UNITED NATIONS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Security Council on Thursday called on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access to all affected areas.
In a presidential statement, the council expressed concern over the impact that access restrictions on commercial and humanitarian imports have on the humanitarian situation.
It called on the parties to immediately facilitate access for these essential imports into the country and their distribution in order to reach the entire civilian population.
The Security Council called for the full and sustained opening of all Yemen's ports, including the Red Sea ports of Hudaydah and Saleef, and stressed the importance of keeping these functioning and open to all commercial and humanitarian imports, including food, fuel and medical imports.
The council also called for increased access to Sanaa airport for life-saving humanitarian supplies and movement of urgent humanitarian cases.
The council reaffirmed that denial of humanitarian access can constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.
