The United Nations’ Secretary General has told a press conference in Riyadh that Saudi Arabia is the ‘pillar of stability in the region’.

Speaking at a joint conference with the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Antonio Guterres told journalists: “Saudi’s stability is a model for the pursuit of change and growth”.

He stressed that “the cooperation between the United Nations and Saudi Arabia, is key in the fight against terrorism,” explaining that the “United Nations is working to help member states in the fight terrorism”.

On the disruption of humanitarian aid in Yemen, he said: “We urge Yemen parties not to take advantage of humanitarian aid, condemn if they do.”

And he added that the UN envoy to Yemen had his ‘full support’, which came days after Houthi militia had demanded he did not renew the diplomat’s term due to what it alleged was bias against the Iranian-aligned movement.

Jubeir said of the situation in Yemen: “We made 70 agreements with Yemen’s Houthis and ex-president Saleh. They did not implement a single one”.

And he said the kingdom ‘hoped to continue sending aid to Yemen’ adding that a ‘large amount of GCC money’ had been allocated to rebuilding the war torn country.

Meanwhile Jubeir said that relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States were ‘excellent’, adding that the two nations saw ‘eye-to-eye on Yemen, Syria and Libya’.

On Syria Jubeir said the Saudi’s expected “international support for
moderate Syrian opposition to continue.”

He added: “We expect Syrian talks in Geneva to lead to political solution”

(With Agencies)