Sanaa in response to UN envoy: We reject state of no peace and no war
The Sanaa government's Minister of Foreign says a settlement that benefits the Yemeni people and gives them honor and dignity is needed.
The Sanaa government's Minister of Foreign, Hisham Sharaf, affirmed Thursday that any truce that does not ease the burdens of Yemeni citizens and improve their conditions cannot be considered a truce, but rather a temporary sedative.
In an interview for Al Mayadeen, Sharaf said in response to the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg that "We reject the state of no peace and no war," adding that "We want a settlement that benefits the Yemeni people and gives them honor and dignity."
Earlier, Grundberg announced that he was conducting extensive contacts with the concerned parties in Yemen to try expanding and extending the truce, which was first announced in April and is set to expire on August 2.
On Tuesday, the head of the Sanaa government delegation, negotiator Muhammad Abdul Salam, said that the armistice agreement is about to end, noting that "the aggression countries dealt with it in a manner that reflects recklessness and arrogance."
In the same context, the head of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, Mahdi Al-Mashat, said on July 8 that "the continuous violations of the [Saudi-led] aggression and its mercenaries have put the armistice at a crossroads," noting that the matter "may develop into a return to military operations in view of his repudiation of the implementation of many terms of the armistice."
On June 2, Grundberg announced that the Sanaa government and the Saudi coalition responded positively to the UN proposal to renew the truce for an additional two months.
Grundberg announced that "under this truce, all offensive military operations, by land, air and sea, will cease."
The UN envoy explained that the terms of the armistice agreement include facilitating the entry of 18 ships carrying fuel to the ports of Al-Hudaydah, allowing two flights to and from Sanaa's airport every week.
However, the Sanaa government repeatedly "expressed its dismay at the Saudi side’s failure to implement the terms of the armistice, especially the closing of the airport and obstructing the entry of ships."