Yemeni government initiates talks with Houthis
Negotiations began in Amman on Wednesday between the Yemeni government and the Houthis to reopen roads in Taiz and several other governorates.
The talks are being held under the auspices of the United Nations. Hans Grundberg, the organization’s special envoy for Yemen, said they were part of a two-month truce agreed in April at the beginning of Ramadan. He added that the truce was due to expire on June 2, but that he was working with all parties to extend it.
Grundberg called for good faith negotiations and urgent steps to reach agreement on the restoration of freedom of movement and improvement of the living conditions of the Yemeni people.
“Yemenis have been suffering from the impact of road closures for too long,” he said. “The opening of roads in Taiz and elsewhere is a crucial part of the truce that will allow families divided by the front lines to see each other, children to go to school, civilians to go to work and reach hospitals, and essential business activities to resume”.
He added that in the framework of the truce, significant progress was made in the efforts to reach agreement on the resumption of commercial flights to and from Sana’a airport. More than 1,000 passengers have flown so far and the frequency of flights is increasing. Preparations are under way to resume flights between Sanaa and Cairo, Egypt.
“This will allow more Yemenis to travel abroad to access medical care, educational and business opportunities, and to visit their families,” said Grundberg, who thanked the Egyptian government for its help in organizing the flights and its “active support to UN peace efforts”.
Although fighting has eased in Yemen since the beginning of the truce, with a significant reduction in civilian casualties, Grundberg expressed concern about reports of continued fighting and civilian casualties in parts of the country in recent weeks.
“I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint in order to preserve the truce and to fulfill their obligations under international law to protect civilians”, insisted the envoy, who promised to continue working with all parties involved in the truce to “prevent, defuse and resolve incidents,” he added.
We have seen the concrete benefits that the truce has brought so far in the daily lives of Yemenis. The parties concerned must renew the truce to extend and consolidate these advantages for the Yemeni people, who have suffered more than seven years of war.
This truce has offered an opportunity to break with the violence and suffering of the past and move towards a peaceful future in Yemen. The parties must seize this opportunity by implementing and renewing the truce and negotiating more durable solutions on security, political and economic issues, including income and wages, to support a comprehensive political settlement of the conflict.
“The parties involved have a responsibility to maintain and realize this potential for peace in Yemen,” Grundberg stressed.
