Yemen Envoy Hails Constructive Talks In Kuwait
KABUL: (MEP) The UN special envoy for Yemen has hailed a constructive first full day of the counntry’s peace talks and called for an end to a deadly Saudi military campaign on the impoverished state.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said firming up an April 11 ceasefire was essential to the success of the hard-won peace negotiations in Kuwait.
“The negotiations on Friday between Houthi Ansarullah fighters and their allies on the one side and Saudi-backed loyalists to ex-president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi on the other side in Kuwait is very constructive.” Cheikh Ahmed added.
The United Nations hopes that the talks, which were originally due to begin on Monday, will end fighting across Yemen that has killed some 9,000 people and driven 2.8 million from their homes since March last year.
Military sources said that the ceasefire was largely holding on the ground, although clashes were continuing around battleground third city Taez — where pro-government forces have been under rebel siege for months — and in the Saudi border province of Jawf.
“There was a consensus on strengthening the cease-fire and the two sides were committed to the need to achieve peace and that this is the last opportunity,” he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the UN official noted that he had contacted Riyadh about its aerial assaults.
The Houthis complained of continuing air raids by Saudi Arabia while the former government side complained of alleged truce breaches by the Houthis, Ahmed added.
“The ceasefire is respected between 70 percent to 80 percent all over Yemen,” he added.
Meanwhile, Saudi’s spokesman Brig Gen Ahmed Al Assiri said there were fewer breaches of the ceasefire than in previous days.
“Our observations tell us that day by day the number of violations keeps decreasing,” he said.
He acknowledged that fighting was continuing in and around Taez.
“Taez is a very difficult city, but I think today [Friday] is better than yesterday or two days before,” he said. if violations cannot be resolved “on the ground”, the Saudis reserve the right to strike, Brig Gen Assiri added.
