Optimism after first meeting of Yemen’s military co-ordination committee
The United Nations said it held the first meeting of the Military Coordination Committee in Jordan on Saturday, which included representatives of the Yemeni government, the coalition and the Houthi militias.
The Military Coordination Committee discussed an active dialog coordination mechanism to address incidents that threaten to disrupt the truce and options that would address military and security incidents of concern, according to a statement from the office of the UN envoy to Yemen.
According to the statement, the UN envoy’s military advisor, Brigadier General Anthony Hayward, chaired the first meeting of the military coordination committee in Amman, Jordan, in the presence of military representatives from the Yemeni government, the command of the coalition’s joint forces and Houthi militias.
The statement described the meeting as constructive, noting that it discussed the establishment of an active mechanism to coordinate regular dialog and communication with the aim of addressing the de-escalation of events that have an impact on civilians and threaten to derail the truce.
The meeting also discussed options for a joint mechanism to be tasked with dealing with military and security incidents of concern and reducing their escalation as quickly as needed at the strategic and operational levels, the statement said.
Hayward said: “It is important to have the neutral space for the parties to be able to speak and interact with each other openly, honestly, respectfully and freely, with a focus on solutions”.
The meeting is “a very important step towards building trust and supporting the political process”, Grundberg said, noting that bringing military representatives of the parties face to face has long come to discuss ways to improve dialog and communication between the parties.
The Envoy urged the parties to continue to take these positive steps by emphasizing the continuation of the work of this Coordinating Committee.
The humanitarian truce went into effect on April 2 and will last until June 2, when the Yemeni government and the Arab coalition completed implementation of its humanitarian provisions, including the cessation of military operations, despite the escalation of violations by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia.
