspections, in return for lifting of sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Patterson, on the other hand, said Egypt was a "long-standing and critical ally of the US, commercially and strategic," citing the release of military equipment sales to the North African country.
"We want to have a relationship with President (Abdelfatah) Sisi and that is why President (Barack) Obama decided to release sales of military equipment to Egypt two weeks ago," she said.
The White House said on March 31 it would release 12 F-16 aircraft, 20 Harpoon missiles, and up to 124 M1A1 Abrams tank kits. It also said it would continue to ask Congress for USD 1.3 billion annual aid to Egypt.
On the Middle East peace process, Patterson said the US believed the two-state solution was "the only viable long-term solution" for the Palestinians and Israelis.
She said US Secretary of State John Kerry hoped to resume efforts to bring the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiations' table after the Israeli government was formed.
The "US believes that solving the Palestinian problem would be hugely important to the whole region," she said.
During her visit to Kuwait, Patterson met with Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Khaled Jarrah Al-Sabah, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, and Minister of State for Planning and Development Hind Al-Sabeeh as well as a host of entrepreneurs.
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