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ADEN (Reuters) – The Yemeni government and Houthi rebels are committed to taking steps towards a ceasefire, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen said on Saturday.
The UN envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said in a statement that he “(welcomes) the commitment of the parties to take a set of measures to implement a ceasefire on the national scale, improve living conditions in Yemen and engage in preparations for the resumption of an inclusive political process under the auspices of the United Nations.
Hans Grundberg “will now engage with the parties to establish a road map, under the auspices of the United Nations, which includes these commitments and supports their implementation”, it is indicated in the press release.
The road map, along with the ceasefire, will also include commitment from both sides to resume oil exports, pay civil servants’ salaries, open roads in several parts of Yemen, and “ease further restrictions imposed on Sanaa airport and Hodeida port,” the statement said.
Envoys from the Houthi rebels, close to Iran, traveled to Saudi Arabia in September to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with Riyadh in the war in Yemen. This visit followed a first series of consultations organized under the mediation of the Sultanate of Oman, which took place in parallel with UN peace efforts, when Saudi envoys visited Sanaa in April.
The conflict in Yemen is considered a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia has been intervening in the war in Yemen since 2015 at the head of a coalition of Gulf countries.
Peace initiatives gained momentum after Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore ties under a China-brokered deal. A permanent ceasefire in Yemen would mark an important step in stabilizing the Middle East.
“Hans Grundberg expressed his deep gratitude for the key role played by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman.”
“He urged all parties to exercise utmost restraint at this critical moment in order to create an environment conducive to dialogue and reaching an agreement on the road map.”
(Report Mohammed Ghobari, written by Yousef Saba; French version Camille Raynaud)
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