France says concerned about humanitarian crisis in Yemen, urges solution

PARIS, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- France expressed concerns about the situation in Yemen where, according to it, all parties should work together to end the humanitarian disaster, the world's worst such crisis, an official said on Friday.

"All parties have a duty to ensure the protection of civilian populations and infrastructure and allow full, unconditional and unrestricted access for humanitarian assistance," said Agnes Romatet-Espagne, foreign ministry's spokesperson.

"We call on all parties to ensure this," she stressed at an e-press briefing.

Romatet-Espagne added that French President Emmanuel Macron urged Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during a recent phone talk to "ensure the complete lifting of the blockade" in Yemen to facilitate access to humanitarian assistance and allow commercial goods into Yemen.

As new air strikes killed many civilians in the Arab country, France reiterated "the urgent need for a negotiated political solution" to stop the conflict, according to the spokesperson.

The military battle between the Iran-allied Houthis who control capital Sanaa against a Saudi-led military alliance backing a government based in the south, has dragged the country to the world's worst famine and humanitarian crisis.

Since 2015, more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, have been killed with over two millions were displaced, according to humanitarian agencies. Enditem