'No progress' at UN-brokered Yemen talks
June 17, 2015
UN-brokered talks in Geneva have stalled after parties representing the exiled Yemeni government and Houthi rebels accuse each other of sabotage. Yemen's foreign minister has said "no progress" is being made.
UN-brokered talks aimed at implementing a much-needed humanitarian truce between warring factions in Yemen have stalled amid accusations that parties representing the exiled Yemeni government and Houthi rebels are attempting to sabotage to the negotiations.
The talks launched by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon aim to ensure a two-week ceasefire to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to the conflict-stricken country, which has witnessed more than 1,000 civilians deaths since a Saudi-led military campaign began airstrikes against Houthi targets in March.
'Never showed up'
Yemen's Foreign Minister Reyad Yassin Abdulla said on Wednesday that "no progress" had been made due to the absence of the Houthi delegation at the UN in Geneva.
"Today we were supposed to have something positive. They are just sitting in their hotel making all kind of rumors," Abdulla told Reuters news agency.
The foreign minister added that "they never showed up."
'Very difficult' situation
The UN special envoy to Yemen, Mauritian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has been shuttling back and forth between the delegations, which have refused to meet face-to-face for the negotiations.
"In a situation like this, the Yemenis need to talk among themselves, not with the United Nations," Ahmed said on Wednesday, AFP news agency reported.
"As long as we have not reached the point where the Yemenis agree together, this will be very difficult," the UN envoy added.
The Yemeni foreign minister continues to call on the Houthi rebels to withdraw from all cities, stating that the demand is non-negotiable for a ceasefire. However, the Houthis said that the exiled government headed by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi is trying to "impose their own agenda" at the talks.
The stalled talks come amid increasing violence on both sides of the conflict.
ls/rc (Reuters, AFP)