Press Release - Statement by NSC Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan on the Conclusion of Operation Decisive Storm

The United States welcomes the decision by the Government of Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners to conclude Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen. With this announcement, we look forward to a shift from military operations to the rapid, unconditional resumption of all-party negotiations that allow Yemen to resume an inclusive political transition process as envisioned in the GCC Initiative, the National Dialogue outcomes, and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We also welcome the United Nations continuing to play a vital role in facilitating the political talks and look forward to the United Nations announcing a location for the talks in the very near future.

We strongly urge all Yemeni parties, in particular the Houthis and their supporters, to take this opportunity to return to these negotiations as part of the political dialogue. Having bravely and resolutely sought a democratic political transition, the Yemeni people deserve the opportunity to hold a peaceful debate about their new constitution, to participate in a credible and safe constitutional referendum, and to vote in free and fair national elections.

We commend the commitment of King Salman of Saudi Arabia to provide $274 million in emergency humanitarian relief to Yemen. We also strongly support the commitment of the Government of Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners to facilitate the provision of humanitarian and medical aid to those displaced and injured by the fighting. We look forward to this transition from Operation Decisive Storm significantly increasing the opportunities for international and Yemeni humanitarian organizations to access and deliver assistance to the Yemeni people.

The United States reiterates the obligation of all nations to abide by the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 that prohibit the supply of arms or other related materiel to key Houthi leaders, as well as former president Ali Abdallah Saleh, his son, and those acting at their direction. The United States will continue to support efforts to build international cooperation to seek to prevent violations of this resolution, including through enhanced maritime monitoring and inspection by international partners.

At the same time, we will continue to closely monitor terrorist threats posed by al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula and to take action as necessary to disrupt continuing, imminent threats to the United States and our citizens. AQAP and other terrorists have sought to benefit from the deterioration of the political and security situation in Yemen, and we strongly believe it is in the interests of the Yemeni people to unite to confront the shared terrorist threat to their country.