RIYADH: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that only a political solution could solve the problems in Yemen and Syria. The secretary general was speaking at a joint press conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir. Guterres added that the international organization condemns the recruitment of children in Yemen. He said that Houthi recruitment of children is a violation of international law. Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi’s foreign minister reiterated his country’s position that the war in Yemen was a necessity and was not a war of choice. He added that Iran’s support of the Houthi militia has rendered a political solution obsolete. Al-Jubeir condemned the continued ballistic missile attacks on Saudi Arabian cities and considered such attacks in breach of international humanitarian law. Al-Jubair also criticized the Houthi militia, backed by Iran, for the continued siege of certain Yemeni cities, as well as blocking aid convoys from reaching civilian areas. This in addition to mining large parts of Yemen as well as launching attacks against maritime traffic in the Red Sea Bag Al-Mandab waterway. On Syria, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister says the Kingdom is in talks with the Trump administration about sending forces into Syria, and that this proposal has been under discussion since the Obama administration. Adel Al-Jubeir told reporters Tuesday: “We are in discussions with the US and have been since the beginning of this crisis about sending forces into Syria.” He says Saudi Arabia has also offered to send forces from a mostly Sunni bloc of Muslim nations established by the kingdom to fight terrorism. He says the Obama administration did not take them up on either offer. The kingdom has backed and helped arm Sunni rebel groups fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces, which are backed by Shiite-majority Iran. Saudi Arabia is also a member of the US-led coalition battling the Daesh group.