As UN-backed Yemen peace talks in Sweden entered their third day on Saturday, representatives of the country's warring parties have yet to bridge differences over key issues, including the reopening of the Sanaa airport and UN administration of a vital Yemeni port.
Rana Ghanem, a member of the government's delegation told The National on Saturday that the government and Houthi delegation have not yet held face-to-face consultations. Instead, UN Envoy Martin Griffiths and his team have so far shuttled between Houthi rebels and representatives of the Yemeni government, in Rimbo, north of Stockholm.
Ms Ghanem also said that discussions have yet to address a political solution to the conflict. "This is natural, how can we engage in a political process when there are many issues on the ground that needs to be resolved," she said.
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Read more:
Houthis launch attacks in Hodeidah as Yemen peace talks begin
Yemen’s government urges UN to take a firmer approach with Houthis
Cautious optimism reigns over Yemen peace talks
Yemen's warring parties appear together for first time since 2015
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The UN envoy has outlined three initial objectives for talks in Sweden: securing some confidence-building measures including a prisoner swap, the reopening of the airport in the capital, Sanaa, and securing UN administration of the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeidah, through which almost 80% of international aid enters the country.
The consultations are expected to last until December 13 with both sides under pressure to agree on confidence-building measures that will allow formal peace negotiations to resume.
Mr Griffiths on Saturday commended the positive spirit the two parties are demonstrating in consultations.
“The two parties are engaged in a serious and constructive way in discussing the details of confidence building measures, reduction of violence and the framework for negotiations,” Mr Griffiths said in a statement.
The UN Envoy stressed the importance of continued restraint on the ground and called on the two parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, the statement said.
“We are working to the background of a very fragile situation in Yemen. We hope that de-escalation will be maintained on different front lines, to give a chance for progress to be achieved on the political consultations.”
Ms Ghanem said that negotiating parties have raised the issue of confidence building between rebels and the government, in an effort to boost mutual trust that has eroded over the course of the conflict.
Yemen's warring sides agreed on Thursday on freeing thousands of prisoners as part of a wider attempt at enhancing trust. But, rebels and the government have yet to agree on details of the deal.
While the first day of talks concluded on a positive note, negotiations have since been marred by complications.
Houthi rebels on Friday rejected a request made by Yemen's government to reopen Sanaa airport to domestic flights. The government proposed reopening the rebel-held airport on condition planes are inspected in the airports of Aden or Sayun which are under its control.
Delegates representing Houthi rebels told reporters in Sweden that they refuse plane inspections. But, Ms Ghanem said that the government's delegation did not receive an official response from the Houthis.
She also criticized their reasons for rejecting the proposal, saying that "before the airport was shut in 2014, there were daily domestic flights between Sanaa and Besha and the flights were inspected in Besha."
The main reason the government has proposed to reopen Sanaa airport, she said, "is to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people and to ensure the delivery of much needed humanitarian aid."
The government is also pushing for the opening of Taez airport, according to Ms Ghanem.
"The city is widely populated and this will ensure the long-term delivery of aid. But it cannot just open without any inspection and surveillance," she said, in comments that suggest that Houthis may also reject this proposal because of insistence on inspection.
The main negotiator for Houthi rebels Mohammed Abdusalam told Reuters on Saturday that his group was open to the possibility of a UN role at Sanaa airport to secure agreement to reopen the facility, which has been bombed several times. "The closing of Sanaa airport was a political decision not because of security concerns… if we agree on its reopening, we are ready to discuss those details," he said.
Meanwhile, Yemen's foreign minister on Saturday said that the government-controlled city of Aden will be home to the country's main airport.
"We are ready to reopen Sanaa international airport today... but we have a vision that Aden will be the sovereign airport of Yemen," Khaled al-Yamani told AFP in his first interview since the talks opened in Sweden on Thursday.
On the issue of the vital port of Hodeidah, Ms Ghanem said that it must come under full government control.
The Yemeni government, backed by the Arab Coalition, accuses the Iran-backed rebels of using their control of the port, the main entry point for Yemen's food imports and desperately needed humanitarian aid, to smuggle in weapons from Iran.
Mr Abdusalam on Saturday said that Hodeidah should be declared a neutral zone.
"It (Hodeidah) should be a neutral zone apart from the conflict, and the military brigades that came from outside Hodeidah province should leave," he told Reuters in Rimbo on the sidelines of peace talks with the Saudi-backed government.
"We have proposed to the UN to oversee the port and supervise its logistics... inspections, revenues and all the technical issues," he said while declining to say who will control the city if both rebels and government forces leave.
Meanwhile, Yemen's foreign minister told AFP that the government is willing to coordinate with the UN on supervision and port operations but stressed that "the port must remain sovereign, part of the work of the Yemeni transport ministry which is in charge of Yemeni borders and ports."
Ms Ghanem said she is sceptical about Houthi's willingness to engage in peace talks, expressing her belief that "they are not serious about finding a political solution to this crisis." But, she said she does hope to see Houthis pushing for peace, following the devastating war.
Mr Abdusalam told Reuters that a ceasefire would be the first condition for a political solution. "As long as canons are firing and warplanes are bombing, there will be no space for a voice of reason or negotiations," he said.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Final round
25 under - Antoine Rozner (FRA)
23 - Francesco Laporta (ITA), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG)
21 - Grant Forrest (SCO)
20 - Ross Fisher (ENG)
19 - Steven Brown (ENG), Joakim Lagergren (SWE), Niklas Lemke (SWE), Marc Warren (SCO), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)
ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
The%20specs
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Match info
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Six pitfalls to avoid when trading company stocks
Following fashion
Investing is cyclical, buying last year's winners often means holding this year's losers.
Losing your balance
You end up with too much exposure to an individual company or sector that has taken your fancy.
Being over active
If you chop and change your portfolio too often, dealing charges will eat up your gains.
Running your losers
Investors hate admitting mistakes and hold onto bad stocks hoping they will come good.
Selling in a panic
If you sell up when the market drops, you have locked yourself out of the recovery.
Timing the market
Even the best investor in the world cannot consistently call market movements.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Company%20profile
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KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets
