HODEIDA TRUCE OFFERS HOPE FOR YEMEN PEACE
Next round of talks between govt and Houthis in January
UN chief Antonio Guterres announced on Thursday a series of breakthroughs in talks with rivals in the Yemen conflict, including a ceasefire for a vital port. In a highly symbolic gesture on the seventh and final day of the UNbrokered peace talks in Sweden, Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Al Yamani and rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam shook hands to loud applause.
However, a number of issues remain unresolved and a new round of talks with take place at the end of January, Guterres said. Guterres announced that the government and Houthi rebels had agreed on a ceasefire in the port of Hodeida, the main entry point for imported food and aid.
“There is a ceasefire declared for the whole governorate of Hodeida in the agreement and there will be both from the city and the harbour a withdrawal of all forces,” he told reporters. UN special envoy Martin Griffiths, who is due to brief the Security Council on Yemen on Friday, said the pullout should take place “within days”. —
Encouraging news today from Sweden. Important political progress made including the status of Hodeida. The Coalition & Yemeni forces’ military pressure enabled this significant breakthrough Dr Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
abu dhabi — The UAE has welcomed the political progress on Yemen, including the status of Hodeida, reached during consultations in Sweden.
Dr Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday: “Encouraging news today from Sweden. Important political progress made including the status of Hodeida. The Coalition & Yemeni forces’ military pressure enabled this significant breakthrough”.
Dr Gargash stressed that the commitment to the political process and efforts led by the United Nations, and the need to continue these steps, to ensure the stability and prosperity of the Yemeni people, must be attained via a sustainable political solution as per UN Resolution 2216.
The minister went on to say that diplomatic progress was made possible by sustained military pressure against the Houthis along the Red Sea Coast and surrounding areas in Hodeida. “The Coalition has held its commitment to maintain the flow of humanitarian assistance and to avoid damaging the port,” he said. Dr Gargash expressed his appreciation to the 5,000 Emirati soldiers and Yemeni forces for their readiness to liberate the Hodeida Port.
“Their bravery and commitment made the diplomatic progress possible,” he continued.
He also relayed his appreciation to the UN and the Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, for their “efforts”, “perseverance”, and their “commitment to peace and to the people of Yemen”.
Breakthrough
Yemen Foreign Minister Khaled Al Yamani told reporters the deals were the biggest step forward since the outbreak of the war but remained “hypothetical”. The lead rebel negotiator said the Houthis had made “major concessions” on Hodeida.
“This is a minor breakthrough. They have been able to achieve more than anyone expected,” said Elizabeth Dickinson, Senior Analyst, Arabian Peninsula at International Crisis Group. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the parties had made “real progress” and that the United Nations would pursue pending issues “without interruption”.
His envoy had also been seeking agreement on reopening Sanaa airport and shoring up the impoverished Arab country’s central bank. Most basic commodities are out of reach for millions of Yemenis.
Griffiths said he hoped a deal would be struck on reopening the airport over the next week following discussions in Sweden on whether flights would be inspected in government-held airports before flying in and out of Sanaa.
The Yemen ambassadors of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, core players in the conflict, were in Rimbo, Sweden, for the last day of negotiations. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also met with both the government and rebels on Thursday.
The Sweden talks mark the first meeting in two years between the
The Coalition has held its commitment to maintain the flow of humanitarian assistance and to avoid damaging the port
Dr Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Houthi rebels and the Hadi government that has been backed since 2015 by the Saudi-led coalition.
The last round of talks, hosted by Kuwait in 2016, collapsed after more than three months of negotiations with no breakthrough.