International efforts to consolidate Yemeni truce – Details
The American envoy to Yemen, Tim Lindrking, demanded that the Houthi terrorist militia open the roads in Taiz that will be used for humanitarian purposes, and that the truce, which will end on August 2, be maintained. He stressed the United States’ commitment to peace in Yemen, and asked the Yemeni parties to choose peace over war and destruction.
Tim Lindrking stressed the need to maintain the security calm and release all prisoners, consoling the family of al-Ajmi who died in the hands of the Houthis.
He thanked Jordan and Cairo for facilitating flights from Yemen to Oman and Sanaa, noting that Iran has encouraged the Houthis to attack civilians.
The US envoy to Yemen said: “There are difficult issues that are being negotiated for the first time in years, and there are military committees under the auspices of Saudi Arabia that are negotiating face-to-face for the first time. I am cautiously optimistic about the Taiz negotiations”.
The Yemeni government negotiating team yesterday called on the international community, the ambassadors of the European Union and the American envoy to exert more pressure on the Houthi coup militias to speed up the opening of the main roads to the city of Taiz and the rest of the governorates, and to turn the proposal of the United Nations envoy in this regard into a reality on the ground.
In a statement carried by Yemen’s official news agency Saba, the team praised the intense efforts of UN envoy Hans Grundberg and his team, which resulted in a proposal to open five roads in Taiz and some provinces, including a main road.
“This represents the minimum demands of the people of Taiz province, and the rest of the roads will be reopened in the coming months”, the statement said.
“More than two weeks after the start of negotiations in the Jordanian capital of Amman on opening roads in Taiz province, in accordance with the provisions of the UN truce”, the government team explained. Although we advanced our vision by opening main roads that would alleviate the suffering of the people, ease their access and reduce economic costs, the other side (the Houthis) insisted on putting forth dirt side roads that would not achieve the goal of lifting the siege and alleviating suffering.
He continued: “He has been acting unilaterally to impose a fait accompli on the non-consensual and non-negotiated routes, which has brought the negotiations to a halt”.
Separately, the Kuwaiti government plans to appoint a special envoy for Yemen to manage all forms of Kuwaiti support in the coming period.
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheik Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah announced yesterday during a session of Yemeni-Kuwaiti talks, chaired by the Foreign Ministers of the two countries, that his country intends to appoint a special envoy to manage development support for Yemen, as per the directives of the Emir of the State of Kuwait Sheik Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and his Crown Prince Sheik Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, according to Yemen Al-Arabi website.
High-level talks were held on the sidelines of a visit by the Yemeni president and members of the presidential leadership council and a number of Yemeni government ministers to Kuwait to request urgent development support.
The Kuwaiti foreign minister said: His country’s support for Yemen in the coming period has now begun, and tangible results will soon be witnessed by the brotherly country.
The Yemeni official’s statements focused on the importance of resuming projects funded by the Arab and Kuwaiti funds, urgent interventions to rehabilitate hospitals in liberated governorates undertaken by the State of Kuwait, and the provision of relief oil shipments the electricity sector, which Saudi Arabia has sponsored in recent years under the directives of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The talks also touched on support opportunities in the road transport sector, the resumption of flights between Yemen and Kuwait, and the rehabilitation of Aden airport and Socotra.
The Yemeni side also reviewed the priority service and economic sectors with urgent support in the short and medium term.
The Kuwaiti side confirmed the government’s response to all forms of sector support under urgent plans to program and absorb priority projects for the Yemeni people.
The Deputy Director-General of the Kuwait Fund for Development said: The Fund stands ready to review and resume all existing projects and to embark on other priority projects, particularly in the areas of transport, communications and food security.
The Chairman of the Presidential Command Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, and a number of his deputies, started an official visit to Kuwait, which is expected to extend to a number of Gulf capitals, to mobilize support for his country, which is facing difficult economic challenges due to the Iranian-backed Houthi war for the eighth consecutive year.
