Tasnim � A former US government adviser underlined that the Riyadh regime is trying to find a �face-saving diplomatic solution� to avoid the embarrassment of failure in its ongoing military aggression against the Yemeni people.





�The Saudi government is trying to avoid the embarrassment of failure, so it is trying to pursue a face-saving diplomatic solution,� Paul Larudee from San Francisco said in an interview with the Tasnim News Agency.

�In my opinion, Minister of Defense Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is in a very weak position and will have to give up his office,� he noted.

�He will be made to take responsibility for the failure of the war in Yemen,� the analyst said, adding, �The big question is how many more people will have to die before this happens.�

 

Following is the full text of the interview:

Tasnim: For almost two years, the Yemeni civilians have been targets of cruel attacks and airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition. Yemen�s Legal Center for Rights and Development, an independent monitoring group, has recently put the civilian death toll at 12,041, including 2,568 children and 1,870 women. According to the United Nations, nearly 3.3 million people in Yemen, including 2.1 million children, are acutely malnourished because of the war and total siege imposed on them. They include 460,000 children under age of five with the worst form of malnutrition, who risk dying of pneumonia or diarrhea. Why is the international community so indifferent to the heinous crimes committed by the Al Saud regime in the Arabian Peninsula country?

Larudee: The attention of the world depends on the coverage of the major media, which in turn often depends upon government agencies, international bodies like the UN, and large NGOs, which report the slaughter of civilians like in Yemen.� Millions of people died and were killed in Congo under similar circumstances and without world attention. Attention will not be brought upon such crimes until the western media report them, and they usually do not do so unless the perpetrators are enemies of western governments and their allies.� Unfortunately, the people of Yemen are considered "disposable" and are being targeted by Saudi Arabia and its allies, who are all allies of the west.

Tasnim: According to media reports, Britain�s Ministry of Defense for the first time has recently revealed that the UK exported 500 cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia in the 1980s which have been used in the Riyadh regime�s ongoing war on Yemen. The munitions are now banned under international law. In a letter to the Conservative MP Philip Hollobone, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said, �The UK delivered 500 BL755 cluster munitions under a government-to-government agreement signed in 1986. The final delivery was made in 1989." Fallon also said the UK had not been able to carry out any surveillance of the weapons until 2008. In your opinion, what has made Britain admit to selling such bombs to the Saudi kingdom and what objectives is it pursuing by making such remarks?

Larudee: In general, such reports are intended to embarrass the members of government who were responsible for the actions.� The motivation is for the opposition party to advance its prospects of success in the next election and/or to build support for a change in policy.

Tasnim: As Saudi Arabia and its staunch allies bury Yemeni civilians under the rubble of their airstrikes, some Western states, which claim to defend human rights across the world, not only are keeping silent but also supporting the coalition�s genocide in Yemen. The United States has backed the Saudi-led war with weapons, logistics, and political support. What do you think about the role of the US and some other Western countries in the Saudi war crimes?

Larudee: There are several motivations for the sale of weapons for genocidal policies.� One is greed.� A lot of money is exchanged in the sale of weapons. Another is to create cooperation for other policies and actions, such as potential and actual aggression toward Palestine, Syria, and Iran. It is no accident that the Saudis have become friendly toward Israel, which until recently was considered an enemy of Saudi Arabia. The US provision of weapons to Saudi Arabia encourages their cooperation with the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians and removes Israeli objections to the US sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia.

Tasnim: In your opinion, why does not the Riyadh regime, which has reached none of its objectives behind the prolonged war, want to end the bloodshed and resolve the crisis through peaceful means?

Larudee: Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan. The Saudi government is trying to avoid the embarrassment of failure, so it is trying to pursue a face-saving diplomatic solution.� In my opinion, Minister of Defense Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is in a very weak position and will have to give up his office. He will be made to take responsibility for the failure of the war in Yemen.� The big question is how many more people will have to die before this happens.