Chairman Risch Statement Following Yemen Briefing with Martin Griffiths

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made the following remarks after a briefing for all members of the Senate led by Mr. Martin Griffiths, United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen:

“We still have a long way to go to solve the crisis in Yemen – a country that’s been ravaged by years of proxy war and fractious infighting, with 24 million Yemenis in dire need of food and medical assistance,” said Risch. “Tonight my colleagues and I had the opportunity to hear Martin Griffiths’ assessments of U.S. efforts to support the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, and how congressional actions may influence critical peace negotiations.  We all want to see an end to this conflict and humanitarian crisis and ensure that the Yemeni people can address their needs. It must be noted that Iran has been a destabilizing force in this conflict.  It will take a long time to resolve this conflict, but the U.N.-led peace talks are our best hope going forward.”

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