NYN | News
The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has warned that recent decisions by the Central Bank of Yemen in Aden against commercial and local banks in Sanaa will harm the Yemeni economy and disrupt the livelihoods of ordinary Yemenis across the country.
In a message addressed to the President of the Presidential Leadership Council aligned with the Saudi-UAE coalition, Grundberg stated that these decisions “could lead to the risk of escalation that might extend into the military domain.”
In the letter, Grundberg expressed his concern regarding “the recent decision by the Central Bank of Yemen, No. 30 of 2024, which suspends the licenses of six banks and the subsequent communication with correspondent banks and the SWIFT system, which will result in halting these banks’ access to correspondent banks and the SWIFT system.”
He continued, “To avoid imposing additional severe pressures on the Yemeni economy and to assist in efforts aimed at initiating dialogue, I urge the Yemeni government and the Central Bank of Yemen to delay the implementation of these decisions at least until the end of August, and to inform all correspondent banks and the SWIFT system to postpone any actions that may negatively impact the six banks whose licenses were revoked.”
Grundberg called for the initiation of a dialogue under UN auspices among Yemeni parties to discuss recent economic developments in Yemen with the aim of resolving them in the interest of all Yemenis, consistent with the intent and spirit of the commitments agreed upon by the Yemeni parties. He mentioned that he would provide the dialogue parties with a schedule and request the Houthis to commit to the dialogue.
The Presidential Leadership Council, aligned with the coalition, held an emergency meeting on Friday, chaired by Rashad al-Alimi, who is based in Riyadh, with participation from council members via video conference to discuss the message. The council announced its openness to all solutions and requested the inclusion of oil exports and currency unification in the agenda.
