GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al Zayani
The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said late Friday that he hopes for the restart of peace talks in Yemen with the participation of the Houthis and a halt to the fighting.
In a phone call, GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al Zayani told UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths that he supported his efforts to rekindle negotiations, according to a statement from the GCC.
He added that the peace talks would serve as a “very good chance” to relieve the Yemeni people of their grievances and reach a political solution.
Al Zayani also called on other countries to support Griffiths’ efforts, the statement said.
Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.
The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
Canada on Friday called on all parties to bring a permanent end to the ongoing conflict in Yemen.“We deplore the ongoing violence, which has led to mass malnourishment, severe food insecurity, death and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis," Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said in a joint statement.The ministers said Canada has provided $130 million of life-saving humanitarian aid to affected communities since the beginning of the conflict in 2015."We remain deeply concerned by reports that all parties to the conflict have repeatedly contravened international law and have obstructed humanitarian assistance," they said.Freeland and Bibeau also called for "rapid and unimpeded" access for humanitarian assistance, and urged all parties to the conflict to fully comply with international humanitarian law."Canada welcomes the important work of Martin Griffiths, the UN’s Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, and fully supports efforts to resume talks toward a permanent and peaceful end to this conflict," the ministers added.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.Saudi coalition in Yemen attacks Sanaa sites, clashes in Hodeidah
Canadian ministers call for end to Yemen conflict
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said it attacked Sanaa International Airport and an adjoining airbase being used by Houthi insurgents, as the two warring sides also clashed further west in the country’s main port city.The violence broke out days after renewed U.S. calls for a ceasefire in the three-and-half-year war that the Saudi-backed government suggested it was ready to support.Houthi forces were using the airbase in the capital to launch drone and ballistic missile attacks, a coalition spokesman told Saudi state al-Ekhbaria TV on Friday.Flights and international aid efforts were not affected, Colonel Turki al-Malki said.Al-Masirah TV, which is controlled by the Houthis, said more than 30 air strikes targeted al-Dulaimi Air Base in Sanaa and the surrounding areas.In the port of Hodeidah, fighting broke out early on Friday in a southern district, residents and military sources said.The coalition had massed thousands of troops near the city on Wednesday, in a move to pressure the Iran-aligned Houthis to return to U.N.-sponsored peace talks.The sources in Hodeidah said fighting was heard in areas near the airport and the university, and Apache helicopters were spotted in the sky.Forces loyal to the Saudi-backed government have said coalition strikes were intensified on Thursday night on Houthi bases near the eastern entrance to the port city, which is a gateway to the capital, and in its southern part.Saudi prince disparaged Khashoggi in US calls: reportGermany hardening line on Saudi Arabia and Khashoggi
Saudi coalition in Yemen attacks Sanaa sites, clashes in Hodeidah
UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths said Wednesday he will bring Yemeni warring rivals together within a month in hope of resolving the conflict in the war-torn country."We remain committed to bring the Yemeni parties to the negotiations table within a month," Griffiths said in a statement issued by his office."Dialogue remains the only path to reach an inclusive agreement,” he said.The UN envoy's remarks came after calls by U.S., French and British officials for a 30-day ceasefire in Yemen and engaging in "serious" negotiations to end the war."I urge all concerned parties to seize this opportunity to engage constructively with our current efforts to swiftly resume political consultations to agree on a framework for political negotiations, and confidence-building measures," he said.Yemeni commander survives attack; three killedBritish PM May backs US call for de-escalation in YemenHe noted that confidence-building measures include, in particular, "enhancing the capacities of the Central Bank of Yemen, the exchange of prisoners and the re-opening of Sanaa airport."Early on Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis called for a ceasefire in Yemen and the start of peace talks in the next 30 days.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also released a statement saying it was “time to end this conflict, replace conflict with compromise, and allow the Yemeni people to heal through peace and reconstruction”.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
UN envoy says to meet Yemen warring rivals
Three people were killed in a bomb blast targeting a military commander in southern Yemen on Wednesday, according to a Yemeni military officer.An improvised bomb exploded at the car of Colonel Mosaad al-Okla in Sanah district in the southern Dhale province, the officer told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.Al-Okla was slightly injured in the attack, which killed three of his companions, the officer said.No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack and Yemeni authorities have yet to comment.Yemen has fallen into civil war in 2014 when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, forcing the government to flee to Saudi Arabia.In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back the Houthi military gains.British PM May backs US call for de-escalation in Yemen
Yemeni commander survives attack; three killed