Activities of Secretary-General in Saudi Arabia, 7-8 February
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Riyadh from New York on Saturday evening, 7 February. Soon after his arrival, the Secretary-General and his delegation attended a dinner with United Nations staff working in Saudi Arabia.
On Sunday morning, following a breakfast with the United Nations country team, the Secretary-General met with Abdullatif bin Rashid al Zayani, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council. They discussed a number of regional issues of concern to the United Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council. They focused primarily on the situation in Yemen, as well as global efforts to counter terrorism.
A short while later, the Secretary-General met with Ali bin Ibrahim Al Naimi, the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia. The Secretary-General and the Minister discussed issues related to climate change and the upcoming Paris conference.
Later in the morning, the Secretary-General went to the King’s Palace to have an audience with King Salman bin Abulaziz al-Saud, King of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. As he later told journalists, the Secretary-General told His Majesty that he had come to Saudi Arabia to pay his respects to the legacy of the late Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. The Secretary-General also extended personal condolences to all members of the Royal Family, the Government and people.
They had a very fruitful discussion during which they shared views on the vital importance of sustainable development and climate change, and measures to advance towards this goal, including renewable energy. They also talked about the very serious situation in Yemen, and the Secretary-General briefed King Salman on the work of his Special Envoy Jamal Benomar. Both agreed that everything possible must be done to reduce terrorism, both from Yemen and from Da’esh.
Following the meeting, the Secretary-General and his delegation were hosted to a working luncheon by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Nizar bin Obaid Madani. During the lunch, they discussed Yemen, Syria, Iraq and other issues of mutual concern.
Prior to departing Saudi Arabia, the Secretary-General spoke to reporters at the Royal Court Guest House.
He briefed the media on his various meetings with Saudi officials but Yemen was the main focus. He told the journalists that his Special Adviser, Jamal Benomar, was now in Yemen facilitating a way out of the current political crisis and a return to the path of peaceful political transition. The Secretary-General urged support for the efforts of not only his Special Adviser, but also the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Security Council.
In answering a question about the current tensions in Yemen, the Secretary-General expressed his concern “that the Houthis and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh have been undermining the transition process”. He underscored that Mr. Benomar will continue to engage so that the situation in Yemen would be resolved as soon as possible in a peaceful way.
On Syria, he also reminded reporters of the impact of the war on civilian populations as the conflict would enter its fifth year next month. He underscored that the United Nations has been doing its utmost to help resolve this issue through political dialogue but that “the parties seem to have very much entrenched in their positions to resolve this issue through violent means”.
“There is no such violent way which can solve this problem. There should be a political process,” he added.
In answer to a question on human rights in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Ban said that human rights is a fundamental principle of the United Nations Charter and every country should continue to abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
He added that he expected that, under the leadership of King Salman, “Saudi Arabia will show example in promoting human rights, particularly women, young people, marginalized groups of people and foreign migrant workers.”
The Secretary-General then left Riyadh for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to attend the 2015 Government Summit.