(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) The UN special envoy for Yemen said Friday he would begin working immediately with the government and rebel leaders to determine an agenda and date for peace talks, but warned a "catastrophic" humanitarian crisis loomed.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the Security Council that the Huthi militias and backers of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh had "clearly committed" to carrying out council resolution 2216, which calls for a negotiated withdrawal by the militias "from Yemen's key cities and a surrender of all heavy weapons to the state." He said the Yemeni government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi - which last month backed away from UN-sponsored talks in Oman, demanding that the militias first withdraw their forces - had agreed to send a delegation to the upcoming negotiations, AFP reported.
The Security Council separately issued a statement calling on "all Yemeni parties to resume and accelerate United Nations-brokered inclusive political consultations" and to engage in the talks in "a flexible and constructive manner.
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