UN envoy: No agreement reached on truce extension in Yemen

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Oct 2022 22:26
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UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg regrets that an agreement couldn't be reached today regarding the truce and stressed that he will keep working with both sides to find adequate solutions.

UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg

The UN Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General For Yemen (OSESGY) published a statement on Sunday in which Special Envoy Hans Grundberg expressed regret over the failure of reaching an agreement for extending and expanding the nationwide truce in Yemen.

“The truce that began on 2 April 2022 has offered a truly historic opportunity for Yemen. Building on the positive outcomes of the past six months, I submitted another proposal to the parties on 1 October to extend the truce for another six months, with additional elements,” the statement said.

The expansion of the truce allegedly involves a wide array of benefits for the Yemeni population which includes the payment of civil servant salaries and pensions, the opening of specific roads in Taiz and other governorates, additional destinations for flights to and from Sanaa airport, unhindered entry of fuel ships into Al-Hudaydah port, and strengthening de-escalation mechanisms through the Military Coordination Committee, in addition to a commitment to urgently release detainees.

The initiation of negotiations for a ceasefire, the resumption of an inclusive political process, and wider economic issues, including public services are also elements included in the expanded version of the truce.

Grundberg expressed regret over the failure of reaching an agreement on the truce today, claiming that the Yemeni population would tremendously benefit from an extended and expanded truce.

“I am grateful for the constructive engagement at the leadership level from both sides over the past weeks. And I appreciate the position of the Government of Yemen on engaging positively with my proposal. I will continue to work with both sides to try and find solutions," Grundberg said.

While negotiations are still ongoing, Grundgerg urged the parties to avoid provocations or any actions that would inevitably cause disruption in the country.

“I urge them to fulfill their obligation to the Yemeni people to pursue every avenue for peace. Ultimately, Yemenis need an end to the conflict through an inclusive political process and a negotiated settlement. I will continue my relentless efforts to engage with the parties to quickly reach an agreement on a way forward,” he concluded.

Earlier today, it was reported that the Supreme Political Council of Yemen expressed reluctance over a truce that would not be truly representative of the Yemeni people's interests.

The demands were to prevent the armistice from turning into a goal knowing that it was just a means to reach a final agreement, denouncing the reluctance of the UN and its submission of a proposal that does not meet the demands of the Yemeni people and does not lay any foundation for the peace process.

The Council affirmed that it will take the necessary measures to preserve the supreme national interest and the sacrifices of the Yemeni people who will not be deceived by false promises, underscoring that they can extract their rights that are being looted by the aggression and its mercenaries.

It is noteworthy that on Saturday, the Sanaa negotiating delegation pointed out that "its acceptance of the first and second extensions of the armistice was in the hope that there would be the slightest sense of responsibility or understanding on the part of the countries of the Saudi-led coalition of aggression and their mercenaries."

"During the six months of the armistice, we did not see any seriousness in prioritizing the humanitarian issue, and since the start of the truce, despite delays, we were keen on not missing any opportunity that could lead to peace," the delegation indicated in a statement.

Over the past seven years, Yemen has been the target of ongoing aggression led by the Saudi coalition. Over 46,000 died as a result of the aggression, among which are 4017 children, 2434 women, and 11,283 men, while the number of wounded reached 28,528 wounded, including 4,586 children, 2,911 women, and 10,032 men.

Yemen has also suffered several losses of fuel ships that were seized in complete disregard of the violations of the temporary armistice. As of today, the number of seized ships is 14.