Yemen peace talks 'will be held under UN resolution 2216'

The United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has said negotiations for peaceful solution will be under the aegis of Security Council resolution 2216 (2015).

He informed the Council that both Houthis and the Yemini Government have reiterated their intention to abide by Security Council resolution 2216 and to hand over their weapons. "I trust that face-to-face discussions, which will be the first of the kind, will allow us to bring together the government and the Houthis in order to pave the way to peace in Yemen and to open peaceful political dialogue to move into a new transitional state," said Ahmed.

In a October 19 letter, Yemen President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi informed the UN Secretary-General of his intention to send a delegation to participate in peace talks and negotiations in the frameworks stipulated by resolution 2216 (2015), he said.

Ahmed said he had recently travelled to Middle East to meet leaders from Saudi Arabia and Russia to inform them about the latest developments in Yemen, and his discussion with the Houthis. He also spoke of his meeting with the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), whose initiatives to resolve the Yemeni conflict could bolster the conditions for national dialogue in Yemen.

Ahmed explained that the initiatives drawn by the GCC, along with his own proposals would include withdrawal of extremism from key cities, release of prisoners, return of weapons, improvements in humanitarian situation and the resumption of inclusive political dialogue. "All this will mark a new page in Yemen’s history. All parties today are aware that there can be no military solution to the conflict and that only peace talks works and dialogue will pave a road to a better future," he said.

He appealed to the Council to support and protect the initiatives undertaken and to encourage all parties to move forward in order to put an end to this conflict. "The last (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) report shows majority of Yemenis need humanitarian aid. Twenty million Yeminis don’t have access to potable water. At least 500,000 children are suffering from malnutrition," said Ahmed.

He informed Council members the recent deadly shelling of Taiz has left the highland city "in tatters" and has led to interruption of humanitarian services in many regions. "Humanitarian aid, which is supposed to flow freely, is not reaching the people of Taiz leading to a grave crisis in terms of medicines," he added.

Source: QNA