Russia today presented a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for a humanitarian pause in the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen, now in its 10th day.
Russia called the emergency meeting of the 15-member council amid growing alarm over the rising civilian death toll from the fighting in Yemen.
Violence has sharply escalated in Yemen following a Saudi-led military campaign launched on March 26 to stop an advance by Shiite Huthi rebels that forced President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia.
Coalition warplanes and ships bombarded Huthi positions in the southern port city of Aden today and airdropped weapons and ammunition to Hadi's supporters.
The one-page-text distributed to the council called on the Saudi-led coalition to halt air strikes to allow the evacuation of foreigners, but it did not specify the duration of the pause.
The measure "demands to establish regular and obligatory humanitarian pauses in the air strikes by the coalition to allow all concerned states and international organizations to evacuate their citizens and personnel from Yemen," according to the draft text.
The draft resolution made no reference to previous calls by the Security Council for the Huthis to pull back and return to political talks.
It expresses "grave alarm at the significant and rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, in particular the dire situation of civilians including diplomatic and consular personnel and other foreigners."
Russian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Vladimir Safronkov told reporters as he headed into the meeting that the pause would ensure that "when we evacuate people, to make sure it's secure and safe."
Safronkov also rejected claims that Russia was supplying weapons to the Huthis, which are backed by Iran, one of Moscow's friendly nations in the region.
UN aid chief Valerie Amos said Thursday she was "extremely concerned" about the fate of civilians trapped in fierce fighting and reported that 519 people had been killed and nearly 1,700 injured in two weeks.
The UN children's agency said at least 62 children had been killed and 30 injured over the past week in Yemen, and that more of them were being recruited as child soldiers.
British Deputy Ambassador Peter Wilson said his country continues to "support the Saud-led action in Yemen in response to a legitimate request from President Hadi.
