Yemeni government suspends participation in peace talks
(Image from AFP)
Kuwait City, (IINA) – Yemen’s government suspended its participation in talks with rebels on Tuesday for the second time this month, in a new setback to the UN-backed peace process, Arab News reported.
Yemen’s Foreign Minister Abdulmalek Al-Mikhlafi said on Twitter that the Houthi militia, which controls the capital, had “torpedoed the talks completely”, by backtracking on their commitments after a month of negotiations.
“I have asked the UN envoy not to allow the rebels to waste any more time… and to make them comply with the reference issues before we resume the talks”, said Mikhlafi, who heads the government delegation.
A statement by the government delegation said it would continue to boycott the talks until the rebels comply with the agreed references.
It also urged the international community to apply pressure on the rebels to implement international resolutions to end the war and held them responsible for obstructing the peace negotiations.
The statement blamed the Houthis of destroying the country’s economy, refusing to respect the ceasefire and to implement UN Security Council resolutions.
In particular, the government wants the Houthis to comply with a UN Security Council resolution ordering them to pull out of territory they occupied in a 2014 offensive and surrender heavy arms they captured. Sources close to the government and rebel delegations confirmed to AFP that a session scheduled to take place on Tuesday morning was canceled after the government delegation withdrew.
It is noteworthy that the two delegations were on the verge of finalizing a deal to release half of the detainees and prisoners before the start of the fasting month of Ramadan.