Yemen's Houthi rebels say they have agreed to reopen two roads around the city of Taez, the group's Saba news agency reported on Thursday.
The militant group said it had submitted “notes” to the UN special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, confirming the decision to reopen the Salleh road to Sanaa and roads between Lahej and Aden.
The UN special envoy's office could not immediately be reached to confirm the claim.
Saba news, quoting an unindentified military source, said the Houthis would reopen the two roads “immediately” in the “first phase” of an operation.
“After the first phase is complete, the committees will continue UN-sponsored talks to commence the reopening of the remaining roads, according to what is agreed upon,” the Houthis said.
A UN-brokered nationwide truce, which was renewed this month, stipulates that the Houthis would reopen roads around Taez — which has been under a lengthy siege by the group.
But a Yemeni diplomatic source told The National that the proposed roads agreed to by the Houthis will only "alleviate the suffering of the people of Taez by 10 per cent", due to their relatively small size.
UN humanitarian co-ordinator to Yemen David Gressly told The National last week that access to the roads will allow people to return home and make aid more accessible.
The conflict has forced millions of Yemenis from their homes and made 70 per cent of the population reliant on aid in what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The UN special envoy's second visit to Sanaa since he took over the role in September centred on the issue of Taez, one of the most problematic issues between the warring sides.
Under the truce, Sanaa International Airport resumed flights to Amman and Cairo for the first time since it closed six years ago, providing much-needed relief for Yemenis seeking medical treatment abroad.
US special envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking told The National on Sunday that he hopes the temporary truce will turn into a ceasefire before August 2.
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
MATCH INFO
England 241-3 (20 ovs)
Malan 130 no, Morgan 91
New Zealand 165 all out (16.5ovs)
Southee 39, Parkinson 4-47
England win by 76 runs
Series level at 2-2
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
