GRIFFITHS UPBEAT ON TODAY’S HODEIDAH CEASEFIRE
▶ UN envoy to Yemen says it should lead to talks on political solution to war
The UN special envoy to Yemen hopes a ceasefire that was due to begin overnight will end fighting in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah and pave the way for talks next month on a political solution to the conflict.
Martin Griffiths said the deal, reached last week in Sweden, had been the result of significant political will by all sides. He singled out Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a crucial figure leading to the breakthrough.
“UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres came to Sweden and spoke to the Crown Prince and [Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur] Hadi, who were of critical importance in the last hours,” Mr Griffiths told CNN late last night.
“We had been working for months with the Security Council so we knew where we wanted to go but just needed the will to agree.”
He said he was pleased with the result and he would try to capitalise on the atmosphere to convene further sessions by the end of next month to start talking about a wider peace agreement.
Mr Griffiths said there would be no UN peace monitors in the coming days but he hoped they would arrive within a week. They will report to the UN Security Council.
A source in the Arab-led coalition told The National Yemeni and international forces would abide by the ceasefire as long as Houthi rebels did. But he warned breaches would be met with a strong response.
“The Hodeidah ceasefire deal is the best option for Yemen’s future and if the Houthis are serious then we’re serious, but if they provoke us we can respond accordingly with other means,” the source said.
“If there are lethal attacks or infiltration we will be forced to respond and we will not stand still.”
Yemeni officials have warned that rebels may not stop attacks at midnight as agreed to during peace talks in Sweden last week, and that they had been planning to hide weapons and fighters in and around Hodeidah.
So far, the UN has not publicly shared details on how the agreement will be monitored or enforced. But Mr Griffiths said that UN agencies had extensive plans in place.
Moammar Al Eryani, Yemen’s Information Minister, said in a tweet that the ceasefire deal would be phased and that the end to fighting would precede the Houthis handing over key centres – including the ports of Hodeidah, As Salif and Ras Issa – within 14 days.
The final phase is for both sides to withdraw from the city and its surrounds within 21 days.
The UN special co-ordinator for Yemen was unavailable to confirm the timeline yesterday.
The agreement reached on Thursday at peace talks in the Swedish town of Rimbo includes an “immediate ceasefire” in Hodeidah.
The city’s port handles 80 per cent of essential goods going into Yemen.
A UN source that the deal was pushed back until today because of “operational reasons”.
The delay came amid renewed clashes on the outskirts of Hodeidah city in the lead up to the deadline.
At least 29 fighters, including 22 Houthi rebels, were killed
on Saturday night in Hodeidah province, a pro-government military source said.
“We will monitor and see if the Houthis will implement the Stockholm agreement,” Col Turki Al Malki, spokesman for the Arab coalition, said yesterday.
The agreement includes clauses on implementing the truce and international figures being appointed to monitor the mechanisms of the issue, but there are few specifics.
“The UN and international community are responsible for implementing the Stockholm agreement,” Col Al Malki said.
He said the rebels were under immense pressure to come to the negotiating table, but that they had breached deals in the past.
On Sunday, Yemen’s Foreign Minister, Khaled Al Yamani, urged the UN to make Houthi rebels respect the truce.
“We urge you to be tough when dealing with the Houthis to ensure their commitment to the agreement in Sweden, which includes a ceasefire and the full withdrawal of their militias from Hodeidah’s three ports and city,” Mr Al Yamani wrote to Mr Griffiths.
He warned that the Houthis should not be given the opportunity to exploit the period before the withdrawal of forces from Hodeidah. “They will continue to commit war crimes by looting and destroying the city,” Mr Al Yamani wrote.
The UN confirmed that a technical working group would be established with the participation of the rebels and government, the UN envoy and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to focus on the logistical and technical aspects of the exchange.
A Yemeni government official told The National that the deal would be carried out in stages, and it could take up to 48 days before all prisoners were exchanged.
“This is a humanitarian issue and it shall not be subject to any political scores or other matters, and the perspective of parties shall be to reunite the bereaved families, as it is endorsed in Islam,” the UN said.
Khaled Al Yamani warned the Houthis should not be allowed to exploit the period before the forces withdraw from Hodeidah