Yemeni Foreign Ministry: Houthi failure to abide by truce terms threatens its continuation
Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Bin Mubarak said the Houthi militias’ failure to abide by the terms of the UN humanitarian truce, especially the lifting of the siege of Taiz, threatens its continuation.
Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy to Yemen, met Monday in Aden to discuss efforts to bring the truce to a successful conclusion, the official Saba agency reported.
The Yemeni Minister explained that his government, in order to alleviate human suffering, took the initiative to complete its obligations stipulated in the truce, and showed great flexibility to make the efforts of the envoy successful. On the other hand, there is great intransigence and arrogance on the part of the Houthis to continue their violations and breaches of the truce and to delay and complicate the issue of lifting the siege on Taiz.
“The foundations and objectives of the truce are primarily humanitarian, and failure to abide by any of its basic provisions threatens its chances of success, especially as the siege on Taiz has doubled human suffering on nearly 5 million citizens in all aspects of life”, he said.
He pointed out that the Taiz file was present in all previous rounds of political consultations, and was one of the main items in the Stockholm agreement, at that time the Houthi militias politicized the file and avoided fulfilling their obligations.
He stressed the government’s commitment to the directives of the Presidential Command Council to exercise restraint in order to serve the success of the truce and alleviate the humanitarian suffering imposed by the Houthi militia on the Yemeni people.
Bin Mubarak called on the UN envoy and the international community to put pressure on the Iranian-backed Houthi militias and ensure that the terms and conditions of the truce are completed, especially the Taiz file and the revenues from Hodeida port and allocated to pay salaries for public sector employees.
He also stressed the need to use clear and firm language on blocking truce and peace efforts in Yemen.
For his part, Grundberg said that the Taiz issue is the top priority of his work, and that he understands the government and the people’s position on this issue. He added that discussions are still ongoing and that he will, with the support of the regional and international community, be keen to complete the terms of the truce, its success and its extension.
He also praised the position of the Yemeni government, its diligence and flexibility, and its commitment to alleviate human suffering and the success of the truce.
Earlier on Sunday, a government source said that the UN envoy to Yemen arrived at Aden International Airport from Jordan to meet with the president and members of the Presidential Council to discuss the imposition of the truce extension and the Taiz file.
This came after the first round of negotiations ended without an explicit announcement of the lifting of the siege of Taiz, which was a new disappointment for all Yemenis, as Houthi militias once again emerged as a party seeking to fragment the agreements and not make any concessions to alleviate human suffering under the UN truce.
While the Houthis are trying to open the roads, the humanitarian truce is rapidly unraveling for three days, and the fate of its extension remains subject to the barter of militias seeking what they call economic and humanitarian benefits.
The humanitarian truce went into effect on April 2nd and will last until June 2nd. The Yemeni government fulfilled its humanitarian provisions through the flow of fuel through Hodeida port and flights to Sanaa airport, while the Houthis did not implement any provision, including lifting the siege of Taiz and the delivery of salaries.
