UN: Yemen peace talks to start in Dec. 15 in Switzerland

12/8/2015 4:35:56 AM

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Yemenpeace talks will startin Switzerland on Dec.15 to reach a permanent cease-fireandanend to the nine-month conflict in the country the United Nations envoy in Yemensaid Monday.

The UN will convene a series of face-to-face consultations toseek to establish a permanent cease-fireimprovethe humanitarian situation andreturn to apolitical transition the UNSecretary-General's Special Envoy forYemenIsmail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a press conference inGeneva.

"Both the government ofYemenand the Houthis and other relevant parties have committed to participate in the talks"Ahmed said.

There are number of good signs for a possible cease-fire agreement on Dec.15 Ahmed said.

"I also urge all parties to respect a full cessation of hostilities effective Dec. 15 in order to create a conducive environment for the talks and giveYemenis respite from the violence of recent months"the special envoy said.

The talks will last as long as it takesAhmed said.

"Only a political solution will end the crisis in Yemen"saidAhmed. "We strongly believe that the only way to end the suffering of theYemeni people and to rebuild confidence trust and mutual respect is through peaceful and inclusive dialogue."

The U.S. State Department welcomed the announcement of the talks while urging all parties to attend "in good faith and without preconditions".

"It is critical that parties return to the negotiating table as soon as possible to end the fighting and agree on a path forward that will end the suffering of the Yemeni people" according spokesman John Kirby.

He also urged all parties to allow the entry of food medicine and other relief items to help ease the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country

Yemendescended into chaos last September when the Houthis overrancapital Sanaa. In April the Shia militia also managed to captureYemen’s southern Aden province from which President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi -along with most of his government- was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia.

Yemeni civilians have been caught up in fighting since March 26 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched an air campaign against the Shia Houthi militant group inYemen.

Previous peace talks heldin Geneva in June 2015failed to result ina cease-fire agreement.

More than 2.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes and 21.2 million people inYemenare in need of humanitarian aid and theUN has asked $1.6billion for13.2million most vulnerablepeopleinYemenfor 2016.

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