Fighting in Yemen must de-escalate before talks can begin, U.S. diplomat says

Fighting in Yemen must de-escalate before talks can begin, U.S. diplomat¹ says

Transcript²

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with U.S. Special Envoy³ Tim Lenderking about efforts to end a seven-year war in Yemen, and secure the release of Yemeni civilians⁵ who worked for the U.S. government.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

In October of last year, sometime after the chaotic⁶ collapse⁷ of Afghanistan and sometime before the threat of war in Europe, the United States received a harsh reminder⁸ of another conflict. It's a civil war that has gone on for years on the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen. Yemeni rebels who control the capital city began rounding up some of their own citizens in October. The detainees were people with a connection to the United States. We heard about this when we talked with Tim Lenderking, who is President Biden's special envoy to Yemen.

TIM LENDERKING: They have detained a number of our Yemen local staff who used to work for us when we had our embassy there up to 2015 when we evacuated⁹. And the fact that they have detained local staff and five former local staff is, in our view, an indication of a party that hasn't quite made the determination to make peace.

INSKEEP: Ambassador Lenderking's task is to end, if he can, a civil war that has become a regional war. U.S. ally Saudi Arabia backs one side and Iran the other. The United Arab Emirates is in there on the Saudi side, and several Yemeni factions¹⁰ control several parts of the country. Millions of people are suffering famine. Recently, the group known as the Houthis pushed out of the capital city and fought their way over the mountains toward a city the Saudis have counted on as their main base.

LENDERKING: They are very much trying to protect the last stronghold of the Yemen government in Marib, which is a city about 100 kilometers east of the capital, Sanaa, where you have some oil platforms. You also have a very large IDP population there. And Saudi Arabia's and the Yemen government have worked together to try to maintain this stronghold from intense Houthi pressure.

INSKEEP: The Saudis and their allies beat back the Houthi attack in recent weeks, but then the Houthis began using drones and missiles to attack the United Arab Emirates. One of them hit a fuel depot¹¹ in Abu Dhabi and killed three people.

LENDERKING: Well, unfortunately, I mean, there's been a whole pattern of attacks by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia and more recently the UAE. And Saudi Arabia, of course, is attacked on almost a daily basis. We saw more than 400 attacks against Saudi Arabia this past year, and that pattern is continuing. Saudi Arabia is viewed as - by the Houthis as an aggressor, despite the fact that the Saudis have offered, in March of last year, a cease-fire, a unilateral cease-fire.

INSKEEP: You said that the Saudis would like to bring this conflict to a conclusion, but it seems perhaps to have grown worse in recent years. Is that fair to say?

LENDERKING: I think it has grown worse, and that's for several reasons. One, I think the Iranians have found this a very convenient way to harass¹² Saudi Arabia. And so they've put muscle into this conflict as well, and they've perpetuated¹³ it. And I think secondly¹⁴, you have the fact that the Saudis have launched airstrikes into Yemen.

INSKEEP: You mentioned Iran. They have been accused of supporting the Houthi rebels, and it does seem that the Houthis have become more and more well-armed with ballistic missiles and with drones over time, right?

LENDERKING: No, that's true. And the Houthis are very creative in how they're able to assemble parts that are smuggled¹⁵ into Yemen from various sources. So the Iranians get a big bang for the buck¹⁶ from their support for the Houthis. And indeed, over time, their relationship with the Houthis has grown even stronger. What this points to, I think from our point of view, is the importance of de-escalation - to get the various parties to de-escalate and pivot¹⁷ to political talks.

INSKEEP: I want to ask about one more thing before we get to U.S. policy because you mentioned the Saudis launching periodic airstrikes into Yemen. There was a recent airstrike that struck what was described as a detention¹⁸ center run by the Houthi militias¹⁹. Medical groups say about 70 people were killed there. The Saudis eventually said it was some kind of special security camp, suggesting that it was a legitimate²⁰ target. But haven't there been an awful lot of civilian⁴ casualties over the years because of the Saudi bombing campaign?

LENDERKING: Well, there have been, unfortunately, civilian casualties caused by both sides. And obviously, with this terrible strike on this detention facility, the United States came out very strongly condemning²¹ this attack and also really focusing on the importance of protecting civilians. So when I was out in Saudi Arabia just last week, this was a big focus of my conversation with the Saudi leadership.

INSKEEP: Does this remain an excruciating dilemma²² for the United States? - because you've said as a matter of policy, the United States would like this war to end. But it is being waged by a vital U.S. ally that the United States is not going to stop being friends with.

LENDERKING: Well, it's a two-way street because even though the Saudis are a combatant, they're also being attacked on a daily basis, as I mentioned. And I think a major factor for us is not only protection of an ally, but we do have 70,000 Americans living in Saudi Arabia, many of whom have been there for decades working in various parts of the Saudi economy. And so it's vital. I think it's the foremost foreign policy priority of this administration to protect those American citizens in Saudi Arabia and in the United Arab Emirates.

INSKEEP: There are different factions that control different parts of Yemen at this point. The Houthis, of course, have that capital and a large part of territory. There are groups backed by the Saudis who control a key city and some other parts of territory. There are groups backed by the UAE. What does a peace settlement look like? Who ends up in charge?

LENDERKING: To some extent, these groups are going to have to define that themselves. I mean, Yemen is a challenging country in that central government has seldom been effective. And so our effort is really to provide a platform where Yemenis can talk to each other and make decisions about the future of the country.

INSKEEP: What are your most frustrating²³ moments when you're dealing²⁴ with all of these different warring parties and trying to get them on the same page?

LENDERKING: I think the challenge is different parties who claim to want peace in Yemen but not finding common ground. There is recognition, including among the Houthis, that there's no military solution. So the longer the parties continue to fight, the more Yemeni civilians are suffering and the farther off a political future looks. And so I find it difficult that the parties don't seize the moment to take advantage of the opportunity to make peace.

INSKEEP: Tim Lenderking is the U.S. special envoy for Yemen. Ambassador, thanks so much. Always a pleasure talking with you.

LENDERKING: Thank you, Steve.

(SOUNDBITE OF OCOEUR'S "CONTACT")

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

4 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

5 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

6 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

7 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

8 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

9 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

10 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

11 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

12 harass   

vt.使烦恼，折磨，骚扰

参考例句：

• Our mission is to harass the landing of the main Japaness expeditionary force.我们的任务是骚乱日本远征军主力的登陆。
• They received the order to harass the enemy's rear.他们接到骚扰敌人后方的命令。

13 perpetuated   

vt.使永存（perpetuate的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• This system perpetuated itself for several centuries. 这一制度维持了几个世纪。
• I never before saw smile caught like that, and perpetuated. 我从来没有看见过谁的笑容陷入这样的窘况，而且持续不变。 来自辞典例句

14 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

15 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

16 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

17 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

18 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

19 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

20 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

21 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

22 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

23 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。