Statement delivered by H.E. Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, Permanent Representative of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana to the United Nations during the UNSC Briefing on Threats to International Peace and Security

I thank USG Di Carlo and Major General Beary for their briefings and recognize the presence of the Representative of Israel in today’s meeting.

Guyana is deeply concerned about the recent escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The Council must exert all efforts to avoid a wider regional conflagration.

We share the USG’s concern about the recent airstrikes between the Houthis in Yemen and Israel, which claimed the lives of several persons.

Guyana strongly condemns the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure and calls on the parties to desist from such attacks.

We also echo UNSG’s call for the unconditional release of UN personnel detained in Yemen.

The people in Yemen deserve to live in peace. We urge the Houthis to put the interests of the Yemeni people first and give full attention to the negotiations on the political roadmap.

Mr. President,

The worrying developments over the past few days, coupled with the ongoing attacks in the Red Sea, are not occurring in a vacuum, and risk further escalation that could envelop the entire Middle East region.

While we condemn these attacks, we must also stress their direct connection with the ongoing war in Gaza, where impunity continues, and further stress that international law must be respected by all parties.

We, therefore, stress, again, the need to achieve an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and call for this war to end, so that Palestinians could start rebuilding their lives. The war has already claimed the lives of nearly forty thousand people, mostly women and children, and maimed over eighty-eight thousand.

This Council must also redouble its efforts to address the root causes of this war. The only viable option remains the full implementation of the two-state solution with the creation of a free and independent State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, living peacefully alongside the State of Israel.

Mr. President,

This is the only path to sustainable peace.

We urge those who claim to sympathize with the Palestinian cause to support ongoing efforts to end the war and to refrain from taking any further action that could derail the peace negotiations or expand the conflict.

I Thank You.