UN Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed
Kuwait City (IINA) – UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said Thursday that hope is emanating from the ongoing peace talks for the country as the warring parties started discussing details of elements that would be included in a comprehensive agreement.
Yemen is at a critical stage, with the economy in tatters, its infrastructure ruined, and the country’s social fabric disintegrating, Cheikh Ahmed told reporters in Kuwait where the UN-mediated Yemeni talks are taking place.
“The situation on the ground is dire but there is hope emanating from Kuwait,” he said, adding that only the participants in the talks can change the situation.
The envoy said the international support is stronger than ever and the UN is determined to achieve a lasting peace and to solidify any agreement reached. He also stated that the leaders of both delegations renewed their commitment to dialogue to reach a political agreement that is acceptable by all.
Cheikh Ahmed held a number of bilateral meetings with the delegations over the past few days, focused on the details and mechanisms of withdrawal, handover of weapons, resumption of political dialogue, restoration of state institutions and other matters that will be included in a comprehensive agreement.
Briefing the Security Council in a closed-session through video conference on Wednesday, the UN envoy gave an overview of the talks, the preliminary understandings reached and explained the compromises and solutions that are currently being considered.
The ongoing conflict has destroyed the country’s economic infrastructure and severely disrupted the functioning of state institutions. In this regard, Cheikh Ahmed proposed to the parties the creation of an “Economic Task Force” to enlist the support of economic experts in order to manage the situation and take the necessary measures to save the economy.