Local Editor
U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths said on Monday Yemen’s warring parties had yet to agree on main sticking points in peace talks, including a ceasefire in Hodeida and reopening Sana’a airport, but that consultations would continue.
The talks in Sweden are set to last until Dec. 13. Grifffiths said another round would be held early next year in the effort to end a war pitting the Houthi group against the Saudi-backed resigned regime of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
“I’m hopeful that we can reach an agreement on de-escalation to reduce fighting in (Hodeida and Taiz). I am hoping that we can, we are not there yet,” he told reporters.
The mediator, who last week launched the first peace talks in two years, wants to avert a full-scale assault on the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, now under the control of the Houthis.
The group controls most population centers, including the capital Sana’a.
The Houthis told Reuters they want Hodeida, a lifeline for millions of people, to be declared a neutral zone.
The Saudi-backed resigned regime said it is open to a U.N. role in the seaport, but rejected a long-term presence in Hodeida.
The chief negotiator of the Hadi regime, Khalid al Yamani, told Reuters on Monday “The concept of peacekeeping or some sort of permanent presence of the U.N. - boots on the ground - or making the city as neutral is something that we will never accept.”
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
