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Saudi-led coalition to allow evacuation of wounded Yemen rebels Saudi-led coalition to allow evacuation of wounded Yemen rebels
(about 2 hours later)
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has agreed to allow some wounded Houthi rebels to be evacuated, following a visit to the region by the British foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, his office has said. Jeremy Hunt, the UK foreign secretary, has given an upbeat assessment of the chances of political talks and a ceasefire in the four-year Yemen civil war after a visit to Riyadh ended with Saudi Arabia agreeing to allow some wounded Houthi rebels to be evacuated.
The issue has proved a sticking point in previous peace talks and the move could now pave the way for fresh negotiations, Britain’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The fate of 50 injured fighters has proved the biggest single stumbling block to the start of a previous round of aborted peace talks in October, and the apparent breakthrough could pave the way for fresh negotiations, the Foreign Office said in a statement. The talks are likely to be held in Sweden.
“The Saudi-led coalition (has) agreed to the evacuation of wounded Huthis from Yemen, one of the key stumbling blocks to the UN Geneva talks in September,” it added. The Foreign Office said it expected the UN special envoy Martin Griffiths to give an update to the UN security council on Friday on his efforts to secure talks, including various confidence-building measures to be taken by both sides.
“Coalition forces will now permit the UN to oversee a Huthi medical evacuation, including up to 50 wounded fighters, to Oman ahead of another proposed round of peace talks in Sweden later this month.” Hunt also welcomed a temporary lull in the fighting in Yemen which came after more than 150 people were killed over 24 hours as Saudi and United Arab Emirates coalition forces battled their way to the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeidah.
During a visit to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on Monday, Hunt met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as leaders from the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Explaining the detail of the breakthrough, the Foreign Office said: “Subject to final assurances, the Saudi-led coalition [has] agreed to the evacuation of wounded Houthis from Yemen, one of the key stumbling blocks to the UN Geneva talks in September.
He was in the region to boost support for UN efforts to end the nearly four-year conflict in Yemen, and to press the gulf kingdom over the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “Coalition forces will now permit the UN to oversee a Houthi medical evacuation, including up to 50 wounded fighters, to Oman ahead of another proposed round of peace talks in Sweden later this month.”
“In my meetings we have made progress in removing the largest stumbling block to previous proposed rounds of peace talks, and set out a credible path to a de-escalation of military activity,” Hunt said following the trip. The Saudis blocked a similar group of 50 Houthi fighters leaving Yemen ahead of peace talks planned for Geneva last month, prompting the Houthis to refuse to attend and forcing Griffiths to abandon his efforts.
“I leave the region encouraged by these signs of progress, and I am determined to do what it takes to convert this into a lasting peace for the people of Yemen.” During a visit to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on Monday, Hunt met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as leaders from the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Afterwards Hunt said: “Diplomacy and negotiation remain the only path to ending the conflict and I am encouraged that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have shown their support for the UN peace process.”
Hunt also pushed Saudi rulers for “real accountability” in the Khashoggi case, according to Britain’s foreign ministry. The Foreign Office said the foreign secretary had “constructive discussions on pathways to achieve de-escalation and reduce tensions, and was clear that both sides would need to play their part in the confidence-building measures.”
He pointed out “both the strong international condemnation and the need for evidence that such an act could never happen again”, it said. It added the UK will “continue discussions with partners on how the security council can support the UN special envoy Martin Griffiths on the political process and improving the humanitarian situation. This will include discussions on the draft UN security council resolution on Yemen ahead of a security council briefing.” It is not clear if a resolution will be ready to be submitted as early as Friday.
Britain and the United States are major suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition backing the Yemen government in its fight against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels. The UK is the penholder on the Yemen file at the UN and has been accused of putting insufficient pressure on its close allies, the Saudis, to ensure a resolution backing a ceasefire was put to the security council. The UK claims a consensus was hard to secure given the competing national rivalries in Yemen.
Britain is seeking support among regional partners for new action at the UN Security Council for peace talks in Yemen. But the renewed threat of famine due to an increase in violence in Yemen, the weakening of the Saudi diplomatic position in the wake of the Saudi murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the intensity of Griffiths’ shuttle diplomacy have all conspired to make the chances of at least a start to peace talks more realistic.
“Diplomacy and negotiation remain the only path to ending the conflict and I am encouraged that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have shown their support for the UN peace process, led by Special Envoy Martin Griffiths,” Hunt added. Griffiths, who is currently in Riyadh, discussed with Yemeni foreign minister Khaled al-Yamani plans to secure the release of prisoners at Houthi-controlled prisons there. It was unclear if they discussed the release of Houthi prisoners.
“I will continue talking to partners about the best way for the Security Council to support the UN special envoy’s efforts on the political process and improve the humanitarian situation.” UN secretary general Antonio Guterres warned on Monday of a possible “catastrophic situation” if the port of Hodeidah was destroyed.
Griffiths is due to brief the Security Council on the situation in Yemen on November 16. “The fighting must stop, a political debate must begin and we must prepare a massive humanitarian response to avoid the worst next year,” he said.
Hodeida has been controlled by the Houthi rebels since 2014 when they overran the capital Sana’a, then swept through most of the rest of the country.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year and pro-government forces have since recaptured nearly all of the south and much of the Red Sea coast in a war of attrition, marked by gross human rights abuses by all sides, including starvation as a tactic of war.
YemenYemen
Jeremy HuntJeremy Hunt
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
Middle East and North AfricaMiddle East and North Africa
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