UN Yemen envoy in new bid for peace

AFP, MUSCAT: The UN envoy for Yemen has announced a new bid for peace talks between the government and rebels, after the latest ceasefire failed to end the 20-month conflict.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he was heading to Riyadh and Kuwait “to prepare for a new round” of talks, as he left Muscat late Saturday after discussions with representative of Yemen’s Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies.
Riyadh has been the base of Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi since the rebels forced him to flee his country in March 2015 and prompted Saudi Arabia to lead an Arab coalition in a military campaign against the insurgents.
Hadi flew into Aden on Saturday for a surprise visit to the southern port city serving as Yemen’s temporary capital since coalition-backed loyalists recaptured it from the rebels.
“I am ready to visit President Hadi in Aden if need be,” Cheikh Ahmed said, in a statement carried by Oman’s official ONA news agency.
The UN envoy said he found “a lot of seriousness” in talks with representatives of the Huthis and their allies from the party of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

UN Yemen envoy in new bid for peace

AFP, MUSCAT: The UN envoy for Yemen has announced a new bid for peace talks between the government and rebels, after the latest ceasefire failed to end the 20-month conflict. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he was heading to Riyadh and Kuwait to prepare for a new round of talks, as he left Muscat late Saturday after discussions with representative of Yemens Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies. Riyadh has been the base of Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi since the rebels forced him to flee his country in March 2015 and prompted Saudi Arabia to lead an Arab coalition in a military campaign against the insurgents. Hadi flew into Aden on Saturday for a surprise visit to the southern port city serving as Yemens temporary capital since coalition-backed loyalists recaptured it from the rebels. I am ready to visit President Hadi in Aden if need be, Cheikh Ahmed said, in a statement carried by Omans official ONA news agency. The UN envoy said he found a lot of seriousness in talks with representatives of the Huthis and their allies from the party of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.