U.N. announces end of Yemen talks in Kuwait, says peace efforts to continue
(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
KUWAIT, 6th August, 2016 (WAM) --- The U.N. special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced on Saturday the end of Yemen peace talks in Kuwait, and said negotiation between the two Yemeni warring sides will resume within a month.
"Yemen peace talks will resume in a month, and the location will be decided later," Ould Cheikh Ahmed was quoted by Kuwait's state agency as telling reporters during a press conference in Kuwait.
The UN, meanwhile, did not ask Kuwait to host the second rounds of talks, Ould Cheikh Ahmed said.
The diplomat said bringing the two sides "at one negotiation table was an achievement in itself," but said the biggest hurdle to the talks was that "trust was missing." He called to implement measures to build "trust" between the two sides.
The envoy highlighted nine points as recommendation for the two, including the release of all political prisoners and bringing military experts to the next round of talks.
He said: "We will leave the two sides time to consult with their leadership."
The envoy rejected that the talks in Kuwait have failed, and criticised any "unilateral" steps taken by any of the two sides.
On Saturday the Houthi militia and forces loyal to the now-ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh appointed a council set up to govern Yemen, seen as a new blow to the UN-mediated peace talks.
The intra-Yemeni talks began on 21st April and broke down last month when the Houthi militia rejected a UN peace plan to resolve the crisis in the country.
The draft plan called on the Houthis to withdraw from territories they had occupied and give up heavy weapons they had seized from the government army.
The two sides would also exchange prisoners before the launch of political negotiations.
WAM/MMYS