UN Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed
New York (IINA) – UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed welcomed the start of a tentative truce in the country's year-old conflict on Monday and said peace talks due to start later this month would require difficult compromises for all sides.
"Now is the time to step back from the brink," Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement following the start of the UN-backed cessation of hostilities at 2100 GMT on Sunday.
He said the truce terms included commitments for unhindered access for relief aid to all of Yemen, where the UN says hundreds of thousands of children face life-threatening malnutrition and millions lack health care or clean water.
"The progress made represents a real opportunity to rebuild a country that has suffered far too much violence for far too long. A positive outcome will require difficult compromises from all sides, courage and determination to reach an agreement.”
The halt in fighting precedes peace talks set to begin on April 18 in Kuwait under UN auspices.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed explained that the Kuwait talks would focus on five main areas: withdrawal of militias and armed groups, the handover of heavy weapons to the state, interim security arrangements, the restoration of state institutions and the resumption of inclusive political dialogue, and creation of a special committee for prisoners and detainees.
AB/IINA
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