Yemen's warring parties have committed to a set of measures to implement a nationwide ceasefire, improve living conditions in the country and engage in preparations for the resumption of an inclusive political process under United Nations supervision, the world body said on Saturday.
Yemen’s war began when the Iran-aligned Houthi movement ousted the government from the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014. More than 150,000 people have since been killed by the violence and three million displaced.
Saturday's announcement follows a series of meetings with the parties, including the President of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al Alimi, and the Houthis' chief negotiator Mohammed Abdul Salam, in Riyadh and Muscat, the office of the UN special envoy for Yemen said in a statement.
“Thirty million Yemenis are watching and waiting for this new opportunity to provide for tangible results and progress towards lasting peace. The parties have taken a significant step,” said UN envoy Hans Grundberg.
Mr Grundberg will now engage with the parties to establish a road map under UN auspices that includes these commitments and supports their implementation, the office said.
The UN road map will include the parties’ commitment to implement a nationwide ceasefire, pay all public sector salaries, resume oil exports, open roads in Taiz and other parts of Yemen, and further ease restrictions on Sanaa Airport and the Hudaydah port.
It will also establish implementation mechanisms and prepare for a Yemeni-owned political process under UN auspices.
Mr Grundberg expressed his deep appreciation for the key roles of Saudi Arabia and Oman in supporting the parties to reach this point.
He urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint at this critical time to allow for a conducive environment for dialogue and for agreement on the road map.
The war in Yemen has killed tens of thousands of people and caused a dire humanitarian crisis with 80 per cent of its population reliant on aid.
The progress in talks comes after the Iran-backed group, a Hamas ally, attacked several ships in the Red Sea, claiming they were linked to Israel.
The Houthis have said they will continue their attacks on ships believed to be bound for Israel while the Israelis continue their war in Gaza, where more than 20,000 people have been killed.
In the months running up to the Israeli war on Gaza, following the Hamas attacks on October 7 which killed about 1,200 people, there had been relative optimism about the prospects for peace in war-torn Yemen, which has been ravaged by one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.
A UN-brokered ceasefire in April last year reduced fighting to a level that has largely held, despite the truce expiring six months later. In September, Saudi Arabia hosted Houthi representatives for several days of talks, in the first official visit by a Houthi delegation to the kingdom since 2014.
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
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Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
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